Hello. The first thing you need to do, if you have the receipt and it's unopened, take that "junk" back to the store and get your money back. Stay as far away from their over the counter stuff as possible. No matter what they tell you, they do not have anything that will do your bird any good, no matter what is wrong, and in many cases it is harmful. If a pet store had anything that would work, you would not be able to buy it without a prescription and you would definitely not foul his drinking water with it. If you have already put some in his water, you need to dump it, wash and scald his dish and replace with only plain, fresh water. Birds do not handle antibiotics well, under the best of circumstances and to try to dose them with one of those very weak products, which tell you to further water it down, is not at all good for your bird. Pretty much the only things those products do is make the water taste so bad they either quit drinking or cut back so far that the risk of dehydration is added to the original problem. Now to the issue you are describing. This may sound like a silly question but for his sake, I have to ask. Are you aware that his ears are right there, almost on his "cheek" but just a tiny bit towards the back of his head? I want to be sure that the small hole you are seeing is actually something that doesn't belong and not the opening to his ear. The feathers can be a bit thinner in that area and if ruffled a bit, can look like there is feather loss when in fact, what you are seeing is normal. If this is his ear and not a separate wound of some kind, and, if you don't see any discoloration like bruising, any evidence of bleeding past or present, then it doesn't sound like there is a problem in that area. But, based on what you said about diet, he is heading for many possible health problems if you don't start right away, trying to get him to accept plenty of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and many more "people" foods. Too many seeds (fat) in the diet can lead to liver problems and many other issues, the older he gets. I'm going to give you a couple links below where you can read more in detail about proper diet for that beauty. I hope this helps but if you have more questions, or if that opening turns out to be something other than his ear canal, let me know and we will take it from there. Patricia
Click here: GOULDIAN FINCHES: BASIC INTRODUCTION
Click here: Lady Gouldian Finch .com - Gouldian Diet
Parrot C&onsultant
Published author, free lance bird behaviorist, adviser to the parrots at Sarasota Jungle Gardens.
Hi Patricia, I managed to take him some pictures I hope you can see something. He kept on moving and moving and it was hard to get a good shot.
This is the best one I could get:
http://www.e-car-buyer.ca/images/DSC00365.JPG
Do you think this is the ear?
Let me know your comments. Thanks in advance. Ana
Thanks Ana. I so apologize for the delay in getting back with you. I've had a ton of unexpected things come up today. I appreciate the effort with the picture and I know it can be hard to get them still, especially for a close up picture. Unfortunately it is a bit blurred by the time it came through to me and the only thing I can see for sure is he sure looks like a beauty, and can only make out what I'm pretty sure is his eye. However, if there is only the one opening on each side of his head, it has to be his ear and it may be a bit irritated, causing him to possibly scratch at it more than normal. Something that simple is what we would hope for. However, it's just as possible that he could have an infection building in the ear. Should that turn out to be the case, it's only going to get worse without a professional, hands on exam from a competent Avian vet. There is one thing you can do in an attempt to detect an infection. That is to smell the ear. If there is a strong, unpleasant odor, especially if it smells like like popcorn or rotting cheese, you have an infection. However, you can't count on that 100% because if it's only in the early stages, you may not be able to detect it. It's my opinion that you have two choices here. You can go ahead and get him in for a checkup without further delay, or you can take a wait and see approach for the next few days and see what happens. Just be very attentive to any additional symptoms that indicate he is feeling worse and keep an eye on how it looks to you, watching for any discharge, additional redness, swelling, him shaking his head in excess and/or really trying to dig at it with his nails. An indication of a worsening infection could also manifest as disorientation and loss of balance. Of course those would be serious warning signs and he would need to get in without delay. I wish I had more suggestions and possibilities to offer but these things can be so tricky with these feathers kids, it's usually best to be safe than sorry. I do hope some of this information is helpful to you but if you need anything further, or if you have additional questions, do not hesitate to let me know. I want to do the best for him that I can. I'll keep the little beauty in my thoughts. Patricia
Click here: Parrots - Avian Vets Recommended - Judy Leach's Parrots - macaws, cockatoos, and african greys
Click here: Avian Veterinarians Recommended by Bird Breeders and Owners http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm
Click here: Avian Vet List
Click here: BirdsnWays - Avian Veterinarians - Vets - Vet Services for Pet Parrots & Exotic Birds
This one looks like an advertisement for Harrison pellets but they are only sold by vets so it's another good list to check. Click here: Harrison's Bird Foods is a family of certified organic pet bird diets that were formulated to make your bird as he
Thanks Patricia. I think if this is a possible ear infection there is nothing better I can do than taking him to the vet. I don't want to take any chances and I thank you for letting me see the obvious not so obvious... My first thought was that he was loosing the feathers of his head but I never thought about the ear.
Thanks again for your time and help.