Is my button quail sick? (please help)

Great, thank you! I've found some Guardian Angel which should be arriving tomorrow, so I'll start them on that and drop it after a week if it doesn't help.

Weirdly enough he seems to prefer drinking the water with nutri drops in, but I've removed the plain one anyway. I'll replace the nutri-water with plain + apple cider vinegar tomorrow when they're taking GA on their food.

I've spent all afternoon calling round vets, there are only two avian/exotic options; one isn't taking new registrations because of the lockdown, and the other won't see us without a referral. Tomorrow I'll try to find a general vet who will see birds and maybe refer, which will be tricky.
 
Great, thank you! I've found some Guardian Angel which should be arriving tomorrow, so I'll start them on that and drop it after a week if it doesn't help.

Weirdly enough he seems to prefer drinking the water with nutri drops in, but I've removed the plain one anyway. I'll replace the nutri-water with plain + apple cider vinegar tomorrow when they're taking GA on their food.

I've spent all afternoon calling round vets, there are only two avian/exotic options; one isn't taking new registrations because of the lockdown, and the other won't see us without a referral. Tomorrow I'll try to find a general vet who will see birds and maybe refer, which will be tricky.
Excellent!! That's great that he will accept the vitamins, only one of mine will go near their water when I add a certain calcium drop in it. The others will take one sip, and then run backwards, shaking their heads like they are being attacked. Quail can be so dramatic.
Vets are so hard to find for birds. It's so frustrating. The only one I have any access to is really not great at her job, and diagnoses illnesses by a quick glance, poorly. I got fed up with her and just treat the birds myself now. As soon as I can afford, I'll be buying my own microscope, too.
 
That’s such a good idea, to be able to properly diagnose them yourself. I wish I knew what was going on with mine, because after asking, no vets near me will see birds at all. I suppose the best I can do now is offer supportive care and hope he gets over it himself :fl

It’s not something that could be a sign of mites, is it? Can indoor quail even get mites/lice? I’ve avoided stressing him out by not handling him, but if it’s important to check, I can try to do so.
 
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Over the weekend i started putting Guardian Angel in the water, and he seems to have been doing the closed-eye thing much less. Fairly active, eating and drinking a good amount. However, this morning I spotted a wet greenish poop (not sure which of the two birds did it, but Humbug decided to eat it right after I took the picture):

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@GreedySeedFeedy Have you ever noticed GA changing their poop? They haven't had any vegetables lately, so I'm back to worrying a lot again :(

I’m noticing he has lighter colouring appearing between his feathers, but wondering if it’s a new fluffy layer coming in or something. He’s also chasing his mate away by pecking her back every so often, although they still sit together, sleep together and preen each other.
 
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I don't know what's going on with this guy, he's been chasing his mate around and pecking her back, it looks like he's chasing her away from the food. I scattered some more through their bedding to keep them busy, but he still chases her from time to time. Is he just grouchy because he's ill? Am I going to have to separate them? :( They were still sleeping pressed together last night… I'm worried they won't be friendly when re-introduced if I part them, but I don't want her to get hurt…

Edit: Now they're sitting together being cute and preening each other's heads. These birds are confusing.
 
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Thanks for checking! Not to jinx it, but he seems to be on the mend. I only saw him puff up and close his eyes once yesterday, which is much better than before. He’s also started mating again which has to be a good sign…

Now what’s weighing on my mind is wondering if the ragged feathers could be caused by mites, but I don’t know if that’s even possible given that they live inside and have their bedding changed and viv cleaned once a week.
 
So after a week of Guardian Angel and supplementary heat, he seems to be back to his old self. Much more energetic, enthusiastic about food, mating and crowing again.

My theory now is that his poor feather condition was caused by being a picky eater, (perhaps only eating the seeds out of their old food and leaving the crumble), which led to him chilling and getting ill. I'm now clearing up any poop each day and leaving what food they scatter in there until it's eaten, rather than topping up or replacing as it gets low.

Thank you SO much for your help and reassurance @GreedySeedFeedy and @Quailobsessed!

Now I just have to figure out why my hen in a different cage has diarrhoea. Maybe the change in feed (although it's been gradual)? Hopefully a week or two of probiotics will help her out! It's always something with these guys! :confused:
 
So after a week of Guardian Angel and supplementary heat, he seems to be back to his old self. Much more energetic, enthusiastic about food, mating and crowing again.

My theory now is that his poor feather condition was caused by being a picky eater, (perhaps only eating the seeds out of their old food and leaving the crumble), which led to him chilling and getting ill. I'm now clearing up any poop each day and leaving what food they scatter in there until it's eaten, rather than topping up or replacing as it gets low.

Thank you SO much for your help and reassurance @GreedySeedFeedy and @Quailobsessed!

Now I just have to figure out why my hen in a different cage has diarrhoea. Maybe the change in feed (although it's been gradual)? Hopefully a week or two of probiotics will help her out! It's always something with these guys! :confused:

I hope your hen gets better too :fl
 

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