For the past week and a half I have been finding pinched feathers in the free loft. 3 are tail feathers of various length and 1 is a primary approx 2 inches long. I have no explanation. He's a 4x intermewed male red tail, who has allways moulted late. This is the first time for this problem. I will increased his food until I see him start to leave some uneaten. He is not stressed in any way, looks and behaves fine. Anyone with experience or info please leave feedback. Thanks in advance.
something to think about. he does catch imature cowbirds and grackles coming to his bathpan from time to time. last time was about a month ago. interesting idea though.
your right. yesterday he stayed in his mews [shade] for most of the day. he still looks physicaly perfect. i might start him on a course of metacam. better safe than sorry. dosage?
your right. yesterday he stayed in his mews [shade] for most of the day. he still looks physicaly perfect. i might start him on a course of metacam. better safe than sorry. dosage?
I'd call an avian vet. The only dosage I know is for doggies and kitties
"We promised the world we'd tame it, what were we hoping for?" -Bloc Party
your right. yesterday he stayed in his mews [shade] for most of the day. he still looks physicaly perfect. i might start him on a course of metacam. better safe than sorry. dosage?
Seeking darkness is another sign of WNV. It's like they have a migrane - light and sound causes head pain.
WNV can be life threatening. Your hawk may have a mild case, or the start of full blown WNV. You won't know until more signs present, so treat it as if it's full blown.
Call your avian vet right away for the proper Metacam or Meloxicam dosage per weight. If (s)he doesn't know the dose for hawks, call the Raptor Center in MN.
Pull him out of the mews and house him in your giant hood so you can monitor him closely and treat him. He'll also appreciate the darkness and quiet it provides.
Make SURE he's eating! Unplanned FAST weight loss and dehydration come along with the pinching (caused by fever). You won't notice the loss unless you weigh the bird. Do that daily (if not more often) for the next week.
If he stops eating his normal portion and his weight crashes, take immediate action! (He may develop temporary blindness associated with WNV and not be able to see to eat.) He'll need force-feedings or tube feedings if his weight loss is excessive.
Signs I've observed: Lethargy, fluffed appearance, depression, hanging head, little or intense reaction to normal sounds, tameness, feather pinching, excessive molting of new feathers, squinting eyes and seeking darkness, no appetite and FAST weight loss (dehydration), blindness, incoordination, grand mall seizures, paralysis.
Post by hawkingchic on Sept 21, 2008 9:43:31 GMT -5
Usually the pinching of feathers is after any real threat of wnv. He might have had it and you never knew it. My bird pinched a feather this year and I called the vet...the vet said pinching of the feathers is something that comes after the real danger. You can take your bird in and have them take some blood and run a titer to see if he has the antibodies. The good thing is if he does he shouldn't be able to get the virus again...at least that is the thought.
thanks for the info i'm leaving a message with the raptor center as we speak. migisi, do you know of any other possible causes of piched feathers?
I've seen it mostly in nestlings and/or branchers pushing down new feathers that have been exposed to extreme or long term chill.... like "goose bumps", the feather follicle closes tightly around the soft feather shaft and cuts off blood flow. Or, they've been mishandled by someone and stressed to the max. Or, in birds that have suffered trauma (causing swelling or scarring)... i.e my bald pinches out the same two primaries every year -- permanent damage to those follicles/roots caused by her wing injury as a nestling. Some might have a genetic defect of a follicle or two, or have an infection at the site, or may be infested with feather parasites. Or, if someone has administered sheep or calf thyroid to quicken a molt (do NOT do this!). Lots of reasons for pinching out.
But, from the TWO signs you've observed with your bird, it sounds like WNV. The feathers will grow back after recovery. However, I've had WNV birds pinch out the same growing feather more than once before they fully recovered, so expect it. And you'll likely notice that many feathers that were nearly hard-penned will have shock marks on them. That's the follicle squeezing the feather shaft, but not hard enough to cut off blood.
But frankly, Red, feathers would be the least of my worries with WNV.
Usually the pinching of feathers is after any real threat of wnv. He might have had it and you never knew it. My bird pinched a feather this year and I called the vet...the vet said pinching of the feathers is something that comes after the real danger. .
How much experience does your vet have with WNV in raptors? From my many observations of WNV patients in rehab since 2001, and my own three birds which contracted it then.... feather pinching does not occur after the fact - or after the danger has passed. It is one of the first observable signs of infection. However, a second MOLT of some feathers (which is quite different than pinching out) may be seen after recovery.
The fact that Red's bird is light sensitive and seeking darkness right now tells me that his bird is infected right now.
You can take your bird in and have them take some blood and run a titer to see if he has the antibodies.
I had titers done. Not cheap. By the time the results came back, I didn't need any confirmation. I already knew it was WNV by the many signs they presented. Once you've seen the progression of WNV from start to death, there's no mistaking it for something else.
Last Edit: Sept 21, 2008 11:03:50 GMT -5 by Migisi
Post by hawkingchic on Sept 21, 2008 11:16:19 GMT -5
My vet has had lots of experience with raptors..to my knowledge he seems to know what he is talking about. I also believe when talking about WNV there is still alot of unknown. The birds that I have worked with in an educational organization when they had WNV they always pinched the feathers after they had shown clinical signs...not to say that is what would always happen. One of the birds it actually took him two years before he started to molt properly. You are right about the titer...it doesn't do you any good once you get the results back. By then you will deffinately have known if he had WNV. I did have the titer done on one of my rth and it came back that she had the antibodies. This made me feel more secure in the summer months and I didn't feel the need to worry about WNV or whether I should give the vaccine. The titer cost me $50, this was 2 years ago.
My vet has had lots of experience with raptors..to my knowledge he seems to know what he is talking about. I also believe when talking about WNV there is still alot of unknown..
The virus has been around for years (since '99 in the US). Bird rehabbers and their avian vets have had years to observe and study it, given the epidemic of infected birds (several species) that were admitted.
"Q: What are the symptoms of West Nile virus in raptors? A: There seem to be three phases, specifically --
Phase 1: Depression, anorexia, weight loss (in proportion to duration of anorexia), sleeping, pinching off blood feathers. Elevated white cell count.
Phase 2: In addition to the above, head tremors, green urates (indicating liver necrosis), mental dullness/central blindness and general lack of awareness of surroundings, ataxia (clumsiness), weakness in legs.