Continued from page 3Pediatric Alimentary Tract "Infections"
During the hand rearing period, as is seen in many other psittacine bird species, bacterial or yeast infections or isolates are frequently encountered. When these isolates are associated with disease, appropriate antimicrobial treatment is indicated. Eclectus chicks may show vague "colic" type signs, decreased weight gains or abnormal droppings. In a setting where the hand feeding diet is established as adequate for Eclectus chicks, the frequency of alimentary tract infections tends to be lower. Irregular feeding schedules, excessively stressful feeding protocols (rough handling or tube feeding) and other management induced stress can all lead to an increased frequency of problems. In birds owned by inexperienced or uneducated breeders, the most commonly identified cause of infection is a combination of contaminated food materials and excessively stressful management.
If the soft foods that are offered to weaning age chicks is changed infrequently or allowed to spoil, it should be expected that one will see an increased amount of bacterial contaminants isolated from those chicks(12). When combined with other managerial stressors, these contaminants may easily become infectants. Some feel firmly that bacterial contaminants, for the most part, rarely cause disease alone - adhering to the concept that the pathogenesis of infectious disease requires an interactive relationship between agent, host and environment(10).
In Eclectus aviculture, there is a generally recognized demand for larger amounts of fresh food and soaked biscuits in juvenile and adult Eclectus as compared to other species(3). Thus, if food is changed infrequently and allowed to accumulate bacterial contaminants, the likelihood of increasing the exposure of the birds to these agents is significantly greater. This alone will result in an increase in amouts of "abnormal" choanal and bacterial isolates from chicks, juveniles and adults, but may not necessarily correlate with disease unless other abnormalities with the host such as stress are present(10).
Abnormal Feather Colors
Abnormal feather colors are frequently encountered in Eclectus parrots. Young birds which have had a prior history of nutritional disease, drug induced insults, infectious disease or other stressors may frequently demonstrate a large enough number of lines to make the bird appear black, darkened, or markedly abnormal in color. These stress lines are similar to those seen in many other psittacine bird species, but frequently may be much more pronounced. "Black feather syndrome" - as has been generally commented on in the lay bird ownership in amazons and is seen in chronic liver disease or obesity, is less common in the Eclectus. Variations in the plane of nutrition are commonly forwarded as one reason for some of these color bands seen in Eclectus(4).
Chronic feather pickers may frequently have scattered abnormally colored feathers regrow in some sites. Yellow colored feathers tend to be the most commonly seen. These changes tend to be persistent at least as long as the feather picking does, and may be permanent. Yellow colored individual body contour feathers have been seen in birds recently captured, and are assumed to occur in the wild as well. Any inflammatory, nutritional or metabolic factor that can potentially influence the epidermal collar of the developing feather technically can result in plumage structural and color abnormalities.
Susceptibility to Stress
Stress can play a significant role in Eclectus - particularly with neonatal and juvenile birds. This observation is similar to what is known in other avian pediatrics (11), however many of the stressors for the Eclectus parrot are somewhat different and underappreciated in general aviculture.
Stress - related leukocytosis is a frequent observation(4). It is not uncommon to see an estimated white blood cell count as 25,000 to 28,000 or even higher in birds that are stressed in the exam room. Physical demonstration of stress by the bird does not always correlate with these hematologic changes, however, and this makes the anticipation of a stress leukocytosis challenging following a stressful examination. The differential cell count usually remains normal in these birds, although some may shift either towards a relative and absolute lymphocytosis or heterophillia. No toxicity or reactivity should be noted in these cells if stress is the sole cause of the leukocytosis. Often, when these birds are examined under less stressful circumstances such as at the home or in the aviary, more normal parameters are seen - supporting our assumption of a stress-related etiology.
Gastrointestinal stasis may be easier to ellicit in Eclectus neonates as a secondary effect from stress alone. Temperature and humidity variances, combined with dietary imbalances are commonly suspected stressors that play a key role. Frequent errors that are made while rearing Eclectus chicks include: excessive light, inappropriate hand feeding techniques, temperature imbalances and inadequate brooder humidity. Frequently, when initially noted, if the management of these chicks with early GI stasis is noted, clinical signs will resolve with no medical therapy at all.
A common and quite popular approach that is applied, however, includes symptomatic treatment with antibiotics or antifungals or the use of these products based on culture and sensitivities from choana or vent swabs of these chicks.
Often, this approach includes no investigation into the management related primary etiology of the problem, and ultimately, the problem should be expected to recurr in those individual chicks or most likely on a repetetive and high incidence basis in the nursery records.
"Motion sickness" or regurgitation in the car during the trip to our office is comonly seen. Clinical signs including regurgitation should be interpreted with consideration of stress as a potential etiology in cases where there was no observation of regurgitation until the trip was made.
Toe-Tapping Syndrome
Eclectus juveniles and adults that are supplemented with broad spectrum vitamin/mineral products have been observed to manifest a rhythmic twitching of their digits. This is particularly evident when the birds are at rest on their perches, and rapidly goes away when the vitamin supplementation is discontinued.
Obesity
Obesity occurs in the Eclectus parrot as well as many other psittacine birds. In general, those birds that have even marginal amounts of subcutaneous fat present will have excessive abdominal fat pads and various degrees of hepatic lipidosis present. As a result, a clincally obese Eclectus may not be as easily recognized compared to an Amazon unless specifically considered during the physical examination. Clear, relatively transparent skin should be sought as a part of the normal physical examination of these birds.
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