ringneck flying awkwardly, seems confused

Shopping

Information

Find Answers

Site Info

Links

[?] Subscribe To This Site

ringneck flying awkwardly, seems confused

by syd
(ft worth, tx)

Today I came home and my female ringneck was exhibiting odd behavior. She is usually an excellent flier and very alert (not hand tame at all), but today she seemed lethargic and when trying to fly, looked as if she was "heavy" - couldn't get any lift and was flying awkwardly. Also, she seemed confused. When trying to climb up the cage after taking a dive to the bottom, it took her a while to figure things out. I towelled her and she didn't seem to have any overt injuries: eyes seemed normal, wings in good shape, abdomen was not distended. The only unusual thing of note was what looked to be a small moist spot over one nare. No blood, no scrape... like maybe a little lymph or something - odd. Before I get all panicked and run for the vet, I thought I would run it by you to see if anything came to mind.

Your time and expertise are VERY much appreciated

Comments for
ringneck flying awkwardly, seems confused

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 22, 2010

Indian Ringneck neurological issue
by: The Avian Vet

The symptoms you describe are consistent with neurological deficits. I recommend that you take your bird in to see an avian veterinarian ? ASAP.

Dr B

Feb 21, 2010

I had the same problem
by: Anonymous

Hello, I has the same problem with my bird. I didn't get around to taking him to a vet, and about 2 weeks later he was gone. He was a baby bird who didnt have a Mother, and he had flown into a wall apparantly. He looked dizzy and confused and he was banging into things when he walked. But he looked completely normal otherwise, no injuries or anything. He did not have any moistue though like yours, so it could well be something totally different all together but I thought I would tell you my experience in case it helps you. My main point being- take him to a vet because I didn;t and apparantly he had internal injuries in his head or body that I couldn't see. Good luck with your bird, I hope that he gets well soon :-)

Feb 20, 2010

ringneck flying awkwardly, seems confused
by: Linda

There are many things that could have caused this like a head injury, a toxin either ingested or breathed in or even an internal tumor putting pressure on something somewhere.

I recommend you take your bird to an Avian Vet for a good exam including a little bloodwork to see if anything is showing there. Explain the behavior and all that you did and witnessed. The confusion can come from a stroke or an injury, and you said there was no evidence of injury.The fluid coming from nostril is a good place to start the investigation as the fluid you spoke of sounds like maybe pus. Vet will do a swab of nostril and see what is there because if there is a leaking tumor, it may be leaking a little bit all the time.

She could have a tumor and to find out, you'll need to have a test run for soft tissue if the swab shows nothing. X-ray will only clearly show problems with bones, and soft tissue is not clear. If there is a tumor, it would just show a kind of shadow, so you may need something else done. Your Avian vet is the best source for this kind of information.

I'd get her warmly wrapped in a small carrying cage, and take her to the Avian vet next week so you can rule out a few things. Any kind of toxin may be out of her system by then, and since you sound like a seasoned bird guardian, you are most likely familiar with the very long list of toxins that can hurt birds.

Let us know how this works out because I do believe she needs to be seen by an Avian Vet to rule out a few things anyway as the confusion and lack of coordination is a telling description of a stroke or pressure from something, somewhere.

Linda

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Ask the Vet