New Conure: Bacteria & Yeast Infection of Crop

[missminxy]

Hi,

Well I just got a black cap conure last week and he just had his vet appointment today.

I had initially some concern about the bird when I brought him home because I noticed he would make some weird breathing noises sometimes, as well as sneeze, cough, and had some fluid coming out of his nostrils.

I'm by far no bird expert and this is my first parrot, being previously a budgie owner. The pet shop failed to tell me that he had picked his feathers on his chest (now gray but supposed to be green). Not to mention that they didn't tell me the sex and I have to pay 52$ to find it out if I want to, which i didn't do since he is sick and I may return him.

Do the vet ran some tests and tells me he has a bacteria and a yeast infection of the crop. And that this is common in birds and I shouldn't worry.

Problem is, the vet is affiliated with the pet shop as the bird came with a free appointment for a checkup. I'm thinking of bringing him to my old vet which I had for my budgie Dino.

My little conure is over a year and a half old. I googled some info about what he has and apparently they get this when their babies more commonly.

Does this mean he had been left with this for so long without proper medical care?

I love the guy but I think I've been treated very unfairly by the pet shop. Not only did I pay full price for this little guy, a whopping 550$, but he is sick

Would you return him? Or is this problem really nothing to worry about?

I really like him, but I don't want a bird who will be sick and die on me. This is supposed to be a companion that I will have for 20+ years

Some help would be much appreciated ....

[Lisa B]

Its a hard call. If you are attached, there is a chance if you return him he will not get the proper care he needs.

I only purchased one bird from a store. I went to the vet they recommended, and indeed, I was given Baytril and Diflucan to give him. his well birdy visit was well over $400. Later, with learning from sites like this, that diflucan is NOT regularly given to baby birds.......however at that time, I thought it was common place. (guess we learn)

I hope others with more experience will chime in and help you. I have more rescues then babies.

I do however think that babies do have more problems with Yeast and crop infections due to improper/unexperienced handfeedings.

I would suggest you going back to the pet store with your bill from the vet, and ask what kind of guarentee they offer. You might be lucky and they pay for some or all of the bill, since the bird was sick.
Often shops offer 72 hours and have a written notice posted somewhere around the register or front door.

Please let us know how it works out and how your baby is doing.

[Joel]

If you are already attached to the bird, you prolly just want to keep it and do what you can to make sure it gets better (that is what I would do). If not, I would return it asap.

The pet shop most likely knew what they were selling you, unbelievable IMO for them not to know that. I of course would be upset about that and make sure they pay for any medical expenses, you could even threaten them rightfully with legal picketing outside their shop (carry thru if need be) - should they not be fair with you.

You can do the sexing yourself for about $20 by sending in a few feathers to Avian Biotech.

Did the vet treat your bird and if so, for exactly what & with what - what was the dose, etc......

Make sure you have everything in clear writing from that vet: prognosis, test results etc....and if the bird does not recover after the appropriate treatment period, then make sure you can return him or get a full refund (even if you keep him). Make sure from the pet shop that if he was to die, that you would get a full refund and necropsy reimbursement. He might have some serious disease (maybe even a Zoonotic one - transferable to humans) so maybe a second opinion would be best (one from a vet not affiliated with that shop).

If just a simple crop yeast infection, Nystatin should clear it up = it is a contact yeast killer. If already into the organs/blood, then a systemic like Diflucan (already mentioned) would prolly be best, maybe along with Baytril IMO & IME.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by missminxy

Hi,

Well I just got a black cap conure last week and he just had his vet appointment today.

I had initially some concern about the bird when I brought him home because I noticed he would make some weird breathing noises sometimes, as well as sneeze, cough, and had some fluid coming out of his nostrils.

I'm by far no bird expert and this is my first parrot, being previously a budgie owner. The pet shop failed to tell me that he had picked his feathers on his chest (now gray but supposed to be green). Not to mention that they didn't tell me the sex and I have to pay 52$ to find it out if I want to, which i didn't do since he is sick and I may return him.

Do the vet ran some tests and tells me he has a bacteria and a yeast infection of the crop. And that this is common in birds and I shouldn't worry.

Problem is, the vet is affiliated with the pet shop as the bird came with a free appointment for a checkup. I'm thinking of bringing him to my old vet which I had for my budgie Dino.

My little conure is over a year and a half old. I googled some info about what he has and apparently they get this when their babies more commonly.

Does this mean he had been left with this for so long without proper medical care?

I love the guy but I think I've been treated very unfairly by the pet shop. Not only did I pay full price for this little guy, a whopping 550$, but he is sick

Would you return him? Or is this problem really nothing to worry about?

I really like him, but I don't want a bird who will be sick and die on me. This is supposed to be a companion that I will have for 20+ years

Some help would be much appreciated ....

[Nazir's]

The sex of the bird is usually left as a personal option, if not done before hand by the breeder. Just as Joel suggested, I had my bird sexed for about 19.00 by Avian Biotech. It's a fairly simple process that's done at home and their results turn around time is fast. What was the name of the pet shop? You may want to find out the pet shop's bird supplier, as there's been case of ill and infected birds coming from one of the main bird distributors down in FL. PetsMart has been affected.

Could it possibly be that your bird is just molting or have your actually noticed him plucking?

I would take him to the vet recommended by the pet store. After all it's a free visit and if you ask enough questions you're bond to find out something. If I wasn't assured with the information provided there, I would then locate a local avian vet and set an appointment. Bird's do a good job at hiding conditions, so usually by the time most notice the conditions, the issue has progressed far enough.

Personally, I would take the bird back, educate myself a little more, and then locate a reputable breeder to obtain one from.
Something is to be learnt from this... Do your homework/research first. You'll then have a better chance of protecting yourself from these types of situations. Do not ever buy a bird that appears to be sick! Not, unless you are willing to deal with all that may be involved. If you find that it's just a crop infection, then the treatment shouldn't be that bad. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Nazir's]

How's everything going? I hope all is well.

[birdsnreps]

if you are hearing your bird breathe and hes having discharge from the nostrils, he needs prescribed medicines from a good avian vet!! hes NOT gonna get better on his own, and he needs to go asap. that sounds like some type of respiratory infection, and birds have very sensitive respiratory systems, and they can really go downhill very quickly. remember that all birds hide their illnesses until they can no longer hide them, so your little guy showing all these symptoms means hes very ill and needs medical attention quick!! take him to your good vet!!

of course if you dont wanna deal with this, you can take him back, but hes prob not gonna get the medical attention he needs. and yes, vet bills can very quickly cost hundreds, easily. you could prob get him replaced, but chances are, if they were kept anywhere near your current bird, they could prob be sick as well.

[DarwinTheSun]

You could try contacting the pet store, letting them know he is sick and will require vet attention. See if they can give you some of your money back to cover part of the vet bills. It sucks to think that he won't get care because of you returning him. Vet bills are part of being a responsible bird owner. That said, there is no good reason to get a sick bird from the store, so I would plead to them to knock off some of his price or threaten to bring him back. Either way, he probably needs to see a vet asap. Respiratory infections can go bad fast. Good luck.