Quarantine

Well, I returned from Ohio to find another dead finch - Nick, the white-breasted gouldian. I wasn't surprised since Mom (who was pet-sitting for me) had told me he was fluffy on Friday, and sitting on the bottom of the cage on Saturday.

So Saturday night around 11pm I was out on the back patio hosing down the spare cage in preparation for quarantining the finches.

When one bird in a group dies, you can chalk it up to bad luck. When a second dies within a few weeks, it's time to take serious action.

First thing to do is quarantine the birds that were in the same cage. In my case, I moved them to a bathroom that could be shut off from feline access. Heat is an issue, so I'll be moving a heat lamp in there asap over the cage. They'll be in there for about a month.

Second is cleaning, and I mean everything. All cage surfaces disinfected, all bowls, perches, etc... anything wooden or otherwise porous you just throw away. Plastic and metal can just be disinfected with the rest. Every nook and cranny must be cleaned, just in case. So out went all their perches and toys, and everything was viciously attacked with cleaning products. (Be sure to use bird-safe ones!)

Next we treat the birds, even though they look fine. Birds are experts at hiding illness, so never trust how they look. You can catch them and check for dirty vents, odd-colored poop, or weight loss, but in general, you're going to treat them anyway. I chose Marvel Aid, having had good luck with it while working at the pet store. It's an antibiotic solution that you use for their drinking water -- I suspect a bacterial infection.

If you have other birds it's time to consider them. I have Merlin the cockatiel and Starbuck the african grey in the same room. Repeat the cleaning process for the other birds, and then do anything possible to boost their own immune systems; add vitamins, feed more veggies, anything you can do. In my case, I bought some rather pricey vitamins to add to soft foods/veggies and put in their water.

So now all that's left is to have a birdie funeral, and hope the badness has been contained.... I'm crossing my fingers.