sick zebra finch

Question
Hi, I have a zebra finch that is about 6 yrs old or more. She has always laid an abundance of eggs. She does not have a male in with her, but she has a buddy(yellow collar macaw) next to her. This past week she laid 4 eggs in a couple of days. She seemed fine until the next day. That is when I found her on the bottom, panting, wings spread wide. I covered her and put a heating pad under her cage and also oiled her in case she was egg bound. It appears that her legs are not working. I put paper towels on the bottom of her cage so she is more comfortable. She will eat some seeds that I put next to her, but will not drink the water that I placed in a bottle cap. I gave her some from a syringe. She has been like this for 24 hrs now. I have a feeling she will not make it. Do you have any ideas on what could be wrong and what else I could do for her?  Thanks

Answer
It could just be old age. I'm surprised your bird is still laying eggs despite being a senior. Finches only have a life expectancy of 6 yrs (I had a pair still alive going on eight right away). I would suggest feeding her water from the syringe a few times a day to make sure she doesn't die of dehydration. If you're worried about her legs, you can try massaging them with your fingers and some non scented hand lotion (I use glaxal base myself). I do this with finches when they're recovering from leg injuries. It helps stimulate blood flow and the birds really like it when you're gentle. This may work but don't be upset if it doesn't. She is an old bird and sometimes when old birds get sick all you can do is make sure they're comfortable until they pass on.