Sick House Finch (1 Viewer)

Hi,

For the past few days I have noticed a lone female House Finch with crusted-over eyes at my feeder. I soon came to realize it has House Finch Disease and is fatal. I've read that the feeder should be cleaned or taken down altogether if I see others with the disease. Is there anything on the market like a medicated bird food to help the Finch recover that I can buy? Is there any options besides letting nature take it's course that I can do to help the bird?

Thanks

Hi, with a bit of luck someone from the states will see this thread soon and will be be able to give some real advice.
But for now I would say try contacting a local shelter to ask for more info.

I've found 2 lists of them, hope 1 is relevant:

http://www.metropets.org/YellowPages/Orgs/wildlife.php
and
VIRGINIA STATE SHELTERS by CITY:
http://www.netpets.org/birds/birdresc/virginia.htm
Good luck!

Thanks, I'll try that.

First off - a warm welcome to the Bird Forum.

What you are seeing in your finch is the Finch Eye Disease. From all indications of what I am seeing this year, it is worse than ever. Over crowding can spread this disease quickly. If you are seeing more than one bird infected, it might be a good idea to remove any feeders that are not open. Tube feeders tend to spread this quicker as there is a smaller opening for the birds to get to the seeds and this spreads the disease quickly. Scrupulously clean feeders will also help in keeping this problem down but it is hard if you are keeping yours clean and your neighbor is not. I have resorted to removing all feeders for a couple of weeks to disburse the population and cut down on the problem. It's hard to do but sometimes necessary.