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Urgent Lovebird erratic, excessive tail wagging.

Marino

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Ohhh i didn’t read this before :( what’s his diet? Lack of vitamin A can cause neurological issues too. :( maybe he got mites? sometimes when they are way too much they bother them to the point of not eating. Baylee once had mites and she kept shacking her head I thought it was a seizure And even thought of hmp. it turned out that a mite had entered her ear channel and by shaking it Baylee was trying to get it out. So maybe it’s something like that?
If he is vomiting the meds it’s because it will be better with food.
Hello :)

Prior to everything he ate carrots, peppers, broccoli, parsley and berries every day, plus pellets and nutriberries so I don't think he's deficient. He could be, I don't know. As I've said before, he is receiving vitamin B daily now.

The shaking seems entirely involuntary, and also involves his legs. Sometimes it's so bad he cannot stand. He has shown no improvement. He'll go hours without symptoms, and then hours will pass where he fits.

He was moved to a small cage (vets orders) where he remained for 6 days. I have now moved him back to his bigger cage. He was so, so, so depressed, and it was near impossible to get him back into the little one. All his training went out the window, he became aggressive etc. He's calmed down since returning to his old home. A bird should have more to do than perch, eat and drink!

I'm going back to the vet on Monday to report zero improvement and insist that this is NOT an infection or intoxication of some kind. He injured himself in an accident and seems to have nerve/neurological damage. I want to know if I can expect it to improve, get worse, or stay the same. If the answer is stay the same I will buy another bird to keep him company because honestly I cannot bear him spasming alone!

I feel so terrible about it. He is only 5 months old and was the perfect bird for me in every respect. Now I am worried he will be spasming for the rest of his life and miserable. That's a long life to live....
 

Hankmacaw

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I just want you to know that I have a lot of sympathy for both you and your little bird. I so hope someone can diagnose his problem.
 

Marino

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Thanks for the kind words.

I think the hook of the toy entered his ear cavity. I think the hook was far too small to go around his neck, which I thought was the case before. Lord knows the type of damage that could have done.

But the puzzle-some aspect is how being out the of cage seems to very suddenly reduce symptoms. When he is out of the cage he'll still spasm, but it is reduced so very drastically. No idea what that suggests. I'll return to the vet tomorrow with a list of questions.
 

Crazy4parrots

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Maybe he has PTSD and the cage reminds him what happened so I suggest you change the cage. And see how he acts.
 

Marino

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Maybe he has PTSD and the cage reminds him what happened so I suggest you change the cage. And see how he acts.
This is something I've been mulling over. It was definitely a near death experience and if I hadn't been home to hear his screeches I would have come home to find him dead...

However, he also spasmed frequently in his small travel cage where I'd been keeping him prior to transferring him back to his original cage.

I have so much to do work-wise, I simply can't have him out the cage all day because he is a real pain (biting fingers when using computers, attacking pens when writing etc), so he has to be in the cage for 6 hours or so!

When I have a completely free day I'l try and keep him out for an entire 12 hours and see what happens.
 

Crazy4parrots

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I had Baylee in a M01 vision cage 8 years ago she was attacked by another lovie that I had and she was soo traumatized by the attack that she wouldn’t eat or drink unless I was there with her.. so I had to stay with her or within her sight. Also her trauma was so bad that I had to change the cage.
 

Marino

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Ohhh i didn’t read this before :( what’s his diet? Lack of vitamin A can cause neurological issues too. :( maybe he got mites? sometimes when they are way too much they bother them to the point of not eating. Baylee once had mites and she kept shacking her head I thought it was a seizure And even thought of hmp. it turned out that a mite had entered her ear channel and by shaking it Baylee was trying to get it out. So maybe it’s something like that?
If he is vomiting the meds it’s because it will be better with food.
The more I am thinking, the more I give credence to this mite idea.

3 weeks ago I took in a lost canary. I found it on my balcony. I managed to cage it and give it back to the owner, he was only in my home for a matter of hours, however it flew around the room a bit, and when Marino spotted it he aggressively went for the cage.

Turns out the canary came from an indoor aviary. Although he had no DIRECT contact with Marino, he did come into contact with the same surfaces. Especially considering Marino went for the cage the canary was in.

Marino ITCHES excessively, and is cleaning his feet non-stop. The spasming calming down OUTSIDE the cage again suggests it could be due to irritation. Severe irritation involving the legs and vent.

I can;t help but think that if this were a neurological issue he wouldn't be so 'with it'. He does seem more tired than usual also, which would suggest lack of sleep at night. More for the vet tomorrow.

ALSO, his immediate response after a spasm is to preen his vent and tail. He literally looks like he has 'ants in his pants'... itchiness was my original guess... but I don't know if this is purely wishful thinking on my part.
 
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Crazy4parrots

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The more I am thinking, the more I give credence to this mite idea.

3 weeks ago I took in a lost canary. I found it on my balcony. I managed to cage it and give it back to the owner, he was only in my home for a matter of hours, however it flew around the room a bit, and when Marino spotted it he aggressively went for the cage.

Turns out the canary came from an indoor aviary. Although he had no DIRECT contact with Marino, he did come into contact with the same surfaces. Especially considering Marino went for the cage the canary was in.

Marino ITCHES excessively, and is cleaning his feet non-stop. The spasming calming down OUTSIDE the cage again suggests it could be due to irritation. Severe irritation involving the legs and vent.

I can;t help but think that if this were a neurological issue he wouldn't be so 'with it'. He does seem more tired than usual also, which would suggest lack of sleep at night. More for the vet tomorrow.

ALSO, his immediate response after a spasm is to preen his vent and tail. He literally looks like he has 'ants in his pants'... itchiness was my original guess... but I don't know if this is purely wishful thinking on my part.
This behavior could indicate parasites or red mites... try putting a white paper below his cage At night or could be feather leg mites?
 

Marino

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@Marino you got an update on your bird? How is he doing?
hello!

so, good news! I have no idea why, but he has improved so much over the last few days. The vet has given him cortisone, calcium and some stuff for mites (she didnt want to give anything for mites but I insisted regardless). However, before any more treatment he had improved markedly. He still occasionally spasms but no where near as much as before. I am so pleased!

she has told me to eliminate nutriberries from his diet... now he eats almost nothing, so this will also be some work! but still, excellent progress! No idea what was/is wrong with him still. I have paid hundreds for a bunch of tests so hopefully we will get some answers. This bird is making me a very poor man...
 

Zara

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I´m glad things are getting better! :bliss:

This bird is making me a very poor man...
Don´t worry. Money will come and go, and come and go...
But Marino is only here now. Hang in there :)
 

Crazy4parrots

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Wait you were only giving him nutrí berries as a main diet? Mmm that might be why... that’s basically a seed diet. From what I am understanding. You have to give him fruits and veggies too. Also I give Baylee nutriberries but only sporadically.
hello!

so, good news! I have no idea why, but he has improved so much over the last few days. The vet has given him cortisone, calcium and some stuff for mites (she didnt want to give anything for mites but I insisted regardless). However, before any more treatment he had improved markedly. He still occasionally spasms but no where near as much as before. I am so pleased!

she has told me to eliminate nutriberries from his diet... now he eats almost nothing, so this will also be some work! but still, excellent progress! No idea what was/is wrong with him still. I have paid hundreds for a bunch of tests so hopefully we will get some answers. This bird is making me a very poor man...
 

Marino

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Wait you were only giving him nutrí berries as a main diet? Mmm that might be why... that’s basically a seed diet. From what I am understanding. You have to give him fruits and veggies too. Also I give Baylee nutriberries but only sporadically.
Noooooo, he gets pellets and seeds in the mornings with fruit and veggies (that he sporadically picks at). Then in the evenings he would get nutriberries.

Thing is, nutriberries are seeds and pellets fortified with vitamins and minerals right? So I don't understand how the nutriberries in the evening are any different from the seeds and pellets in the mornings? Anyway, the vet told me to replace the nutriberries with regular seeds. Which seems odd but I'm trying to do it. I'm now only giving him one nutriberry a day so he is eating SOMETHING... but it seems that he used to wait until the afternoon to eat them instead of the seeds and pellets in the morning :laugh: .
 

Crazy4parrots

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Oh ok yes it’s the same could be he was getting an excess of vitamins. So there are only 2 options either stop the regular seeds and replace them with nutrí berries or what you are doing. But only 1 nutríberry in the day.
Noooooo, he gets pellets and seeds in the mornings with fruit and veggies (that he sporadically picks at). Then in the evenings he would get nutriberries.

Thing is, nutriberries are seeds and pellets fortified with vitamins and minerals right? So I don't understand how the nutriberries in the evening are any different from the seeds and pellets in the mornings? Anyway, the vet told me to replace the nutriberries with regular seeds. Which seems odd but I'm trying to do it. I'm now only giving him one nutriberry a day so he is eating SOMETHING... but it seems that he used to wait until the afternoon to eat them instead of the seeds and pellets in the morning :laugh: .
 
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