Skittles isn't doing well

[Skittys_Daddy]

They prescribed an antibiotic called metronizadole 100mg at .3ml once a day.

I actually got some 'bird-safe' cleaner from MSBS a few years ago, it uses natural enzymes that break down bacteria, it will actually cause his poop to dissolve. I used that stuff first and used the diluted dawn to do a rinse.

He's back to his old self today. He was vocal when I woke him up, as he has been and I noticed his diarrhea is gone and he had several normal bowel movements this morning with the fecal matter and urates properly textured. He also immediately pigged out once I let him out. He flew onto the faucet and ruffled his feathers when I was getting ready to leave for an appt. Thats his sign he wants a bath, but I wasn't going to give him one before I left. But when I came home he did it again so I gave him a bath, he flapped around in the water just like his old self. I haven't checked his weight yet because I want to give it more time, but I mean he is normally a real piggy! I don't think I've ever seen him go more than 15-20 minutes without seeking food BUT he's also free-flighted and gets a LOT of exercise so I attribute it to that. Not to mention that him being free-flighted pretty much eliminated the noise issue (I live in an apartment which are NOT the best place to have a sun conure).

I need to do a better job of inspecting for potential bacterial threats, not just destruction of toys. I'm gonna put aside a little money each month to circulate his toys more often. I think the Harrisons diet also played a part in him not reaching critical stage sooner and also him bouncing back quicker than I expected. I've seen the effect Harrisons can have, it actually saved my cockatiels life when I had her. She kept getting respiratory infections and eventually no antibiotic would work. So I changed her diet as they recommended at the vet at the time and a week later she was all better and never had another one again. Thats no coincidence.

 

[vsk101]

Aww, I'm so glad skittles is doing better! He's so lucky to have you!

 

[Vampiric_Conure68]

Way to go, Skittles! So glad he's better!

 

[LaManuka77]

They prescribed an antibiotic called metronizadole 100mg at .3ml once a day.

I actually got some 'bird-safe' cleaner from MSBS a few years ago, it uses natural enzymes that break down bacteria, it will actually cause his poop to dissolve. I used that stuff first and used the diluted dawn to do a rinse.

He's back to his old self today. He was vocal when I woke him up, as he has been and I noticed his diarrhea is gone and he had several normal bowel movements this morning with the fecal matter and urates properly textured. He also immediately pigged out once I let him out. He flew onto the faucet and ruffled his feathers when I was getting ready to leave for an appt. Thats his sign he wants a bath, but I wasn't going to give him one before I left. But when I came home he did it again so I gave him a bath, he flapped around in the water just like his old self. I haven't checked his weight yet because I want to give it more time, but I mean he is normally a real piggy! I don't think I've ever seen him go more than 15-20 minutes without seeking food BUT he's also free-flighted and gets a LOT of exercise so I attribute it to that. Not to mention that him being free-flighted pretty much eliminated the noise issue (I live in an apartment which are NOT the best place to have a sun conure).

I need to do a better job of inspecting for potential bacterial threats, not just destruction of toys. I'm gonna put aside a little money each month to circulate his toys more often. I think the Harrisons diet also played a part in him not reaching critical stage sooner and also him bouncing back quicker than I expected. I've seen the effect Harrisons can have, it actually saved my cockatiels life when I had her. She kept getting respiratory infections and eventually no antibiotic would work. So I changed her diet as they recommended at the vet at the time and a week later she was all better and never had another one again. Thats no coincidence.

This is wonderful news, @Skittys_Daddy, I'm so happy for both of you!

 

[Bradmtx27]

They prescribed an antibiotic called metronizadole 100mg at .3ml once a day.

I actually got some 'bird-safe' cleaner from MSBS a few years ago, it uses natural enzymes that break down bacteria, it will actually cause his poop to dissolve. I used that stuff first and used the diluted dawn to do a rinse.

He's back to his old self today. He was vocal when I woke him up, as he has been and I noticed his diarrhea is gone and he had several normal bowel movements this morning with the fecal matter and urates properly textured. He also immediately pigged out once I let him out. He flew onto the faucet and ruffled his feathers when I was getting ready to leave for an appt. Thats his sign he wants a bath, but I wasn't going to give him one before I left. But when I came home he did it again so I gave him a bath, he flapped around in the water just like his old self. I haven't checked his weight yet because I want to give it more time, but I mean he is normally a real piggy! I don't think I've ever seen him go more than 15-20 minutes without seeking food BUT he's also free-flighted and gets a LOT of exercise so I attribute it to that. Not to mention that him being free-flighted pretty much eliminated the noise issue (I live in an apartment which are NOT the best place to have a sun conure).

I need to do a better job of inspecting for potential bacterial threats, not just destruction of toys. I'm gonna put aside a little money each month to circulate his toys more often. I think the Harrisons diet also played a part in him not reaching critical stage sooner and also him bouncing back quicker than I expected. I've seen the effect Harrisons can have, it actually saved my cockatiels life when I had her. She kept getting respiratory infections and eventually no antibiotic would work. So I changed her diet as they recommended at the vet at the time and a week later she was all better and never had another one again. Thats no coincidence.

I am so glad to hear he is on the road to recovery. As a result of your episode I have decided to get my 2 avian insurance. Apparently Nationwide insurance is about the only one that offers that in the US. My wife thinks I am crazy; I would rather have some peace of mind.

 

[Bradmtx27]

They prescribed an antibiotic called metronizadole 100mg at .3ml once a day.

I actually got some 'bird-safe' cleaner from MSBS a few years ago, it uses natural enzymes that break down bacteria, it will actually cause his poop to dissolve. I used that stuff first and used the diluted dawn to do a rinse.

He's back to his old self today. He was vocal when I woke him up, as he has been and I noticed his diarrhea is gone and he had several normal bowel movements this morning with the fecal matter and urates properly textured. He also immediately pigged out once I let him out. He flew onto the faucet and ruffled his feathers when I was getting ready to leave for an appt. Thats his sign he wants a bath, but I wasn't going to give him one before I left. But when I came home he did it again so I gave him a bath, he flapped around in the water just like his old self. I haven't checked his weight yet because I want to give it more time, but I mean he is normally a real piggy! I don't think I've ever seen him go more than 15-20 minutes without seeking food BUT he's also free-flighted and gets a LOT of exercise so I attribute it to that. Not to mention that him being free-flighted pretty much eliminated the noise issue (I live in an apartment which are NOT the best place to have a sun conure).

I need to do a better job of inspecting for potential bacterial threats, not just destruction of toys. I'm gonna put aside a little money each month to circulate his toys more often. I think the Harrisons diet also played a part in him not reaching critical stage sooner and also him bouncing back quicker than I expected. I've seen the effect Harrisons can have, it actually saved my cockatiels life when I had her. She kept getting respiratory infections and eventually no antibiotic would work. So I changed her diet as they recommended at the vet at the time and a week later she was all better and never had another one again. Thats no coincidence.

This bird father business is new to and I I'm learning from this forum.
I recently realized the cleaner that I'm using to dissolve their poop is not a disinfectant. So I got the following

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

These are the products I use:

https://www.mysafebirdstore.com/cart.cgi?group=0&child=586

Skittles continues to improve and was quite the little piggy today. He usually eats A LOT throughout the day because he flies around the apartment a lot. But I've been trying to 'limit' the amount of flying he does until his weight is at least half way back to normal range. But he's been eating a LOT the past few days, more than usual but I know thats a good sign. He's basically trying to restore himself and having a healthy appetite is a great sign.

I am SO glad I got him to the vet when I did, it was the soonest I could've done so - but I know for sure he would not have made it til tomorrow (Thurs) which is when his annual was scheduled for. The ONLY thing I don't like is he's not being as cuddly as he usually is, but its probably cause he's feeling better and wants to be active and also maybe a little bit of a grudge because of the medicine. He put up quite a fight with tonights dose. He KNEW it was time for his medicine. Normally, he comes right into the bathroom when I do, but he went into his sleep cage and when I tried to coax him out, he went and hid from me under his sleep blanket. I had to put my hand in and grab him. He wasn't to happy with me, but I got it done. Three more daily doses. (I gave him two doses the first day, which the vet said was okay, I just spaced them apart.

 

[AMD68]

Thank you for the update! So glad he is improving!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Skittles is still improving and is now just past halfway with the antibiotics. He did have a few bouts of diarrhea today though it was mixed with normal stool and also had regular droppings in between so it could very well be a fluke. I emailed the vet just in case and I'm waiting to hear back from them. With the weekend coming, I didn't want to take any chances. He was a little piggy again today which is good. I called Harrisons to inquire about feeding him more power treats given the weight loss and also I wanted to inquire about the new Nuggies and whether they could've posed a problem. They said its unlikely that was the cause and that the nuggies would be more likely to cause discomfort if they are fed a diet that doesn't contain seeds (since there are seeds in the nuggies) but she said nothing that would cause a bacterial infection. I thought as much, but wanted to be sure. I'm gonna wait til he gains more weight and has fully recovered before I reintroduce the nuggies.

 

[onamom6]

My Yuri LOVES the Power Treats and Nuggies both. She gets one every morning. Any get Ona to touch them. A good idea to be careful about introducing new foods right now. Hoping for continued improvement!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I just wanted to give a final update. It "appears" as though whatever Skittles had has been resolved. He finished his antibiotic on Sunday so he's gone two days without any and he's pretty much back to normal. Being bossy, opinionated and manipulative. Essentially, being a sun conure. I hope to take some fresh pics of him in the coming days and I'll post a thread of them when I do. I'm currently in the process of making changes to his sleep cage and playstands.

 

[Vampiric_Conure68]

Yaaaaay! Glad he's better!

 

[AMD68]

Thanks for the update! Wonderful news!

 

[Vincent_V41]

What a rollercoaster, glad he's doing better!

 

[Bradmtx27]

They prescribed an antibiotic called metronizadole 100mg at .3ml once a day.

I actually got some 'bird-safe' cleaner from MSBS a few years ago, it uses natural enzymes that break down bacteria, it will actually cause his poop to dissolve. I used that stuff first and used the diluted dawn to do a rinse.

He's back to his old self today. He was vocal when I woke him up, as he has been and I noticed his diarrhea is gone and he had several normal bowel movements this morning with the fecal matter and urates properly textured. He also immediately pigged out once I let him out. He flew onto the faucet and ruffled his feathers when I was getting ready to leave for an appt. Thats his sign he wants a bath, but I wasn't going to give him one before I left. But when I came home he did it again so I gave him a bath, he flapped around in the water just like his old self. I haven't checked his weight yet because I want to give it more time, but I mean he is normally a real piggy! I don't think I've ever seen him go more than 15-20 minutes without seeking food BUT he's also free-flighted and gets a LOT of exercise so I attribute it to that. Not to mention that him being free-flighted pretty much eliminated the noise issue (I live in an apartment which are NOT the best place to have a sun conure).

I need to do a better job of inspecting for potential bacterial threats, not just destruction of toys. I'm gonna put aside a little money each month to circulate his toys more often. I think the Harrisons diet also played a part in him not reaching critical stage sooner and also him bouncing back quicker than I expected. I've seen the effect Harrisons can have, it actually saved my cockatiels life when I had her. She kept getting respiratory infections and eventually no antibiotic would work. So I changed her diet as they recommended at the vet at the time and a week later she was all better and never had another one again. Thats no coincidence.

Well I am so glad to hear Skittles is back to normal (or close to it). I can relate to your apartment dwelling as I have two conures and I'm also in your situation (soundproofing not so bad because I can barely hear them when I'm outside). As long as someone is home they're free. Like kids, at some point they're bound to get ill and as a precaution I have opted to get them pet insurance (better safe than sorry). Apparently the only insurance in the US that covers birds is Nationwide. Anyhow I digress and I look forward to hearing more of the adventures of Skittles.