Sick 4 month old male

[JMoje]

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone knows what's wrong with my quail. I bought him as a live bird 6 weeks ago and he seemed healthy enough. He's been in a cage by himself and when my hatched quail female matured, I put the two together. But with him being so aggressive, she went bald in no time and I removed her. So he's been alone in his cage for a couple weeks now. His cage is outside in a covered area.

Yesterday I noticed his feathers were tufted on the top of his head, but he seemed fine, was crowing and moving around like usual. This morning however, his head seemed more swollen all around his face, and he was sitting in his sand box, not moving around and seems to be a bit unstable on his feet. He has not crowed since last night.

I moved him into the house to keep him out of any wind and temperature variations. I have also put some apple cider vinegar and garlic in his water. He doesn't seem to be very happy being in a tote in the house and has attempted to fly out of it when the top is off.

Here's a picture of when I first got him, and another of him today with the swollen tuft.

Sick-->

Does anyone know what this is? and more importantly, is it contagious to my other quail that were near his cage?

 

[DK newbie]

It could be caused by boinking in the cage. Could also be an infection. I guess it could also be something contagious, but I'm not sure what. If caused by boinking, you should just try to keep him calm until it passes, if it's an infection the swelling should be cut open and the pus should be drained out.. But since it developed so quickly, I don't think it's pus causing the swelling. So for now, I'd just keep him alone as you are and perhaps pad the top of the cage with towels or similar so he doesn't damage himself further trying to get out.

 

[JMoje]

His head was almost back to normal this morning. And he has started crowing again, fairly regularly too. He has also been trying to fly out of the tote, so I made a hospital cage, 1 foot square, so that he can at least look out the window.

When I picked him up to move him, I realized that now his whole body is swollen. He is puffy everywhere! It's like the swelling moved from his head area down to the rest of him. The top of his head is swelling up again too, though not as big as it was.

Could he have been stung by a bee or wasp and he's had a reaction to it?

He coo-s at me when I approach him, so it makes me think he's feeling better.

So if this is a boinking injury, is it usual for them to swell like this?

 

[Ebony Rose]

He looks like a japanese coturnix quail. It's recommended that they have at least three hens per cock. I personally have eight hens per cock and fertility rate is currently about 66%. Quail are SOCIAL beings, to keep him solo isn't good for him.

 

[maadroj]

Do you have any bird antibiotics you could give him in case this is an illness? The fact that his whole body is swollen suggests it isn't a boinking injury. Very strange.

 

[JMoje]

I think I may have found it. Air Sac Rupture. Air actually leaks inside their body puffing them up like a balloon. So he could have injured this in a boinking incident.

He's eating, drinking, pooping and crowing, seems alert, but he's just puffed up. No bloody or wet stools, no nasal discharge, not sleeping all the time. So I don't think he's sick. Also the swelling seems to go down some days, then he puffs back up again.

The fix is basically to pop him. Take him to a vet, and they insert a sterile needle to release the air. Then put him on antibiotics on the incase he gets an infection. Sadly, I don't feel one male warrants an $80 vet bill. It can also reoccur. So he will be culled.

More info on the air sac rupture can be found here:
https://wagwalking.com/bird/condition/air-sac-rupture

 

[JMoje]

He looks like a japanese coturnix quail. It's recommended that they have at least three hens per cock. I personally have eight hens per cock and fertility rate is currently about 66%. Quail are SOCIAL beings, to keep him solo isn't good for him.

Yes, he's a silver coturnix. I will try more females with males now that I have enough to do that. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I've read that a punctured or torn air sac can heal itself, but wonder also if you couldn't do that needle procedure at home... surely it wouldn't hurt him as much as 'off with your head', and you could always resort to that measure if his situation becomes troubling for him. It's not a genetic disorder, so allowing him to breed shouldn't be an issue.

 

[mixedUPturk]

I've read that a punctured or torn air sac can heal itself, but wonder also if you couldn't do that needle procedure at home... surely it wouldn't hurt him as much as 'off with your head', and you could always resort to that measure if his situation becomes troubling for him. It's not a genetic disorder, so allowing him to breed shouldn't be an issue.

I agree!

OP i understand not wanting to put out that kinda cash for a vet but at least you could try it first. They sell the supplies u would need at the TSCs.

 

[JMoje]

I will give it a try if it doesn't heal itself. I read the following on a site that has a short video on how to do the procedure:

"A small swelling can be left alone and will eventually repair itself ( a course of antibiotics such as Baytril or Synulox is recommended particularly if a cat or hawk attack is the suspected cause), but larger swellings will prevent a bird from eating and can press against the organs, so are better relieved if possible"

As I said before, he is eating fine. He isn't puffed out to the point where his skin is showing through his feathers or is so thin it is "translucent" -- some days the puffiness is much better, almost to the point of normal, by evening he usually is puffed up again. So I will wait and see.

That other website is here: https://pigeonrescue.co.uk/rupturedairsac.htm

Thanks for the feedback!