Female Coturnix Quail sluggish and secreting liquid

[Rebacopter32]

Hello,
I'm a little bit worried about my female Coturnix quail. She normal runs away from me with the exception of when I feed her, but lately she wont move at all even if I pick her up. Her beak is glossy as if it's wet, and every time she rubs her face on a piece of cloth it leaves a wet blotch. I have no idea what it could possibly be... Could she have some form of mucus, or be throwing up water for some reason? I'm new to these quail, so it could be nothing, but I'm still worried.
If this helps, I got her and a male as a gift a month ago, and she just started laying eggs last week. I believe she's about a year or so old. I feed her gamebird food mixed with Oyster shell and a little bit of crumble for her egg laying. I let her out to roam every day for a couple hours.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Nichrome]

What worries me is the not running away from you. Could it be an infection? Expert help needed here!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello,
I'm a little bit worried about my female Coturnix quail. She normal runs away from me with the exception of when I feed her, but lately she wont move at all even if I pick her up. Her beak is glossy as if it's wet, and every time she rubs her face on a piece of cloth it leaves a wet blotch. I have no idea what it could possibly be... Could she have some form of mucus, or be throwing up water for some reason? I'm new to these quail, so it could be nothing, but I'm still worried.
If this helps, I got her and a male as a gift a month ago, and she just started laying eggs last week. I believe she's about a year or so old. I feed her gamebird food mixed with Oyster shell and a little bit of crumble for her egg laying. I let her out to roam every day for a couple hours.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

You need to be more specific here....is the beak wet because her nostrils are draining? Sometimes birds will drink too much water and it does drain out the nostrils. Is she actually sick?...fluffed up, sitting in the corner, watery eyes, eyes closed, gasping for air, runny diarrhea, etc...Any other symptoms that you see?

 

[Rebacopter32]

Last night she wouldn't move AT ALL except when the male tried to mount her, in which she would try with little results to get away. Her feathers were puffed up and her soils were almost all clear liquid with a few green specs, rather than hard soils. This morning she seems to be a lot better than she was last night, but her beak is still wet and still dripping something clear. She's moving now (eating, drinking, walking about) but not as energetic as she normally is.She seems to be hiding from the male. I don't notice anything other than that... she seems to be able to function... should I separate her from the male? I would have done it before but I wasn't sure, and the male seems to go ballistic if I take her away.

 

[TwoCrows]

Last night she wouldn't move AT ALL except when the male tried to mount her, in which she would try with little results to get away. Her feathers were puffed up and her soils were almost all clear liquid with a few green specs, rather than hard soils. This morning she seems to be a lot better than she was last night, but her beak is still wet and still dripping something clear. She's moving now (eating, drinking, walking about) but not as energetic as she normally is.She seems to be hiding from the male. I don't notice anything other than that... she seems to be able to function... should I separate her from the male? I would have done it before but I wasn't sure, and the male seems to go ballistic if I take her away.

Yes, I would separate her from the male until she gets better. Let the male panic for awhile.

Since you just got these birds, you need to give them an exam. Look them both over for mites or any bugs. You won't necessarily see any on them, but like fleas, you can see their tell tale sign. Northern Mites love to lay eggs around the vent and the back of the neck. Another sign of bugs is red irritated skin. If you think they have bugs, dust them with DE or Sevin powder. Daily with the DE, 2 times a week with the Sevin.

Do you know if they have been wormed at all? Some people keep quail in not so clean facilities and even though they are young, doesn't mean they might not have worms. Feel the breast bone area. There should be some meat around the bone and the beast bone should not be sticking out like a keel on a boat. If you suspect worms, you need to worm them.

Feel the female from her abdomen to her vent. (on the outside) The abdomen should be soft, not hard. Feel around all the way to the vent if possibly an egg is stuck. If you do feel something like an egg in the duct, you can soak her lower half in warm water in your bathroom sink for 10 or 15 mins. (you will have to hold her in)

Check the eyes, listen to the breathing. You are looking for respiratory ailments.

Check the scales on the feet and legs to make sure they are all laying down. Raised scales can mean they have leg scaley mites. Too much of this and it can kill them. You would need to apply vaseline daily for a few weeks.

Listen to the breathing. Look for watery eyes, rattles when she breathes or coughing. If these are present, then she will need antibacterial drugs for a respiratory ailment.

Just look for anything suspicious. I think I covered everything. Take each one of these things into consideration when looking at her.

The fact that her poop is nearly clear means she is not eating. Try to get her to eat. Anything. When birds don't feel good, dry gamebird food is the last thing they want to eat. So feed her some hardboiled eggs, quartered fruit, mealworms, cut up veggies, even soda crackers will work. If she appears to be cold, (sometimes fluffed up in the corner, eyes closed is an indication,) keep her warm. Sick birds need 80+ heat to keep them from going into shock.

 

[TwoCrows]

Also...Coturnix are kept one male to 4 to 7 females. Any less and the male can mate the female or females to death. So you might want to make other arrangements, or keep these two separate for good.

 

[Rebacopter32]

Thank you SO much for this information. I've separated her from the male and am going to the store to get some eggs to boil. She doesn't seem to want to eat anything but oyster shell for now.. I'll make sure to get her some nutrition.
I will be sure to purchase some more females for him soon. Poor guy.
I'll post again after I examine her. Seriously, thank you so much. This helps a lot.

 

[Rebacopter32]

She's looking a lot better now She ate some boiled eggs and water-softened crumble. She started eating regular food again today, and her soils are back to normal. I examined them both and they don't have any problems other than a few missing toenails. I think we're good!

 

[TwoCrows]

Sometimes birds can just get to feeling badly. And simple things can make them look really ill. Even keeping one female with a sex crazed male, can tear down a female. LOL This could have been it, or she just had some sort of spell. Keep an eye on her. I wouldn't put her back in with the male unless you add more females.

Good luck!