Whether you’re new to raising quail, or whether you’re used to raising these birds, your quail may express some strange behavior that you aren’t yet used to, like acting drunk.
This article looks into why your quail is acting drunk.
Table of Contents
Quail acting drunk:
Quails may be small little birds but the birds are quite hardy and thus don’t get sick easily, and if the birds do start to get sick you’ll notice signs that the bird is getting sick, like the quail acting drunk.
Here is why your little bird may be doing this:
Inner ear infection:
The nerves that control balance are found deep in your bird’s skull, in the inner ear.
If the nerves of the inner ear become infected then your bird will start to lose balance and start to walk around as though it is drunk.
An inner ear infection may make the bird feel dizzy, once dizzy the bird will lose balance, tip over, and may tilt its head to the side.
The inner ear may be infected by a viral or bacterial infection. Thankfully these types of infections can be treated easily especially if the infection is not causing a medical emergency.
What to do:
Taking your bird to the vet would be the best solution for this condition.
Once it is established that the bird has an inner ear infection the vet will prescribe anti-inflammatory medications as well as antimicrobials for the bird.
You can expect this medication to get rid of your bird’s ear infection in about 2 – 4 weeks.
Keep the bird in a quiet isolated location while it is recovering and make sure that the bird has its own food and fresh water while it is recovering.
If the bird is still eating and drinking as normal then you don’t have to worry too much, but you still have to take the bird to the vet.
If the bird is not eating or drinking properly then your bird may be having a medical emergency and your bird definitely needs to be taken to the vet.
Minor injury:
Injuries can also make your bird start to act very strangely, they can make your bird act drunk.
Your bird may suffer injuries anywhere on its body but acting drunk usually comes after the bird sustains a head or a leg injury.
A bird who is injured at its head or its leg may stumble sideways, fall over, get up and brace itself against a wall, or just lay down as though it has passed out.
The bird in this case may still run off if you try to touch it but will continue with the stumbling and falling over.
What to do:
The fact that the bird can still get up and run away if you try to touch it is a good thing this means that the bird is not too far gone.
That being said, these birds have a good way of hiding their pain and pretending like they are not sick, so, if you notice that the bird is acting drunk then it is recommended that you take the bird to the vet.
Taking your bird to an avian vet would be best but any vet will do. The vet will examine the bird, and may also perform X-rays on the bird to see what is going on.
After this, the vet will treat your bird accordingly
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Baby Quail Laying On Back, Quail Acting Strange, Do Quail Spit?, Why Is My Quail Shaking, Turkey Chick Vs Chicken Chick, Baby Quail Can’t Walk, Baby Chick Won’t Put Weight On Leg, Quail Vs Chicken Raising, Newly Hatched Chick Not Moving