I am absolutley devastated today i woke to find both my baby finches dead and a sick Snowflake (sky blue spangle budgie) and before i even got the chance to get to the vet he had died! It has been quite cold the last few nights with very chilly wind i put a blanket up around my aviary to stop the draft but it didnt get rid of it all together.My question is can birds catch colds? Also how are respiratory infections created is it contagious or is it just something one bird creates itself internally? I am just so stunned i had high hopes for my snowflake and i only noticed this morning he was sick because he was making a squeaking noise i brought him in under a lamp and he died within 15 minutes! I think it may have been a cold of some sort. Does anyone have any ideas how to keep outdoor aviaries warm? I know stupid question

The big worry is that it could be psitticosis. :budgiedance:

 

Aviary birds catch nasties from visiting wild birds. I have never had the need to add warmth to my aviary but during winter I put lots of leafy branches with perches running through them into corners so that they can huddle in amongst them to keep warm.

It may not have been a respiratory problem. For three birds to go like that...yes it could have been....but birds get used to colder conditions especially if the day have slowly gotten colder they prepare for it. For three birds to go like that you may have mice through their food and water sources too. That will knock a bird down in just a day. Mice are on the move in colder weather...they look for warmer places to be and better food sources.

I'd be inclined to think that may be more of a problem than cold.

But in repsect of you aviary and cold....You need it to NOT have cold winds able to blow through. Blankets arent necessary, as they tend to trap moisture and just cause more issues with dampness and moulds. I use matchstick roller blinds on my aviaries through winter...roll them down at night or during rainy days and up for the day time.

 

Check your aviary for access for mice to your seed containers....they can go through the average aviary mesh, and into food containers if hung on mesh walls and from chains above if hung from aviary mesh. Change all seed for new.

I agree with Kaz, when birds all die at the same time it is more then a respiratory infection, I think something else is up.

There is no evidence of mice i clean the seed off the bottom everyday and change there food everyday. i think the finches died because the parents stopped feeding them they were only 4 weeks old i have been wrapping a blanket around the outside of the aviary to stop some of the drought.I am just conserned that it is a disease that can be passed on to the others i will just keep up with the cleaning and see how it goes

So sorry for your losses :budgiedance:

 

Respiratory infection creates a dark stain above the nostrils in the feathers. One of by males had it a few weeks ago, i had plenty of time to take him to the vet. It knocks him around a bit, but dosen't seem to kill over night. My boy had 10 days of antibiotics and he is fine now.

 

I do not cover my aviary in the cold. I like Kaz's blind idea

I agree that they get used to the cold nights. But if the weather changed suddenly and your birds were not use to the cold, they could have died from exposure. :dbb1:

 

I hope you find your answers

Thanks liv and yes it was a sudden change it started snowing in the mountains and we got the freezing winds from it i think i will put it down to that i am keeping a close eye on the rest of the birds but they all seem quite healthy i will keep you posted on how it turns out

Sorry for your losses Missylu, I know how devastating it can be. Hope it turns out to just be a one time loss for you and nothing more sinister.

Edited May 2, 200817 yr by Denise

I'm so sorry for your losses. I hope you don't loose any more birds from what ever caused it. I used to have a blind/cover I used to put on half my aviary, during the colder months, but I found they used to sleep on the uncovered section, so I now don't bother. I agree that they manage to look after themselves. Good luck and bigs hugs to you.

Hopefully it was just the weather, we had that unusual long period of rain, then straight after it we got that sudden cold snap, which they said was the coldest April day for years, also often this time of year when it suddenly gets cold it sorts out any birds that already had a problem. Especially at this time of year see that they don’t run out of seed, as that can be fatal. They can’t maintain their body temperature with out food.

When i read this and I saw you live at blacktown , I just went through the same weather changes , we had two weeks of rain then very cold winds and days , I thought of cooccidious , I would watch your birds very closely at this point in time as you may loose more. I always put my birds onto sulfa meds after day 5 of rain for 3 days to prevent coccidious , I also use bistro blinds for the extreme cold nights or if a southerly is blowing up and open them up in the day . I havent lost any birds during the weather change , I actually hatched 6 chicks out .

Sorry for your loss and keep a close eye on them.

I think it may have been like norm said and the cold snap sorted out any already sick birds because this bird was always by itself and did not 'play' like the others did. :sad: They all seem to be doing well i have a new aviary which is 4 times the size of my original one so once i transfer the rest into there hopefuly they will be happier it is in a sunnier position and i think it gets less wind so fingers crossed thanks for all your sugestions i have learnt so much in the last couple of months just from the forum so thanks again -Oh and i have had my first lot of all 6 eggs were fertile and all 6 hatched and are doing well i am so excited there is an ino of some sort cant wait to see which one it is

I used to live at Richmond & catch the train from Blacktown to work in Sydney & I know your area can get pretty cold at night. Good luck you don’t have any more problems. I’m sure everyone on here would be happy to see some pictures of your aviaries the new & the old if you can post some pics.

Yep for sure i will post some pictures of the aviaries this afternoon i will start a new post and will put some photos of my budgies up aswell thanks

I am absolutley devastated today i woke to find both my baby finches dead and a sick Snowflake (sky blue spangle budgie) and before i even got the chance to get to the vet he had died! It has been quite cold the last few nights with very chilly wind i put a blanket up around my aviary to stop the draft but it didnt get rid of it all together.My question is can birds catch colds? Also how are respiratory infections created is it contagious or is it just something one bird creates itself internally? I am just so stunned i had high hopes for my snowflake and i only noticed this morning he was sick because he was making a squeaking noise i brought him in under a lamp and he died within 15 minutes! I think it may have been a cold of some sort. Does anyone have any ideas how to keep outdoor aviaries warm? I know stupid question

Was the squeaking noise more like a squeak or a problem breathing?.Do your birds have any dirty marks around their heads (just above the cere),if so it sounds like it could be psittacosis,do you have a local vet whom you could take a clean poo sample to,if it is psittacosis they would probably be shedding it in their droppings.Sorry for your loss,you need to do something fairly quickly or you could lose the lot.If you dont know what they have contracted,you wont know what to treat them with,a vet is probably your only option,next time a bird dies,wash it's body and put it in the fridge until you can have it autopsied,i have done this several times and at least i knew for sure what the problem was.My vet would charge about $50 for an autopsy,but this could save lots of money in the long run.Good Luck

Eeeeeewwwwwwww in the fridge? sorry that grosses me out- Im not sure what it was it was more like a squeak instead of a chirp it wasnt constant and he didnt have any marks above his cere either? The others seem to be doing fine they havent got any of the same symptoms but they all seem to be moulting across their forheads other than that they are eating and drinking well

Sorry for your loss mate ..... When the new avairy is ready they will be warmer as it is more enlclosed so that would stop the drafts too ....