flailing quail

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
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Anonymous

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Hello,

I have an adult female quail that is acting strangely. She is having difficulty staying upright. I often find her in her cage flailing with her legs and wings but she is unable to right herself. I thought maybe she was egg-bound and that was why she was having trouble with her legs, but I dont feel an egg, so Im pretty sure its not that. She hasnt been laying eggs the last few days, but winter is on its way so Im not so concerned. The females have been slowing down with their egg laying recently. She has a small bald patch where it looks like she could have been pecked, so Im wondering if it might be a weird symptom from head trauma or if she had a stroke or something. Im worried about her since she cant really eat or drink so Ive been giving her some food and water with a dropper. Ive also taken her out of her cage and put her in a box by herself hoping that it would get a bit better on its own with some rest... but to no avail. Should I wait a few days, or would it be best to euthanize her? :(

Katie
 
I am feeding them pigeon food. It has a melange of seeds and pellets. It has the highest protein content of the seed mixes I have available here in Switzerland. I also supplement their diet with random veggies (salad, green beans, potatoes, etc.). Im also giving them a cuttlebone for extra calcium (they produce one egg per day, usually). Sometimes Ill add an egg to their food as well, but this isnt very often.

The bird is doing a little bit better. She can stand a lot longer and is eating now by herself. She is happily eating her seeds, green beans, and carrots so Im a little bit less worried about her. I gave her a warm bath yesterday and she seemed to like it quite a bit. I seriously think I heard her purring on a few occasions! Im just worried about her vertigo. If she is standing for too long, she will just topple over. I have to help her up on her own otherwise she just lies there. I might have seen her right herself once yesterday, but Im really not sure I didnt imagine it. Shes such a good pet and we are quite fond of one another (she hatched in my hand) so it would be quite a tragedy if I had to put her down. But I wonder how long I should give her before I am starting to be selfish :(
 
I took my poor quail to the vet and she had x-rays done. She has a broken bone (scapula) and that might be preventing her from being able to stand well enough. She was put on anti-inflammatory medication and given a week to recover (gain weight, etc.) otherwise she will be put down. She is standing a bit better on her own and gaining some weight back, so hopefully she will have a full recovery.
 
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