kitt79 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 I do belong to a finch forum, but no one there is up this late, and if you guys have any ideas I'm all ears. This is what I just posted there.. Well my finches may not be long for this world Sad. We are babysitting a cat and forgot to close the door to the bird room -- she hadn't shown a lot of interest, but I guess she discovered them while we were out. Came home to the cage on the floor, and both the gouldians sitting on the floor in the hall. Vash has a big wound on his stomach, I don't expect him to last the night. Milly doesn't look injured but there could be something under those feathers...she's at the very least banged up a bit and in shock. I took their nesting box and put them in it, in an empty 10g fish tank with a screen top, and a light for warmth. I put a water dish in there, but honestly I think they'll be gone before morning Sad. Any other ideas? All I could think to do was give them a warm place that felt safe -- hence the nest box -- and the light for warmth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tari Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 You have got to get to the avian vet ASAP. Cat saliva kills. And only a vet can save it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitt79 Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 Update: Vash died (as I feared he would) but Milly has started eating her millet and is preening a bit. She's a tough one, so maybe she has a chance.<br><br>Post edited by: kitt79, at: 2008/05/29 05:05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 That is so sad. I have 14 finches in total, and 4 of them are Gouldians. Like Tari said, cat saliva will kill birds (and most small animals) in less than 48 hours when it is in the blood stream. When a rabbit is bit you can normally try treatment with massive doses with antibiotics, but for how small finches are there is almost always internal damage caused by the bite. Sorry to say there really isn't anything anyone can do. As for the female, I would keep her in the "sick cage" with something soft like a towel on the bottom with the heat lamp. Heat does wonders for our small feathers friends and really helps when they are stressed. You might want to try giving her a broad spectrum antibiotic like Ornacycline (pictured below). I have had two of my Gouldians look like they were going to die and after treatment with that medication they are doing better than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Great advice Berna Fingers crossed for little milly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 So sorry about Vash but I hope that Milly will pull thru, I know you will do all you can for her:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitt79 Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 Milly looks much better this morning. I have sent my husband out for antibiotics. She isn't fluffed or anything, just looks a little confused at her current environment. I have these silly scenarios playing in my head where Vash flapped around to distract the cat from her and saved her. He certainly was a protective little thing, would fly right up to your face and cuss you out for looking at them when she was sitting on her nest, so I guess it's possible. If she makes it (which I am much more hopeful about this morning!), she'll be all alone again. I don't know when I can get her another friend, or if she'll accept another mate. Milly was one of my rescues -- I work at a pet store, and my manager couldn't figure out why she was going bald. She spent about 4 months in isolation, being given the antibiotics the vet gave us, in a tiny little cage. I got attached to her, and she started to stand right up at the edge of the cage and watch when I came in to feed the animals in there. She seemed like such an intelligent bird, for being so tiny, and I found myself wishing I had the $150 to bring her home. I told my manager, and she gave her to me since she couldn't sell her without any feathers on her head. I did my research and got her the iodine she needed. 3 months later she was a gorgeous little girl, and I went to a bird fair and found her a handsome guy. About a month ago he built her an awesome nest, and shortly after she laid a clutch of eggs. They never hatched, and I know from the carnage that they probably weren't fertile, but with time I'm sure they'd have gotten it right. I'm so upset that I forgot to close that door.<br><br>Post edited by: kitt79, at: 2008/05/29 17:37 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Oh kitt what a lovely love story there, please dont overload yourself with guilt as it wont change anything & as hard as it seems right now these things do unfortunately happen.please stay positive for milly's sake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitt79 Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 Side note; I think Starbuck the grey saw the whole thing. She was really quiet and wanted to stay in her cage last night, and this morning is acting the same way... friendly but not wanting to come out and make noises like she usually does. The only sounds she's made other than grinding her beak at me has been her ear-shattering alarm call -- and she did that when a cat jumped in my lap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I bet she did see it. I'm sure once she knows the cat is gone she will be fine again, if not sooner. As for Milly, if she is looking better than I bet she will be fine. Just keep her safe and under observation for a little while longer. If she starts acting depressed I have a trick that might work till you are able to get her a partner. My first set of finches was a set of Zebra, and they loved eachother soooo much. One morning I got up and found the male on the flood dead and the female snuggled up next to him. I didn't want to get another male right away because I wanted to quarentine the female to be sure of her health. She was really looking sad, and wasn't acting the same. I decided to put a picture mirror in her cage and sure enough she perked back up. She actually seemed disapointed when I took the mirror out and replaced it with a new handsome male. If your Milly seems to get depressed you should try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitt79 Posted May 30, 2008 Author Share Posted May 30, 2008 That's a good idea. I was thinking today if I can't get another gouldian male soon, I could just get her a society finch for companionship until next season. They are pretty mellow finches, and it couldn't hurt to have them around for fostering purposes if necessary in the future. She looks just fine still, no fluffing or anything, eating and drinking and pooping normal colors. I think she is going to make it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Thats wonderful news to here, the cat probably didn't even get a hold of her then, Vash took the brunt of the attack and that saved her, she really is lucky.B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Yeah, it sounds like she was just shocked from the cage fall. I bet she will be just fine. Sense you have Gouldians I wanted to ask you something. I have two males, two females, and when I first got them I could hear them sing. Now I can't hear them. I can see the throat moving, but thats it. I've had them about 6 months, and I can't remember the last time I heard them...did you have anything like this with your? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitt79 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 I haven't experienced anything like that, but I've read about it. It can be a sign of air sac mites. You have to treat them with SCATT or some other similar medication to get rid of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Kitt im pleased to hear that Milly appears to be ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I've treated all my finches with Ivermectin not too long ago for mites because I had two females drop dead on me within a week of getting home. Maybe I should retreat them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitt79 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 I've heard that sometimes Ivermectin doesn't work as well as SCATT -- but again, that's just anecdotal from people on the finch forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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