What to do about an injured leg?

[Brette]

Hi all,

One of my tiny orange breasted waxbills seems to have an injured leg and is spending a lot of time on the bottom of the cage. I wonder if she got it stuck in a nest or something. She can perch but seems to be more comfortable on the ground. This is creating a problem as i have to make sure there is plently of food and cleanwater on the ground at all times.

Has anyone had a finch bounce back from an injured leg? Anyone have suggestions?

[L in Ontario]

First thing I would do is catch the bird and using a magnifying glass - examine the leg/foot for microscopic fibres that may have gotten tangled around the foot or leg. These fibres can be too small to see without a magnifying glass. If there is one - remove it carefully without cutting into the skin.

If there is no fibre - place the bird in a small hospital cage with a heatlamp available. Arrange food and water on the floor so it doesn't have to fly up to it. Add a pinch of NV Powder or Vitalize or Guardian Angel to the drinking water.

Good luck.

[purplejasminevn]

Hi all,

One of my tiny orange breasted waxbills seems to have an injured leg and is spending a lot of time on the bottom of the cage. I wonder if she got it stuck in a nest or something. She can perch but seems to be more comfortable on the ground. This is creating a problem as i have to make sure there is plently of food and cleanwater on the ground at all times.

Has anyone had a finch bounce back from an injured leg? Anyone have suggestions?

Yes I did. One of my female orange breasted leg got caught into something - she eventually lost the lower part of that leg - But now she is doing great even though she has the upper thigh left- She is active pretty little bird. Hanging in there

[Sally]

Good advice from Liz, and birds can recover quite well from injuries to the legs/feet. Even if they wind up handicapped, they learn to cope with it.

[L in Ontario]

Yes I did. One of my female orange breasted leg got caught into something - she eventually lost the lower part of that leg - But now she is doing great even though she has the upper thigh left- She is active pretty little bird. Hanging in there

I have a Scoeity bird exactly as you describe above. He broke his leg and lost the lower portion. But he is doing great now and I've set him up to foster.

[purplejasminevn]

But he is doing great now and I've set him up to foster.

Very interesting - I am learning something new as well - Now you are the second person beside Candace said that " set him up to foster".
I am working on foster for my Peales and thought only female can do foster

[L in Ontario]

Very interesting - I am learning something new as well - Now you are the second person beside Candace said that " set him up to foster". I am working on foster for my Peales and thought only female can do foster

I have a trio - 2 males and 1 female Soc set up to foster. Any combination is fine but having 1 female seems to get them sitting tight faster.

Good luck.

[kathmcm]

You might consider one of the water bottles that attaches to the outside of the cage and has a tube with a ball valve that goes inside. It will ensure that she has clean water down there while she recovers. I'm really sold on this kind of water source. Mine is a glass LIXIT bottle but there are others on the market. Some are made for other pets so if you are interested look for the ones with the small diameter stainless steel tube. I've never had any clogging issues and my birds figured out how to use it straight away.

[cindy]

I agree with Liz and Sally, hopefully if it is a soft tissue injury the bird will recover within a few days. I would use jar lids or low sided dishes for food and water until he recovers.

[Brette]

She's been like this since Friday.

I'm going to put her back in the hospital cage with heat I had her in and make sure she has easy access to water and food.

Thanks everyone.

[cindy]

Hope she recovers quickly for you. Keep us posted!

[Brette]

Just an update, my little orange breasted waxbill is still in some pain i think. She can get around the aviary but I often find her on the bottom of the cage, resting. I think grasping a perch is painful for her. She holds her left leg out to the side a bit, in a sort of awkward way. It's been a week since i first noticed this problem and I'm hoping as time goes by whatever the problem is with her leg will resolve.

I feel awful for her when she's on the botom of the cage. I often see the male down there with her, cuddled up with her. At night I pick her up and put her in one of the nests.

[Brette]

Just another update, it took a few weeks but m finch is functioning muh better! She can perch for a long while and her leg does not seem to be bothering her much anymore. I'm happy that she is able to get around the cage again.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm happy her leg was not broken but probbaly a soft tissue injury as someone mentioned.

[Lisa]

That's great news!! Very happy for you