Ole is still twirling but singing too

[Lori~D]

Here is stuff I found: May help??
TWIRLING

Three years ago, I had a Gouldian hen who had just laid her first clutch. Before the babies fledged the female abandoned the nest and was having problems perching, head twisted, and finally "spinning" on her back on the floor of her cage. Papa raised the babies, but I wanted to see if I could treat mom.

The spinning would suddenly stop and the bird was motionless. Almost like a postaxial phase of a seizure. . . The vet at the Lab suggested I use Sulmet. (based on what I read Sulfa meds help) Actually a med for cattle and chickens found at feed stores. He did advise me to only dose for two days ON one day off for a total of 10 doses. I also read about the Vitamin B deficiency, but I wonder if the Vitamin B is deficient OR does it help with the added stress Anyway, on the days off meds the bird got Chemi-vit Molting Stress (higher in B than the Brooding formula) from an online source. Treating true twirling birds can prove fatal if water drinkers are not used. . .any open dish of water could be the spot where the birds stops spinning. . . I kept the bird in a smaller cage without wire bottom, spray millet in addition to a low perch. She got the regular seed mix, Chemi-vit Muss (eggfood) mixed with hulled millet and a container of dried herbs. On days off the medicated water she got fresh veggies or fruit.

During the first year this bird got better to the point of perching, but had always had a problem with keeping her head upright and it seemed molting or stress made the condition worse. Today, more than 3 years have passed and when looking at my female Gould, I have to look at leg bands to pick her out. This is the first year when she has not had symptoms even though molting.

Theresa
Tacoma, WA

What is "Star Gazing" or "Twirling"?
They are the same thing. It was originally called Star Gazing and recently also referred to as Twirling. The first time I ever witnessed Twirling first hand was in a Gouldian Finch. It is most common in Gouldians but it can affect other types of finches. No one can quite agree on what causes Twirling. It is either an infection, and injury, a genetic fault, or stress. It could also be the combination of several of those factors..

People think Twirling is basically the loss of the finch's equilibrium. The finch will appear to be frantically looking around itself, like it is panicked. The head will tilt side to side and even roll upside down and back up. Twirling is also degenerative and the finch eventually dies.

There is no treatment for this condition currently. There are many good theories, and some medicines that show signs of being effective but without truly knowing what causes it, it is very hard to treat.

Twirling is fatal because the finch eventually gets to the point it can not move without falling over. The finch will starve to death once the twirling has progressed this far. There is little more you can do to help other than keep the finch warm and comfortable.



Misterious Balance Disease - Canary Preservation, Judging and Showing CanarySave.Com

[Lori~D]

Here is stuff I found: May help??

TWIRLING
Three years ago, I had a Gouldian hen who had just laid her first clutch. Before the babies fledged the female abandoned the nest and was having problems perching, head twisted, and finally "spinning" on her back on the floor of her cage. Papa raised the babies, but I wanted to see if I could treat mom.

The spinning would suddenly stop and the bird was motionless. Almost like a postaxial phase of a seizure. . . The vet at the Lab suggested I use Sulmet. (based on what I read Sulfa meds help) Actually a med for cattle and chickens found at feed stores. He did advise me to only dose for two days ON one day off for a total of 10 doses. I also read about the Vitamin B deficiency, but I wonder if the Vitamin B is deficient OR does it help with the added stress Anyway, on the days off meds the bird got Chemi-vit Molting Stress (higher in B than the Brooding formula) from an online source. Treating true twirling birds can prove fatal if water drinkers are not used. . .any open dish of water could be the spot where the birds stops spinning. . . I kept the bird in a smaller cage without wire bottom, spray millet in addition to a low perch. She got the regular seed mix, Chemi-vit Muss (eggfood) mixed with hulled millet and a container of dried herbs. On days off the medicated water she got fresh veggies or fruit.

During the first year this bird got better to the point of perching, but had always had a problem with keeping her head upright and it seemed molting or stress made the condition worse. Today, more than 3 years have passed and when looking at my female Gould, I have to look at leg bands to pick her out. This is the first year when she has not had symptoms even though molting.

Theresa
Tacoma, WA

What is "Star Gazing" or "Twirling"?
They are the same thing. It was originally called Star Gazing and recently also referred to as Twirling. The first time I ever witnessed Twirling first hand was in a Gouldian Finch. It is most common in Gouldians but it can affect other types of finches. No one can quite agree on what causes Twirling. It is either an infection, and injury, a genetic fault, or stress. It could also be the combination of several of those factors..

People think Twirling is basically the loss of the finch's equilibrium. The finch will appear to be frantically looking around itself, like it is panicked. The head will tilt side to side and even roll upside down and back up. Twirling is also degenerative and the finch eventually dies.

There is no treatment for this condition currently. There are many good theories, and some medicines that show signs of being effective but without truly knowing what causes it, it is very hard to treat.

Twirling is fatal because the finch eventually gets to the point it can not move without falling over. The finch will starve to death once the twirling has progressed this far. There is little more you can do to help other than keep the finch warm and comfortable.



Misterious Balance Disease - Canary Preservation, Judging and Showing CanarySave.Com

[Powder]

That describes Ole to a T. He fits the Star Gazing description better than twirling because he tilts his head one side up to the stars, the other to the ground. It's perplexing that his neck muscles allow him to do this, seems odd...like an owl can move his head around. I notice that he eats mostly the little dark round seeds and not the longer brown seed in his mix...he just digs through those to get the round ones. I feed him vitamins on his lettuce and he loves that. The small cage helps and he stays on his perch. Guess I'll just take care of him this way and continue to keep him as happy as I can. He sang more today and seems to be otherwise healthy and strong. Thanks for the info., it was helpful and I'll just keep him as comfortable as possible.....

[Rahni]

Sounds like a diamond dove I had for a while which now belongs to my sister. She hit her head which gave her mild brain damage, she's been like that for two years now. She tilts her head to the right only, and is unable to fly (because of no sense of which way is up) and perch, but she eats and drinks fine and I put sticks on the floor of the cage which she perches on at night.
Despite the fact that sometimes she sits there with her head doing loop-de-loop, she seem perfectly happy, still coos, preens etc.

[Lori~D]

Twirling and stargazing are the same thing

[Powder]

right, since he can't twirl in his little cage he's more of a stargazer...cute in a way, a whole diff. pet. Love my sweet yellow canary!