Tyburn
09-20-2010, 12:19 PM
So, the week before Bonnie began laying eggs I caught her perching on one foot. Birds are always weary of predators, and so they try their best not to display any weakness, this means all the symptoms of an ailments are everso slight. They are designed to be vauge, unfortunately that doesnt help if you are trying to look after them. I spend a lot of time watching my birds, so I notice at once when they act out of sorts. Though Budgies often stand on one leg, Zebra finches do not.
Within a couple of days Bonnie was laying eggs, so I assumed that she was in a certain ammount of discomfort, this being the first time she has ever laid an egg. But I kept an eye on her, and began to see her less the favoured foot was swelling round the joint, slightly enlarged also. Immediately I began research. The two most common causes in Zebra Finches, are cancers, and Bumble foot. Bumble foot is basically blisters on the feet from hard, or new perches, and they need to be treated before becoming infected. One can tell of infection because it will cut of the blood supply and cause the toes to go black, resulting in amputation. So I kept an eye out, and though the swelling got noticeably worse, her toes didnt go black.
The signs to look out for in sick birds are, the inability to perch. When Birds get real sick, they loose their ability to ballence, this means they cant sit on elevated perches for fear of falling off. Like Human Beings, they loose their appetite, dont feed, and dont drink. They also quit it with all issues to do with reproduction. Other then the odd occasion of standing on one leg, none of the above applied to Bonnie even if I could gradually see a worsening of visual symptoms. Unhelpfully she began incubation making it difficult to inspect her.
After A week, for the sake of herself and her chicks, I decided to get incontact with the vets. There is an Avian Vets in Harrogate within walking distance, but they claimed when I first rang, that they were only taking on birds of prey. So they reffered me to a place in Bradford, which was open at odd hours, and totally unfit for purpose. So I checked around at my place of employment where there are several others interested in Birds, and someone reffered me to a Vets near Harrogate Hospital. They gave me a refferal back to the original Avian vets who then suddenly were interested in taking me on.
So today I managed, after considerable time and effort, to get Bonnie out of the nest, then out of the cage, then into the box. I am pleased to say before I left the room, Pettis, her Partner was already sitting on the eggs. Over the previous few days after nearly a full week of doing nothing to help, Bonnie has insisted he do his manly duty and warm the eggs so she can actually have a day off, although he protested and sulked to begin with...he has now got the idea, and comes before she calls.
We walked through the streets to Bilton. I have to say Bonnie is unflappable, She aint a bird to get stressed out at all. She was softely pecking me through the breathers in her box as we plowed on through quite a wind, at quite a rate. I was running late because she had at first refused to get into the box...she would much rather fly around the room.
Once in the Vets we saw the doctor. She was second only to the guy who founded the insitution. We decided it was best, since I had forgotten to bring my net, to let Bonnie free, and we would inspect her without touch to begin with. She flew around, and settled by the window, and the vet was able to look at her leg, then we caught her, and she had a close up look whilst getting Bonnie back in her box. The whole scenario took about five moments. She then told me she was pleased to tell me that she was an expert in the field of Bonnies Ailment.
Bonnie has Gaot. Simply put, there are two forms of this but one cause. Bonnie has some problems with her tiny Kidneys, for some reason she is producing more waste then she can be rid of. This means the waste hardens around her joints in one form. In this form, there is little that can be done, the Gaot may come and go, as the Kidneys get better or worse. But its not, in essence a degenerative disease. We just have to persavere through it. There maybe minimal pain, but until she goes off food, or cant perch,there is little to worry about, and nothing that can be done. She said it was an excellent sign that Bonnie had laid eggs AFTER the Gaot began, and was still incubating. Its a sign that this isnt a serious issue.
There is another form of Gaot however, thankfully no causal link between the two, but something to hold in mind. Birds can be effected by Visceral Gaot. This is when the Amount of waste is so high it forms crystals in the blood, and gets stuck in organs, causeing death. In a bird the size of a Zebra Finch, there is no warning. In a Budgie size bird, the Vet said in order to rule out, or to discover the links, a blood sample is taken under general. She said, this was near impossible with a Zebra Finch...the bird is simply to small, its not worth knowing or taking the risk.
I was told that a consultation would be charged at £23 which I consider quite reasonable, but the vets said because the bird was so tiny, and the condition at present neither life threatening, or treatable, they would only charge me half. For me, this is compensation of the original run around I got when trying to make an appointment, and because the Vet was so nice, I shall go ahead and book Wyman in for his relentless scalley face, when I am on Holiday next month.
We struggled back through the drissil to my home, and when Bonnie was released into her Cage, Pettis was still sat on the eggs, I am so proud! the eggs have not lost any incubation time, and Bonnie is more or less okay. She gave a little cherp, and Pettis sprang from the nest with song to greet her, and the Finches in the other cages all hooted their acknowledgement that she was back and doing well.
Now...only a week til the babies arrive!
Within a couple of days Bonnie was laying eggs, so I assumed that she was in a certain ammount of discomfort, this being the first time she has ever laid an egg. But I kept an eye on her, and began to see her less the favoured foot was swelling round the joint, slightly enlarged also. Immediately I began research. The two most common causes in Zebra Finches, are cancers, and Bumble foot. Bumble foot is basically blisters on the feet from hard, or new perches, and they need to be treated before becoming infected. One can tell of infection because it will cut of the blood supply and cause the toes to go black, resulting in amputation. So I kept an eye out, and though the swelling got noticeably worse, her toes didnt go black.
The signs to look out for in sick birds are, the inability to perch. When Birds get real sick, they loose their ability to ballence, this means they cant sit on elevated perches for fear of falling off. Like Human Beings, they loose their appetite, dont feed, and dont drink. They also quit it with all issues to do with reproduction. Other then the odd occasion of standing on one leg, none of the above applied to Bonnie even if I could gradually see a worsening of visual symptoms. Unhelpfully she began incubation making it difficult to inspect her.
After A week, for the sake of herself and her chicks, I decided to get incontact with the vets. There is an Avian Vets in Harrogate within walking distance, but they claimed when I first rang, that they were only taking on birds of prey. So they reffered me to a place in Bradford, which was open at odd hours, and totally unfit for purpose. So I checked around at my place of employment where there are several others interested in Birds, and someone reffered me to a Vets near Harrogate Hospital. They gave me a refferal back to the original Avian vets who then suddenly were interested in taking me on.
So today I managed, after considerable time and effort, to get Bonnie out of the nest, then out of the cage, then into the box. I am pleased to say before I left the room, Pettis, her Partner was already sitting on the eggs. Over the previous few days after nearly a full week of doing nothing to help, Bonnie has insisted he do his manly duty and warm the eggs so she can actually have a day off, although he protested and sulked to begin with...he has now got the idea, and comes before she calls.
We walked through the streets to Bilton. I have to say Bonnie is unflappable, She aint a bird to get stressed out at all. She was softely pecking me through the breathers in her box as we plowed on through quite a wind, at quite a rate. I was running late because she had at first refused to get into the box...she would much rather fly around the room.
Once in the Vets we saw the doctor. She was second only to the guy who founded the insitution. We decided it was best, since I had forgotten to bring my net, to let Bonnie free, and we would inspect her without touch to begin with. She flew around, and settled by the window, and the vet was able to look at her leg, then we caught her, and she had a close up look whilst getting Bonnie back in her box. The whole scenario took about five moments. She then told me she was pleased to tell me that she was an expert in the field of Bonnies Ailment.
Bonnie has Gaot. Simply put, there are two forms of this but one cause. Bonnie has some problems with her tiny Kidneys, for some reason she is producing more waste then she can be rid of. This means the waste hardens around her joints in one form. In this form, there is little that can be done, the Gaot may come and go, as the Kidneys get better or worse. But its not, in essence a degenerative disease. We just have to persavere through it. There maybe minimal pain, but until she goes off food, or cant perch,there is little to worry about, and nothing that can be done. She said it was an excellent sign that Bonnie had laid eggs AFTER the Gaot began, and was still incubating. Its a sign that this isnt a serious issue.
There is another form of Gaot however, thankfully no causal link between the two, but something to hold in mind. Birds can be effected by Visceral Gaot. This is when the Amount of waste is so high it forms crystals in the blood, and gets stuck in organs, causeing death. In a bird the size of a Zebra Finch, there is no warning. In a Budgie size bird, the Vet said in order to rule out, or to discover the links, a blood sample is taken under general. She said, this was near impossible with a Zebra Finch...the bird is simply to small, its not worth knowing or taking the risk.
I was told that a consultation would be charged at £23 which I consider quite reasonable, but the vets said because the bird was so tiny, and the condition at present neither life threatening, or treatable, they would only charge me half. For me, this is compensation of the original run around I got when trying to make an appointment, and because the Vet was so nice, I shall go ahead and book Wyman in for his relentless scalley face, when I am on Holiday next month.
We struggled back through the drissil to my home, and when Bonnie was released into her Cage, Pettis was still sat on the eggs, I am so proud! the eggs have not lost any incubation time, and Bonnie is more or less okay. She gave a little cherp, and Pettis sprang from the nest with song to greet her, and the Finches in the other cages all hooted their acknowledgement that she was back and doing well.
Now...only a week til the babies arrive!