New flock of bald Zebs, missing toes, over grown beaks

[Dayna]

oh my gosh what a horrible way for those finches to live. Good on you for taking in those poor birds. They will be forever grateful to you for what you have done for them.

[Sally]

Wow, I've never seen a beak as overgrown as that! I have trimmed a few overgrown beaks myself, but I wouldn't want to tackle that one. You said you took the birds to a vet, I'm surprised she didn't take care of that at the time. I'd check with the vet, it shouldn't cost too much to have the beak trimmed.

[ac12]

I don't know how that bird was able to eat w a beak that long.
Well I guess to survive, it had to figure out how to eat, despite its overgrown beak.

[lovemyfinch]

Ok I am far from being the type of person that would holler animal cruelty without knowing the whole story....but

[skythrutrees]

That beak is trimmed now... The photo was taken before the vet trimmed it. I didn't dare . Although I think his name will be Pinoccio.

[L in Ontario]

That beak is trimmed now... The photo was taken before the vet trimmed it. I didn't dare . Although I think his name will be Pinoccio.

Perfect name!

What did the vet use to trim that beak?

[skythrutrees]

She used nail clippers and a tool used to cut beaks and nails. She had the grinder but didn't need it.

She says Pinocchio will probably always need to have beak trims. He's now a scissor beak and the beak will probably never set properly anymore.

[DanteD716]

That beak is horrible, some eggfood, good diet, fresh veggies, feather fast, and cuttlebone will get them in shape!

Good thing you got them

also, that heatlamp will do them some good, try larger perches for birds with less toes, and add something soft (plush papertowels, fabric, etc.) on the bottom for those birds also.

[limeslide]

Thank you so much for giving these finches the life they deserve! Poor fellas.
When I bought my zebra finches, Kiwi had a severely plucked nape, the breeder said it was because she was "moulting" but it was really just because of nipping. In a few weeks with constant protein (egg-food, cuttlebone, greens, etc.) she regrew the feathers in a couple of weeks! She's also been in another incident where an unknown bird (I suspect it might have been some sparrows or the neighborhood mockingbird, no tail feathers where found anywhere near the enclosure or in it) ripped out all her tail feathers! I started giving her more protein again and now her tail feathers are all grown back. Good luck with your finches! Poor fellas, they are living the life now!

Photo of her butt after the incident! Next to her is her mate, Mango.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49809565@N02/7004778229/

That beak looks horrible! What does scissor-beak mean, why won't his beak ever return to normal? Poor guy.

[Lisa]

Oh my gosh! Poor thing... he looks like a woodpecker. How on earth he was still able to eat is beyond me. So glad you took them in and are helping them

[Cath1068]

Oh wow that beak ! Never seen one so overgrown. Glad you took them in and they are getting the good life now.

[skythrutrees]

Thank you so much for giving these finches the life they deserve! Poor fellas.
When I bought my zebra finches, Kiwi had a severely plucked nape, the breeder said it was because she was "moulting" but it was really just because of nipping. In a few weeks with constant protein (egg-food, cuttlebone, greens, etc.) she regrew the feathers in a couple of weeks! She's also been in another incident where an unknown bird (I suspect it might have been some sparrows or the neighborhood mockingbird, no tail feathers where found anywhere near the enclosure or in it) ripped out all her tail feathers! I started giving her more protein again and now her tail feathers are all grown back. Good luck with your finches! Poor fellas, they are living the life now!

Photo of her butt after the incident! Next to her is her mate, Mango.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49809565@N02/7004778229/

That beak looks horrible! What does scissor-beak mean, why won't his beak ever return to normal? Poor guy.

Oh my! That butt was missing a few feathers!

The zebs are eating their eggs like crazy, so I am hopeful they will get their feathers back quickly!


I found this link talking about scissor beak. I think the vet was trying to tell me that because the beak was so misshapen, it's possible they may not get it to sit perfectly anymore, which may mean that it will continue to overgrow.

http://www.avianweb.com/scissorsbeak.html

[moonrise]

HOLY MOLY!!!! That almost makes me cry. Glad the vet was able to fix him up so that he's pretty much as good as new. I bet he feels 10 pounds lighter!

[Bluebonnet]

I'm so glad you were able to rescue those poor birds.

So I have a couple questions. I know when I rescued my canary, Tika, it took a year to get her feathers back. Do you think that is what I am looking at now?

Some zebras I got a while ago from a guy off cragslist were in an overcrowded cage in less than ideal living conditions, including some major plucking problems. The bald spots grew out pretty quickly. Here are a couple links showing before and after pictures of two of the zebras.
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18728
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18910

I've got them on the appropriate seed mix, have included fresh veggies, millett and pellets, which they SEEM to be eating. I'v added crushed oyster shell in the cage. Is there anything else I should be giving them to get them back to health?

I gave the zebras chopped boiled egg 2-3 times a day, fortified finche seed, millet spray, dried greens, cuttlebone, and Kaytee Hi-Cal Grit. They ignored any fresh veggies I gave them. It surprised me how much they went for the cuttlebone, dried greens, and grit - like they couldn't get enough of it the first 2-3 weeks.

Is there anything else I can do for them? I really want to try to get these birds to health. I feel so bad for them.

Keep on doing what your doing.

[skythrutrees]

Linda,

Thank for the reply! It's good to know that you were able to help your little zeb! Yeah!



But reading the threads made me nervous. Feather plucking can kill finches? I"ve never had it in my flock before, so this is news to me.

Also, the only experience I've had with zebs have been when I've cared for them in someone else's aviary, and the zebs there were not aggressive. They lived peacefully with other finches and doves.

From one of the threads, it appears zebs can be aggressive. I have 8 societies right now, and they get free flight daily in my living room. I'd like to bring the zebs into the living room, but am now worried about conflicts. My societies are so mellow, I can't see them being a problem, but the zebs? With their history?

The zebs are currently in quarantine in my room. I think I will give them a couple of months there, then move them to the living room. I will NOT let them out of the cage right away, but maybe keep them inside for another month or two. I'm hoping if I give them a time to adapt to the other birds (I also have budgies) they will not feel so threatened by them.

I think I will then start letting them out, but NOT when the other birds are out. I want them to learn to fly and get around without worrying about the other birds. Once they can fly and navigate well, I will see about letting them out with the other birds.

If it doesn't work out, they can just live in my bedroom. I love their squeak beeps!


And the cage I ordered for them:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=23417