Sun Conure acting strange

[northernfog]

Hello. I sent my sun conure to his breeder on Monday to get a beak trim and a wing clip. The lady that was there took him in the back room and brought him back quite some time later. She said he had not behaved well and shook her head. When I brought him back home, he refused to get out of his carrier cage and would not climb on my hand. He used to be the kind of bird and would jump at the chance of being out of the cage. It has been some days now and he is acting like this....he will not climb on my finger, makes much smaller droppings and has lost about 3 grams since. I fear he may be in shock. Is it possible that he is hurt? I couldnt see what that lady did to him and I am afraid she may have hurt him. I am also afraid that another visit even to a vet might make him worse. If anyone has any idea or advise, please let me know. I have antibiotics (baytril) that was prescribed to my cockatiel but not sure if its a good idea to get him staryed on it. Please all advice and suggestions are highly appreciated.

 

[MyFlock]

Baytril has an expiration date just remember. I would bring to him to the vet for peace of mind and not bring him back to that lady again! He needs to see the vet if he's losing weight.

 

[northernfog]

The baytril is pretty new. We got it in the beginning of the month for my cockatiel who was diagnosed with a starting respiratory infecyion. She is all better now it seems. But for the conure we are afraid a visit to the vet might send him further into this traumatic experiance. He is deffinetly never going back to that lady..

 

[Terry57]

As traumatic as a vet visit may be for him, I would still take him. The woman could have broken a bone somewhere in his little body, or done some other damage by her actions.
It is scary that he is losing weight as well. I would check with the vet before using any antibiotics.
I so hope he returns to normal quickly!

 

[BoomBoom]

Yes, highly likely the breeder injured your parrot! Please take him to an avian vet.

 

[northernfog]

Currently waiting on a call back from the vet.
Is it possible he may be eating less because the beak trim is uncomfortable to him?

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I think you've gotten some great advice so far.

I think the best thing to do is take him to the vet. I know that for several days after my birds get nail trims they tend to be more quiet and sitting on one foot. Sometimes the nails get trimmed to short.

Personally, I would only let a vet do a beak trim. That's their way of consuming food and if done improperly (which it sounds like that lady did) it can pose dangerous risks.

The beak trim may very well be the reason, but really only a vet could say for sure.

As for the Baytril, I wouldn't give it to your sun without consulting a vet first. Cockatiels and suns are totally different species even though they are close in size. It's better to get 'bird specific' dosages. Just my opinion. Good luck!

 

[northernfog]

I just talked to the vet on the phone. She said if it is stress it is best to keep him comfortable at home. She said it is OK to start the baytril and to feed him baby formula if he won't eat. We tried giving him the baytril, it was hard, now he is totally stressed, won't even take take a bite at his favorite treats. I don't know what happened to my baby at that visit... I really don't want to lose him.
I am trying to get in contact with the breeder to ask if anything happened to cause this but no one is picking up.

 

[BoomBoom]

Does he like seeds? At this point, feed him anything he would eat without much prodding. Can he perch with 2 feet? If not, put him in a small cage with toweled floors, low water and food dishes and perches to avoid him falling. Avoid too much physical contact if it seems to stress him.

I'm glad you contacted the avian vet. Can he see him in person?

 

[northernfog]

He can perch on two feet and jump from the perch to the cage bars. He just seems a little out of it. We just fed him some pellets and peanuts and millet. In the morning he weighed 105g now he is at 109g. 109 is pretty normal for him he has alwaays been around that.

The avian vet is willing to see him but said if this is stress, it is best to keep him home. I think she takes house calls so I might try to do that to avoid any further stress especially since shhe is a good 45mins away.

 

[northernfog]

His weight seems ok but his droppings are almost non existent and alot more frequent. He would also never make a dropping outside his own cage, now he made several around the house. Could this be a sign of anything?

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Yeah, my avian vet is about an hour away.

Bird droppings are quite telling of a birds situation.

The droppings should be a good blend of fecal matter and urates (urine). The fecal matter is generally a greenish color while the urates are milky white. The two should be clumped together in one dropping. (Sorry if I'm giving TMI)

Now, several things affect bird droppings. The color can be off depending on what they have eaten, just like with us - if you eat a lot of beets....you get the picture.

Chronic diarrhea (generally the fecal matter is all splattered within a clear fluid), can be caused by a number of things - from infection to illness to stress. But it can also be caused by diet. A bird that has recently had a lot of fresh fruit is likely going to have clear droppings for a bit after eating the fruit.

Usually an overstressed bird will have a discolored cere (nasal passage above the beak). The cere will become much more pronounced in color. For example, with a cockatiel, a 'normal cere' is a dull pink. A 'stressed' out cockatiel will have a bright pink/red cere. Also, stressed birds tend to pant a lot, like they are short of breathe.

I think going with a home visit, if you can get that is a great way to go about this.

 

[Newbsi]

How old is he? How long have you had him? Was this the first time you took him back to the breeder for a trim?

 

[northernfog]

He is about 1yr and 6 months old. I have had him for 1 year and he was already trimmed when I got him. Yes it is the first time I took him back for a trim. He barely just became fully flighted not more than a month ago, but he kept bumping around the house so we felt it was best to get the clip. As far as the beak trim, He became very bitey to the point where our hands were constantly bleeding. We're not big on trimming or clipping our birds, in fact our cockatiel and lovebird are fully flighted and get alot of time out of cage. But with him we thought it was for the best. We don't think we will ever trim/clip him again.

 

[thekarens]

I wouldn't trust a vet that says to give a bird antibiotics over the phone based on your description.

 

[northernfog]

She didn't suggest the antibiotics, but since we were afraid to send him over we asked if it would hurt to get him started on it and she said it should be fine even if he doesn't really need them, it won't do him any bad.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

IMO, no 'reputable' medical professional (human or animal) would make such a claim over the phone as to providing anti-biotics and saying their harmless.

I've actually have numerous frustrating experiences with my own vet over this.

There was one exception - when Peaches punctured her wing and I took her to the local vet ER (which normally doesn't treat birds) and they were able to clean the wound and prevent any further bleeding. They also prescribed anti-biotics which I did not start her on until I spoke to my vet (who is an hour away). Getting Peaches to that vet in a reasonable time was not possible so the vet merely 'adjusted' the dosage that the ER gave (since it was the wrong dosage).

Other than that, they have always hesitated to provide medical advice over the phone outside 'emergencies'.

As for what she said - giving a person or bird antibiotics when they dont need them is not a good idea. To say it's harmless is wrong. People and birds can become resistant to anti-biotics if they take too much of them or too often. IMO, providing anyone or any pet anti-biotics should be a last resort OR to prevent further infection than what already exists. Not to mention the toll they take on the liver.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

The best thing you can do is keep a journal of his weight (birds weight is usually measured in 'grams') and his diet (food intake) and especially his droppings. Droppings are one of the best ways to know if anything/what is wrong with your bird.

Monitor his symptoms and any changes. A vet visit is IDEAL, and I 'prefer' not to take my birds to the vet anymore than I have too.

But if you don't know what is wrong with him for certain, keeping a journal may at least help your vet in deciding whether is it urgent for your bird to be seen ASAP.

I have done this before, but mostly because my vet knows I worry excessively about my birds. It helps us both to understand how to monitor the birds stats.

Even with a 'healthy' bird, I suggest keeping a journal. Prevention will not only save you money from having to go the vet but it can also save your birds life. Birds are 'masters' at hiding illness and if left to wait until you see 'signs' of illness it's often too late.

I weigh my birds once a week, I monitor their droppings and diet daily. I'm a bit obsessive about my birds, I'll admit that. But they are as vital to me as oxygen.

 

[Notdumasilook]

Kinda new to the forum but just my 2 cents. I have a lil sun conure also.."Booger"... who is an adorable loving lil creature. Ive never seen a need to get his beak trimmed or his wings clipped. He seems to wear down his beak fine on his own..and as for his flight... conures are very skilled lil fliers and can turn on a dime in the air..unlike many species. Booger has never flown in to anything by accident..at least not after his first few days out of his cage. He takes turns flying to me...then to the wife.. then to visit "Cookie" my blue front... He has to be front and center watching anything and everything we are doing.. including me shaving..taking a shower..cooking..making coffee..etc. Id think he would really get depressed with his flight feathers clipped. As for bitting.. Booger was a bit bitty when I first got him but he learned really quick that giving "sugar" and getting his belly tickled was lots more fun that bitting. These are very intelligent birds with awesome personalities and quick learners... and their flocking instinct is very strong. So dont be surprised if they wanna follow you everywhere.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I only think the real need for a beak trimming is if it is interfering with their ability to eat, climb or preen.

Sometimes I have Skittles & Peaches beak 'polished' at the vet just to smooth out any 'rough edges', but they both condition their own beaks on their own for the most part.

Peaches uses her cuttle bone regularly and Skittles will rub the side of his beak on things. I've notices suns are very hygienic. They take great care in the preening of their feathers as well as the condition of their beak and nails.

Skittles is my little shadow. He won't let me out of his sight.