Bambi
Moving in
Hey guys, thank you in advance for reading. The long and short of it: My bird is displaying some really concerning symptoms and I'm trying to decide whether I should wait until his regular vet opens on Monday or take him into an emergency vet.
Some things to note:
I think this all started 1-2 weeks ago and took me that long to realize something was wrong. He's 10 months old, is currently molting, and I noticed two half-inch-square bald spots on him - I assumed it was just from molting as a baby, I've never had a molting bird before! He's also been less active and sleeping much more, which I assumed was from the winter sun. Then he started scratching a lot and just... generally acting weird / less playful, and I had a weird gut feeling so I took him in. I'm glad I did!
My vet (who is an avian specialist and has experience with aracari, thankfully!) said he does have a minor yeast infection, likely from trying to scavenge dropped fruit while I'm at work. I bought a steamer to clean his cage daily and hopefully get on top of this and she gave me some general antibiotics to administer in the meantime.
Unfortunately, as of tonight (Saturday now), he very suddenly started acting much worse. Aracari usually sleep in little balls with their tails folded over them, and prefer to sleep in a tent or blanket pile. He started sleeping puffed up on his perch, perfectly still. He actively ran away from my hands and panicked when I tried to pick him up or take him over to sit with me - he has never been remotely afraid of anyone in his life, let alone me (he lies on his back for me when he wants me to kiss his tummy.) He won't take any food, including his favorite treats, and his droppings look more watery than rhamphastid droppings usually do.
Granted this did happen an hour before his normal bedtime - he had been eating, acting, and pooping normally the whole rest of the day (minus being slightly standoffish like I took him in for in the first place) but NOTHING like this. He just hides in a corner and sleeps perfectly still, I might even call it standing puffed up with his eyes shut. No respiratory indicators (clicking, wheezing, tail bobbing, discharge), no indications of neurological symptoms other than unexplained fear, and no sleeping on the cage floor.
So.... what do you guys think? Should I risk taking him to someone who doesn't know about toucans in order to get him seen asap, or should I hold out until Monday and get him seen by his specialist?
Thank you in advance for trying to help my little Poe!
Some things to note:
- He is an aracari! Most places around me won't even see birds to begin with... thankfully I do have several bird clinics and am completely prepared to pay any necessary emergency fees if I need to get him in early, but every place I've called has asked me things like "is his crop swollen" (they don't have crops), "has he been eating his vegetables" (they really aren't supposed to according to my breeder), etc.
- He went in for an appointment on Friday and will be getting dropping test results on Monday. This is one reason I'm considering waiting until Monday, since I'll have that information... I'm not sure how long it takes to get those results, and all of his symptoms are consistent with bacterial infections in parrots so it could be critically informative on any necessary treatment.
I think this all started 1-2 weeks ago and took me that long to realize something was wrong. He's 10 months old, is currently molting, and I noticed two half-inch-square bald spots on him - I assumed it was just from molting as a baby, I've never had a molting bird before! He's also been less active and sleeping much more, which I assumed was from the winter sun. Then he started scratching a lot and just... generally acting weird / less playful, and I had a weird gut feeling so I took him in. I'm glad I did!
My vet (who is an avian specialist and has experience with aracari, thankfully!) said he does have a minor yeast infection, likely from trying to scavenge dropped fruit while I'm at work. I bought a steamer to clean his cage daily and hopefully get on top of this and she gave me some general antibiotics to administer in the meantime.
Unfortunately, as of tonight (Saturday now), he very suddenly started acting much worse. Aracari usually sleep in little balls with their tails folded over them, and prefer to sleep in a tent or blanket pile. He started sleeping puffed up on his perch, perfectly still. He actively ran away from my hands and panicked when I tried to pick him up or take him over to sit with me - he has never been remotely afraid of anyone in his life, let alone me (he lies on his back for me when he wants me to kiss his tummy.) He won't take any food, including his favorite treats, and his droppings look more watery than rhamphastid droppings usually do.
Granted this did happen an hour before his normal bedtime - he had been eating, acting, and pooping normally the whole rest of the day (minus being slightly standoffish like I took him in for in the first place) but NOTHING like this. He just hides in a corner and sleeps perfectly still, I might even call it standing puffed up with his eyes shut. No respiratory indicators (clicking, wheezing, tail bobbing, discharge), no indications of neurological symptoms other than unexplained fear, and no sleeping on the cage floor.
So.... what do you guys think? Should I risk taking him to someone who doesn't know about toucans in order to get him seen asap, or should I hold out until Monday and get him seen by his specialist?
Thank you in advance for trying to help my little Poe!