Quail suddenly has loss of legs

[Hydrona]

Hi, I have a quail that's around 8 month old, she is one of 3 females. Basic brown quail. alert, awake, responsive, yet she has lost her leg control. they just drag behind her. I have separated her, and started massaging her back and legs, seems to calm her. Can anyone explain what may be the problem? None of my other birds show any of these signs. some are older, others younger.
she is with me now wrapped in my T-shirt. Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Is she laying most everyday? large eggs?

 

[Hydrona]

3 quail hens in the same cage with 3 males, two hens lay large eggs for quail, if she is one of them I don't know.
I watch them as much as possible, but it seems they only lay when I'm not watching
I had them separated once, and the hens seemed to be more stressed, and the egg production stopped, so I returned them.
Her cloaca seems inflamed, the others don't exhibit the redness or inflammation, so it would be my guess its all relative
She is currently separated, with access to food and water.

 

[TwoCrows]

She could have boinked her head on the ceiling. Loss of leg response can happen when they injure their neck, spinal column or have brain swelling. All of these can come from flushing up into the ceiling.

I would keep her separate for a few days. You may need to hand feed her and dip her beak in the water every hour to keep her going until she can do it herself.

 

[Hydrona]

Thank you for your reply, I don't see how she would have injured herself, because she is in a rather tall cage, 7 ft, and she isn't use to flight. Even if she gets out when I'm cleaning the cage, she just walks around till I pick her up and return her.

 

[TwoCrows]

Could she be eggbound? You might do an internal exam with your pinky finger and see if you feel an egg. Eggbinding can put pressure on the leg nerves.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Could she be eggbound? You might do an internal exam with your pinky finger and see if you feel an egg. Eggbinding can put pressure on the leg nerves.

X2, The large egg/egg bound is where I was headed too.... if she skipped a day or two the next egg has a tendency to be huge doubles that can easily plug the works up!

 

[sniper338]

If all else fails, cull her and hatch more... They grow up quick, easy to replace. Its not worth the hassle many times.

 

[Hydrona]

Vet said she has an infection of her cloaca, she gave her a shot of Benami antibiotic, and quadritop cream to be placed just inside of the infected area.
She will get a second shot on Friday, and I have to work her legs and keep them under her till she begins to use them on her own.
Thank you to everyone that responded, your guidance is appreciated.

 

[TwoCrows]

I hope she makes a full recovery! Keep us posted!!