Quail antibiotics needed! Help!

[KGQuail24]

Hi everybody,
I have one coturnix hen in my flock of 6 who's been acting ill. They're about 6-7 months old. Very watery diarrhea for about a week (I actually witnessed her have it), and today is acting puffed up and a little lethargic, possibly warm feet. She's continuing to eat and be active for the most part. I feed exclusively Mazuri exotic bird feed and give a tablespoon or so of dried mealworms as treats most days. Yesterday I put Manna Pro Hydra Hen probiotic/electrolyte in the water, to try and support her. Their cage is clean and they've never been ill before. I was hoping good husbandry and the "quail Gatorade" would have cleared it up by now. None other in the flock seem ill and are laying almost daily as normal.
I'm starting to suspect a bacterial infection or a parasite maybe, just because those are so common (?). And I don't think it's ulcerative colitis cause she'd be dead by now or would have spread it. I want to give bacitracin or penicillin, but I can't get it at Tractor Supply and I frankly can't afford calling a vet over. Does anybody know what I could use that's over the counter? Would Corid help?

 

[A Justice]

Chewy sells some veterinary antibiotics without a prescription, at least, until next year. Aqua-mox is amoxicillin, aqua-ceph is cephalexin. The pills in the bottle are made by a legitimate, human, pharmaceutical manufacturing company as well, not some suspicious knockoff.

 

[KGQuail24]

Chewy sells some veterinary antibiotics without a prescription, at least, until next year. Aqua-mox is amoxicillin, aqua-ceph is cephalexin. The pills in the bottle are made by a legitimate, human, pharmaceutical manufacturing company as well, not some suspicious knockoff.

Great to know -thank you!

 

[KGQuail24]

Just checked on her - she's in her coop where a sand bath is heated from below with a livestock heating pad. She's puffed up; opened eyes but didn't run from me as you'd expect. I'm on my way out to pick up an antibiotic (erythromycin packaged for fish was all I could get). In the meanwhile - could it be sour crop? Symptoms seem similar. In that case, I just added some apple cider vinegar to her water but not sure if she'll drink. How can you tell an infection from sour/impacted crop?

 

[KGQuail24]

Update: the quail passed away. I had brought her inside to care for her but my efforts were too late. I have no idea if the problem was an infection after all, or any number of other things. It was a very quick decline. But luckily, the rest of the little flock seems healthy.