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Urgent My starling is sitting on cage floor with feet in front

Birdbabe

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We feed her Purina one , true instinct, natural grain free. 35% protein, fresh three to four times daily soaked in water and cut into pieces and she loves it, served fresh everytime.
Is that dog food? Ok in a pinch, but not for a complete diet, she's loves it coz that s what she gets..you should get some meal worms and try those, seeds, tiny chopped hard boiled eggs and broccoli florets..add some shaved cuttlebone to her food, ,please check the dog food, they're still may additives, like propylene glycol, or whatever in it. She does need a little grain in her diet,
 
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Noahjc

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OK took her to the vet. Its sad and bad, he said its nuerologiccal and there is really nothing he could do. She will get worse and worse and recommended we put her down before she suffers. But we are not giving up just yet, he did give us some kind of medication - Enroflox , to give to her, liquid twice a day. And we pray over her multiple times day n night. And yes we feed her meal worms, they come dried out , we soak in the water till they are soft, they are here favorite!!!!! And the Purina is catfood, no additives. So that's it for now, I will post daily till either she makes a miraculous comeback or she dies.
 

expressmailtome

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I am sorry to hear that she is so ill.
 

iamwhoiam

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So sorry about Glossy. Sometimes things can turn around with lots of love and care so I'm hoping that happens. Is she getting enough calcium? Calcium deficiency can contribute to neurological issues. Is she getting enough light/sun?
 

Tiel Feathers

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Oh, I’m so sorry the vet didn’t have better news. I hope the meds help, and I will keep you both in my thoughts.
 

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OK took her to the vet. Its sad and bad, he said its nuerologiccal and there is really nothing he could do. She will get worse and worse and recommended we put her down before she suffers. But we are not giving up just yet, he did give us some kind of medication - Enroflox , to give to her, liquid twice a day. And we pray over her multiple times day n night. And yes we feed her meal worms, they come dried out , we soak in the water till they are soft, they are here favorite!!!!! And the Purina is catfood, no additives. So that's it for now, I will post daily till either she makes a miraculous comeback or she dies.

I'm sorry she is so sick. I'm guessing part of it is from injuring herself from the falls.

Birds and cats have very different dietary needs. You can google what to feed starlings and will likely get some suggestions. And yes, Purina cat food does have additives - vitamins, minerals, artificial flavours, etc, which may not all be healthy for a starling.
Our Pet Food Ingredients
 

iamwhoiam

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Dog food and cat food are used in adult starling diets. Here's a sample recipe from Starling Talk:
  • 2 cups soaked dry dog/cat food *
  • 1/2 cup of poultry mash (or softbill pellets)
  • Feed in a separate bowl about a tablespoon each, of applesauce and hard boiled egg. This should be removed after an hour or so to prevent spoiling
Another Starling board recommends using Mazuri Insectivore or a dog food or cat food based diet.

Recommended Adult Starling and Sparrow Diet | Starlingchat II - A home for Starling families

@Noahjc Maybe you can post information about Glossy on this board in addition to Starling Talk
Home | Starlingchat II - A home for Starling families


When Spee was a baby I fed him a cat food and applesauce mix with some Tums for calcium. Don't remember what else I mixed in there. As an adult he gets finch seed and Mazuri Insectivore. Sparrows, though, are granivores more than insectivores. Starlings are more insectivores and need more protein but they should also have some seeds.
 
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Birdbabe

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I hope she turns around, get fresh meal worms and " drown them" feed her from tweezers,,,the dried ones are hollow and no good
Enrofloxin is a " broad spectrum " antibiotic,,good for most bacterial issues, I was thinking about this all day at work...the cat food may have too much protein in it ,which may cause gout..kinda sounds like what she may have with her leg , feet and flying issues...but could also be neurologic from when she was a baby. Im not a vet, just speaking from experience at the wildlife rescue ..praying for her.
 

Noahjc

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Final update, first I want to say thank you all for the replies. OK first ever since she was a baby she seemed to have a hard time breathing, like everytime she flew around she would land and have her beak open catching her breath. So we always thought she had a heart problem, other than that she was perfectly normal. Flying, eating, perching playing with her toys, singing to music, she would perch on my shoulders and run up and down my arms and peck at my fingers when I was at the computer, very lively , I would say give me kisses and she would peck at me as to kiss me, she would peck at my ears lightly and chirp in my ears lol. Ok anyway, after the vet , I researched nuerological problems in birds and found similar symptoms in some other birds, and was looking like lack of b-12. But its all a guess still, but she didn't have the nutrition problems, her weight was perfect and her feathers were perfect, but just in case we got the vita drops this morning along with fresh fruits , and live mealworms. She ate like a queen, one whole serving of live mealworms, chopped strawberries , and chopped almonds. We got that information from a wildlife rehabilitation place we called this morning. She almost instantly looked like she was making a turn for the better, but alas all our efforts was in vain. She just died about an hour ago, i was at work and got the call and i rushed home. We are extremely heartbroken. My woman wants another bird, and i dont , but im sure we will.
 

Noahjc

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Dog food and cat food are used in adult starling diets. Here's a sample recipe from Starling Talk:
  • 2 cups soaked dry dog/cat food *
  • 1/2 cup of poultry mash (or softbill pellets)
  • Feed in a separate bowl about a tablespoon each, of applesauce and hard boiled egg. This should be removed after an hour or so to prevent spoiling
Another Starling board recommends using Mazuri Insectivore or a dog food or cat food based diet.

We did the same when she was a baby, made an applesauce mix with a dash of soft catfood and a little suet and made little pellets , in those times she ate like every thirty mins until she got alot of little older, we didn't give her the pure catfood until she was grown, and would always have a little applesauce around. We learned because we found her sibling three days before her and he died and during that time we did tons of research on what they eat and how to feed them so when we found glossy in a dirty damp cold bucket days later we was ready, but we think those cold nights in that damp bucket did some damage to her from the start, all we can do is rethink every aspect.
 

Tiel Feathers

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Oh no! I’m so sorry for your loss.:sorrow: She sounded like a really special bird.
:sadhug2:
 

orphansparrow

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I'm very sorry. It is admirable that you tried so hard with her.
 

iamwhoiam

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I am so very sorry for your loss. Thank you for trying and not giving up on her. :sadhug2:
 

DQTimnehs

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I’m so sorry! :sorrow:
 

finchly

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I am very sorry. :sorrow:
 

Birdbabe

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Oh poo,,,,I'm so sorry sweetheart. She ate like a queen is the best! She was happy, and you loved her, wild birds are extremely hard to care for..you did good
:sadhug2:.
 
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