Any tips on preventing broken legs?

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:50 pm

Hi everybody. I've been reading a lot of threads on the diet and nutrition forum and frankly I'm overwhelmed.
My zebras are very active and I always have this concern about them hurting their puny little legs. Especially one of them who has a deformed foot. The front part of her foot never grew and she has no front claws. That leg is also much thinner.
I give them chopped hard boiled eggs and the powder from the cuttlebone that my budgies scrape off. How often should they get the egg?
Is there anything else I can do; or is this just going to be a constant concern.
Thanks,
Arlene

Post by **Sally** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:57 pm

I have several birds with leg or foot deformities. I don't think there is anything you can feed them to correct these, it is permanent. I believe mine are the result of accidents rather than poor nutrition. As far as feeding eggfood, it depends on what you want to achieve. I feed eggfood daily to breeding or molting birds, also weanlings. Daily eggfood can stimulate the birds to breed, so if you don't want eggs, don't overdo the eggfood.

If you have a grate in the bottom of the cage, that can sometimes cause broken toes or legs. I prefer cages that don't have the bottom grate, as most of my waxbills spend a lot of time on the bottom.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:22 pm

Sally wrote:I have several birds with leg or foot deformities. I don't think there is anything you can feed them to correct these, it is permanent. I believe mine are the result of accidents rather than poor nutrition. As far as feeding eggfood, it depends on what you want to achieve. I feed eggfood daily to breeding or molting birds, also weanlings. Daily eggfood can stimulate the birds to breed, so if you don't want eggs, don't overdo the eggfood.

If you have a grate in the bottom of the cage, that can sometimes cause broken toes or legs. I prefer cages that don't have the bottom grate, as most of my waxbills spend a lot of time on the bottom.

Thanks Sally. I wasn't attempting to correct the deformity. Just a bit overly concerned because her leg is much thinner.
By eggfood, do you just mean eggs?

They're the girls from the original pair of zebras I have. They had six girls.
So there's no breeding involved thank goodness.

I actually removed the grate when I got the cage. I never did like them.
They do spend a lot of time at the bottom. Almost like a playground.

I was just wondering if there was anything I'm not giving them that I should be to keep their little legs strong.
Thanks for the info.

Post by **Sally** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:41 pm

By eggfood, it can be either commercial dry eggfood or homemade fresh eggfood. It provides a lot of protein, which they need when breeding or molting, or when babies are growing up. I think as long as you have a source of calcium, like cuttlebone or oystershell grit, they will be fine. A vitamin supplement that has D3 in it can help the birds utilize the calcium.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 11:19 am

Sally wrote:By eggfood, it can be either commercial dry eggfood or homemade fresh eggfood. It provides a lot of protein, which they need when breeding or molting, or when babies are growing up. I think as long as you have a source of calcium, like cuttlebone or oystershell grit, they will be fine. A vitamin supplement that has D3 in it can help the birds utilize the calcium.

Thanks for the info Sally. I want to do everything right for these little guys. They seem so fragile. And thanks for explaining what eggfood is. I'll check it out.