The aim of this website is to generate interest in the apparent ability of animals to choose medicinal items in their environment, to consume or feed their young, in order to cure or prevent infection or to relieve internal or external pain or in any other way to restore their health. Incredibly this may in some cases extend to the ability to locate water even though there is no visible trace of it. With regard to finches, I call this study Finch Self-Medication for convenience.

I have spent seven years studying this ability with Estrildid finches of several species and have written some articles based on my observations and findings.

Scientists do not question the phenomenon of Animal Self-Medication. They have repeatedly seen birds, mammals and even insects use plants, soil, clay, insects and fungi as 'medicines'. In fact scientists have set up a science called Zoopharmacognosy based on  the apparent ability of animals to show a cognitive grasp of potential medicines in their environment.

My experience with several species of Estrildid finches over the past seven years not only backs up very well what the scientists have observed in the wild but in my experience allowing sick birds to medicate themselves, as opposed to force-feeding or feeding them antibiotics or herbal teas without any fresh drinking water being available will make them recover from an illness with far less risk of damage to their vital organs especially their liver and kidneys due to drug toxicity or if they are hypersensitive to a drug.

I welcome bird keepers and animal lovers from all over the world to send me their personal observations on this subject on any animal species. 

If you have a website that is related to finches or animal self-medication or veterinary medicine or even dowsing or animal psi, and you wish to exchange links with my website, please email me with the subject line Link Exchange Request.

More people need to be made aware of animal self-medication because it could greatly advance human medicine.

Thank you.

William Astor

 

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