Hi Dr. Rob! I rescued a Gould from a pet store that obviously had no idea how to care for it (sucker for a pretty face here). The bird had lost all of it's head feathers and his coloration was so bad that I couldn't tell if it was male or female (all feathers were very pale)! He had a nasty case of scaly face/leg and airsac mites. I brought him home (have since figured out he is male!), set up quarantine (5 months worth of solitary confinement!) and have nursed him back to general health. He tests out clean on gram stains and for other internal/external parasites. The last issue before I introduce him to my flock is one my Vet couldn't answer - perhaps you can help? This little bird has a blocked nose hole on one side. It almost looks as if there was some damage from the mites that won't grow out. Is there a way to unclog this that you are aware of short of surgery? He is obviously having difficulty breathing normally. I don't intend to breed him at this time, but if I can "fix" his nose, he could make a lovely addition to my breeding stock. Any ideas?
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Dr. Rob is a world renowned avian veterinarian in Sydney, Australia. He was the veterinary consultant for the Northern Territory Nature and Conservation Commission for a scientific study of the disease status in the wild population of the endangered Gouldian Finches as it related to a "Recovery Plan".
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