Mycoplasmal Conjunctivitis - Eye Disease In Finches

Thanks Adi. She is definately accepting the "cage" already. She was looking for a way out but has settled down and is eating seeds and drinking water already.

thanks for the info Mitch and thanks for caring for that cute little bird. i will be on the look out for more birds and report it so hopefuly we can help end this horrible disease.

That's nasty. We have a very similar problem affecting finches in the uk,called trichomoniasis, not nice at all.

Thanks guys. The more people aware of the problem, the better the chances of doing something about it.

Poor thing.

I noticed my shot of a Swainson's Thrush one eye didn't look very good.

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Dennis, that loks like the early stages. Seems like it's spreading to other birds, or, it's something else.

I honestly don't think you can get her healthy again, but you are right, at least she won't be able to continue to spread the infection...as long as you are diligent in cleaning. This is HIGHLY contagious, but luckily not a zoonotic infection (meaning spreads between animals and humans) but it CAN occur along with a zoonotic disease/infection so you must be careful.

Here is one link talking about the different medications used to treat songbirds...
http://www.michigan.go​v …150_12220-27089--,00.html

You may be able to treat with something such as Baytril or Doxycycline 20%, (of the tetracycline family) but would have to withhold any calcium, minerals etc. including even galvanized drinkers. The medication must be kept away from sunlight as well. There are bird stores online that sell it. You can also check pigeon supply stores.

Maybe I'm getting ahead, but you have to realize that a birds diet is very complex and requires much more than just seed and water. The vitamins, minerals, and even UV lighting they need is hard to recreate in captivity. In the wild birds naturally seek out what they need to remain healthy. This bird can possibly remain a carrier of this organism even if healed. Are you planning on keeping her caged? Are there any wildlife rehab centers near that you can talk to about this disease? Also, you don't have any pet birds or poultry do you?

Normally when a bird is treated with antibiotics it will get candida as the pH in the intestinal track are thrown off and will need access to something like nystatin. They can also be treated with probiotics after the course of antibiotics to balance things out.

Stress is a number one killer of birds as this is what allows microorganisms to grow out of the bodies capability to control them and this bird is very stressed right now, by being captive in an unfamiliar environment. It is already shutting down if it let you get near enough to catch it like you said. You must give the bird heat. A regular light bulb will do, and also allow the bird to see to eat and drink which is vital to survival, or a heating pad. It must be able to get away from the heat and you will know it is too warm if it pants or holds the wings away form the body.

I'm not trying to be a downer and I know your heart is in the right place, but I hope you have a basic understanding of bird health and what you may be getting in to by taking this bird in.

Thanks for all the information Tote. My primary reason for catching the bird was to get it out of the population so it couldn't infect other birds. This disease seems to be able to spread beyond just finches since I first saw it in an old house sparrow about a month ago. I haven't seen that bird since though.

My first impulse was to shoot it with a BB gun and put it out of it's misery and to stop the spread of infection by this bird at least. But, I realize there is no way I can cure this bird, so I let it go this morning and have taken down the finch tube feeder. Let nature take it's course. It's sad, but what can anyone do for diseased wild birds? It's a lot different than helping a stunned or exhausted migrant bird by protecting them from cats till they can fly again.