Please Select a Size: 3oz / 85g = $12.50

A wet vent can mean several things and the exact cause isn't always easy to pin down. What a wet vent tells you is that your finch is passing more liquids than it should. It's the equivalent of a human with diarrhea. Unlike humans however, finches lose water very quickly and their systems can't handle it. Dehydration can lead to death very quickly.

One of the most common reasons for a wet vent is diet related. If you feed your finches a lot of fruits and vegetables they will develop runny droppings. This isn't actually a problem. They are taking in the extra water and that's what is causing the wetness. Simply cut back on the fruits and veggies for awhile and your finch should improve.

Now let's say the problem isn't dietary. It's an illness, probably a bacterial or gastrointestinal illness. You will know this because the finch will have a wet vent, is eating a mostly solid diet, and exhibits all the classic sick bird signs. There are a few treatments you should try. The first being a broad spectrum antibiotic. Medications such as Amoxitex will knock out nearly any little infection your finch may have developed. Now to bring your finch back to optimum health you really need to follow up the Amoxitex treatment with a Probotic treatment. The Probotics are very important because they help re-establish the normal gut flora. These natural flora are what help the finch process its food and fight off infections.

What if the finch has a wet vent but doesn't seem to be sick, nor is the problem dietary? Well this is when I will admit that I have no clue. It could be a very mild infection but unless the infection gets worse you won't know for sure. We really don't want to wait for are finches to become terribly sick just to find out what the exact illness is. That just wouldn't be fair to the finch. In these cases I recommend a more subtle approach. First is Thrive, which is a natural immune system booster. This won't have any bad effects on your finch. The next option is Vitalize. Vitalize will help restore the finch's electrolytes. It's used to treat diarrhea and stress.

Article © Myra Markley 2003

Top of Page

Your Name: Your E-Mail:	Friends Name: Friends E-Mail: