Sick Eclectus - Itchy beak and more

[whiteas]

Hi,

My eclectus has been ill for some time now. I have been to local vet on many occasions and still have not identified the problem.

She is 2 years old. the problem started about 3 months ago. She started scratching a lot, mostly around neck area. She was checked for mites etc on multiple occasions and nothing was found. She was given quarterzone (which i was later told should never have been given) by one vet and then vitamins by another which did not help.

More problem started about a month ago. Her appetite reduced drastically. She is still eating a little and stools look fine. She will not eat any of the food she used to eat especially fruit and soft foods; she will only eat sunflower seeds at moment.

Then she started rubbing her beak on bars of cage. She almost does this endlessley and is starting to develop bald patches around the beak. I have also noticed that she constantly moves her tonguebackwards and forwards while the beak is closed - something she never used to do. Her beak is warm but i am not sure if that is a sign of anything.

She has a iodine/calacium type block that she destroys - eventually took it away as it did not seem healthy behaviour.

She has also sneezed on ocasion and sometime i can hear her breathing.

She has been to vet about 6-8 times in the last month. They have given her antibiotics in water; and later antibiotics injected; vitamins; hormones.

She is very quiet and often sleeping although not always puffed up.

The vet has also put her under and checked the beak and throat extensively to see if there is anything that could be bothering her. Nothing was found.

Has anyone had a similar experience or have any idea what the problem could be?

Many Thanks,
Andrew

 

[kc_y0]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear you have been having such trouble, can I first ask, are you taking your eclectus to an avian vet or just a regular vet?

 

[whiteas]

Hi,

It is regular vetinary clinic (all animals) but they do have one vet that has many years experience with birds. As far as i know this is the best vet for birds in the region.

 

[kc_y0]

Just as a second opinion, can you find any avian vets that you can get too? Even though your current vet may have experience with birds, their might be something minor that they are missing.
What tests has your current vet ran? Have they done a gram stain and blood work?

 

[antoinette]

So sorry to hear your bird is not well.
I came across a link, where they explain many different sickness in Eclectus birds.

Common Diseases of Eclectus Parrots

Scroll down the page to They are susceptible to.........

Pray your bird recovers

 

[HalfInsane]

Would you be able to arrange for your vet to get in contact with a certified avian vet over the phone? Perhaps, they might be able to give your vet a better idea of what to look for/get a second opinion. I've done this in the past myself.

 

[Birdlover11]

I agree with above , can you take it to a certified avian vet ? And make sure to do the full check up. So sorry you bird is sick

 

[MonicaMc]

An aloe detox comes to mind... or supplementing with milk thistle extract that contains no alcohol in it...

I'm honestly curious to know if any tests such as gram stain and blood work have been done. Without knowing the cause, it's a hit or miss kind of thing and you might potentially be making the problems worse, not better.... antibiotics destroy both the good and the bad bacteria within the birds system, so probiotics may be warranted...

 

[Boysmom]

I would find an avian certified vet even if I had to drive out of state ! Im shocked your girl has been sick this long and survived, but the loss of appetite is most concerning. You need to have tests ran until they find the problem. I understand the tests are expensive but what is your girls life worth to you ? I recently had $415 worth of tests ran on my Amazon and both myself and Hubby are unemployed with 3 kids at home, but his problem was diagnosed and he is well on his way to recovery. If you cannot afford the tests you should consider surrendering her to a rescue that can get her healthy again. Im sorry if this sounds harsh but thats the responsibility of pet ownership.

 

[luckywings]

poor girl, I know of a breeder who had psitticosis (NOT SAYING SHE HAS THIS OR ANYTHING!) in her parrots and can remember her talking about the puffed up appearance, lethargy, lack of appetite, and rubbing face on cage bars. This was confirmed by her veterinarian and treatment saved many of their lives. A blood test by a avian veterinarian should give you answers at least let you know what her levels are at for everything. it really is a necessity and it sounds like unfortunately you are already spending a lot of valuable time and money at a non professional not getting answers. Sorry!

 

[Oedipussrex]

Association of Avian Veterinarians Australia Committee - Find your local Avian Veterinarian

The Association of Avian Veterinarians | Home

I'm not sure where you are, but if you can take her to a registered avian veterinarian with either of these associations (the sites are of australia and america, respectively), they might have better luck identifying the problem... I hope she is ok.

 

[Remy]

I'd definitely seek a second opinion! Or even a third or fourth. Ask to talk to the doctor on the phone before you make an appointment. Or if they're too far away, you might be able to get a phone consult for some ideas, and possibly some tests to run. If they are a good vet, they will. I don't know if it's typical to charge for phone consults or not, but if a doctor doesn't take time to talk to you, you probably don't want them anyway.

I hope she feels better soon.

 

[ekkiparront]

Hi, it's been awhile since your post but I had a similar issue with my eclectus about a year ago. He had the mojo feather balding on back of his head + losing many down feathers + sneezing + itchy beak. I took him to several avian certified vets only to learn my bird was malnourished. I was shocked! It wasn't from lack of food, though. It was because I offered him too many choices & he was only eating sweet foods like apples & grapes & steered clear of green veggies, pellets (roudybush maintenance) & nuts. The doctor told me to cut out everything and only give him Harrisons. I tried that but he was literally starving because he wouldn't eat it.
ISo I'm told Ekkies have longer digestive tracts and food sits longer & can cause bad 'flora'.
Never leave fresh food out long. It will go bad and then sit in their stomach.

So, how did Toby recover? With three things; Red palm oil, aloe vera, & brown rice. I gave him 0.2 ml of red palm oil every night. It contains a lot of vitamin A which Ekkies require. It takes some work..... The oil is solid @ room temp so you have to warm in in warm water. Also, be careful clean dropper afterward or you could contaminate the bottle. I purchased the pure palm oil from my local *bird* store. The other thing I did was add aloe vera juice /gel to his water. The aloe binds to possible toxins and removes them from the body. I placed a capful into his 16 oz water bowl. You can get the aloe vera (Lily of the valley is the brand I've used) juice/gel from a health food store (Better Health Food Store) or maybe yout local grocery store (Kroger in my area sells it).
The other thing I did was give him warm, cooked brown rice twice a day. I think brown rice helps remove toxins so I give them a tablespoon every day. Be sure to cut back on the sweets (grapes, strawberries...) Since bacteria thrive on sugars and may mess up the good flora in their digestive tract. One last thing I've notice with my Ekkies (1 male & 1 female): food with dye/coloring &/or 'fortified' with vitamins or containing spirulina will cause my birds to 'toe tap'. Also, the male loves to shred balsa wood but my female goes into a sneezing frenzy so we can't give her balsa. Sorry for the long post but hope it may help someone .