This plus the barbering right? Does this house have a basement? Did your old house have one? Where is Max at in relation to the water pipes or heating ducts?
Ginger
Ginger
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Need help with orally medicating!
- Thread starter Holiday
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Yes, that's right. This plus the barbering. The house does not have a basement. The other house did not have a basement. There are no heating ducts--the house has electric baseboard heat and a fireplace in the living room (which I've never used). Max, like all the other birds, is in the newer add-on part of the house, which is much newer than the main part (I don't know when it was added, but it's at least 20 years newer than the main part, which was built in the late 20's to 1930). There are no water pipes near him. The main bath is off the big girls' room.
Did you other house have electric baseboard? How close is Max to the heater?
Ginger
Ginger
Yes, the other house had the same heat. The heater is across the room from him, just as it was at the other house.
Btw, Max's room is the best ventilated room in the house; there are three large windows and a cross breeze.
Well shoot. It just seems like too much of a coincidence that all this just happened to start in your new house.
Did he have a great view at the old place?
Ginger
Did he have a great view at the old place?
Ginger
I agree, Ginger. I think the move had something to do with it, even if it was just the stress that allowed this to get a foothold.
Nope, he probably has a better view now.
BUT, he had much better lighting at the old house. The lighting in his room is awful. I've added two featherbrites on hooks from the ceiling, but he had a full spectrum fluorescent overhead at the old house. This, along with the absence of the other macaws, I have felt, was the main factor in the barbing. I've remedied the pal situation. But the lighting still sucks. I'm not sure how the lighting could be related to the sinus infection, unless, again, it's just the stress.
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Maybe the stress of the move and the fact that he isn't feeling good started the barbering.
Once he feels better, I don't think he will pick his feathers anymore Holiday.
You are doing everything possible to help him, he has to go back to normal soon.
Once he feels better, I don't think he will pick his feathers anymore Holiday.
You are doing everything possible to help him, he has to go back to normal soon.
Oops we posted at the same time.
If he has those lightbulbs, I don't think there would be a problem?
I hope you're right. I'd love to believe that he will stop barbing when this clears up.You'd think so, but I can tell when I take pictures or videos in there that the overall light is still poorer than it should be. I will have to have the wiring in there redone at some point, but that'll have to wait for now. I have been over budget since buying the two Austin air purifiers this month.Oops we posted at the same time.
If he has those lightbulbs, I don't think there would be a problem?
I kind of think that maybe they just haven't found the right antibiotic. I also wonder if his immune system is compromised in general (from stress) and that's why he isn't getting better?
Yes, he just started when I moved. Yes, I had a home inspection. Supposedly, everything was fine. According to the vet reports, this is a bacterial infection. But, I just don't know what could be complicating matters so much.
Maybe so. Maybe he has yet another kind of bacterium that is not susceptible to the Cipro. And I agree, Vicki, the barbering indicates ongoing stress, so that's probably a factor in why he's not getting better
I try so hard to minimize his stress, but that flood and losing Mattie right afterward sure didn't help things any. He loves it when I sing to him, so I do that just about every day. And, he seems more calm now that Sunny's here too....The thing that has me wondering right now is the blockage issue. I wonder if the meds are being stymied by that in some way....
Maybe you should start trying the steaming in the bathroom every day, maybe that would help with the blockage. Is Sunny in the room with him yet? Didn't this all start when he stopped being near Elvis?Maybe so. Maybe he has yet another kind of bacterium that is not susceptible to the Cipro. And I agree, Vicki, the barbering indicates ongoing stress, so that's probably a factor in why he's not getting better
The thing that has me wondering right now is the blockage issue. I wonder if the meds are being stymied by that in some way....
Yes, I'm going to do the steaming. I have avoided it because he gets so stressed. Yes, Sunny is in the room with him. And he has started to talk to her a little. Yes, he was separated from Elvis as a result of the move. He would say "Poor Elvis" over and over again at first. When I brought Mattie in, his mood improved hugely, and he called her "Elvis." Oddly, though, he calls Sunny "Sunny."
Maybe you can bring Sunny in there while you steam him and maybe if there is another bird in there he will relax more. Can he have playtime in the same room as Elvis?
Yes, that might work. No, he can't be in the same room as Elvis; it isn't really safe. She went after him last December, and I vowed they'd never be in the same room again (she was hormonal then, but still...). I'd like to get him bonded with Sunny as a safer alternative.
Prince Toasty Buns
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My suggestion is the same one I always give any bird keeper: Learn from an avian vet or a well experienced breeder or an experienced friend (who knows how to teach properly) how to gavage medicate any bird (directly into the crop). Really is not all that difficult.Okay, before anybody points me toward the stickies, let me just say been there, done that. I can towel the little heathen just fine, but getting the meds down his throat is another matter. Max has learned a hundred ways to hold it in his mouth and spit it out. The vet said to put it in his bottom beak and tilt his head back, but I'm having little luck with this method. Are there any other tips or tricks you guys know to get the meds down the bird? If he doesn't take this medicine he's going to have to be boarded
And, no, hiding it in food doesn't work.
The procedure usually (but not always) requires a second individual to properly hold the bird while the other stretches the neck while medicating the bird. When doing this procedure best to also have somewhat of a positive attitude & a dash of confidence.
Hi Prince, thanks for the advice, but as I posted a little further on, I've got the technique down much better now. I just had to work out a particular method that would work with Max.
The issue now is that the meds don't seem to be helping.
Prince Toasty Buns
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Great, I did not read the whole thread before posting. I now have.
However, even though you got the meds going down ok now, still gavage feeding & medicating is an invaluable technique to learn - for all bird keepers.
Many times when an avian vet prescribes an antibiotic, they usually (IME) also prescribe an antifungal. Unless I missed it, in your bird's case this was not done? You may want to check with your vet if he/she may want to do this.
However, even though you got the meds going down ok now, still gavage feeding & medicating is an invaluable technique to learn - for all bird keepers.
Many times when an avian vet prescribes an antibiotic, they usually (IME) also prescribe an antifungal. Unless I missed it, in your bird's case this was not done? You may want to check with your vet if he/she may want to do this.
That's right; she didn't prescribe an antifungal. Thanks for the suggestion. I will ask her about it.
Oh, okay. Maybe Sunny and the steaming will help.
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