rescued 2 canaries...please help

skythrutrees · Post by **skythrutrees** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 3:42 pm

I just brought home 2 canaries I "adopted" from a pet store. The owner left them at the store, and the store put them up for adoption, but they were sitting in a tiny cage with plastic perch, and..as far as I could tell..very little care. They have not been to a vet.

One is practiacally bald, and I can also see loose feathers on the body. The other has incrediably scaley feet.

Their eyes are clear and bright, and they seem to be eating. I have no other information on them.

What, besides, feather plucking, can be causing the baldness? And are incrediably scaley feet on a canary ordinary?

I have these two quarantined from my other birds, but I've never had a canary, so am unsure what to look for.

Thanks!!!

Rue · Post by **Rue** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:14 pm

The scaly feet are most likely mites...

The feather loss might be due to mites too...both birds will need to be treated...but it's not hard to do...

Feather loss may also be due to over-preening...

Make sure you feed your guys Canary Seed over Finch Seed...I 'adopted' my canary just a few weeks ago and he almost died due to what looks like a severe bought of gout...but he's been fine since I've had him on Canary seed and fresh veggies and fruits...

Anneka · Post by **Anneka** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:27 pm

First of all, bless your heart for adopting those two canaries.
I cannot undestand why people let such things happen, that is they buy birds and then do not take care of them the way they should. Very sad.

I wish I could help more but here is an interesting article about scaly feet in canaries.

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:wJ ... cd=1&gl=us

I am sure there is a lot of info about this problem in canaries.
Try typing scaly feet canary in Google.

Good luck and let us know how they are doing.

skythrutrees · Post by **skythrutrees** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:06 pm

Thank you both for the info!!!!

and thanks for the link...I saw the picture of infected feet and that is what the canaries feet look like..only not so bad. So I'm pretty sure I have mites to deal with.

I will stop by a pet store (not the one where I got the canaries!!!) and see if they have something I can use.

I have 2 finch, 2 button quail, 2 budgies, 2 cats and now 2 canaries. I feel like Noah's ark!!!

But I think I will name the canaries Tiko and Leeloo. Tiko is (I think) the bald one, and a male...I've heard him sing.

If I cure the feet of these 2 birds, I may go back to the store and let the store know how disappointed I am in the care that was given. I think it's a shame that they will take good care of animals they will make a profit from, but clearly don't give a hoot about something they won't be making money on.

Rue · Post by **Rue** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:21 pm

...I'd go to the vet and get Ivomec for the mites (ivomectin)...

skythrutrees · Post by **skythrutrees** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:18 pm

yeah, I was hoping to avoid the vet, but since they clearly have health problems, I'd better.

also, thanks for the info on the canary food. I was being told I could feed the canaries the finch food, and clearly that's not going to work.

Hoji · Post by **Hoji** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:28 pm

of course, I can't say for sure -- but the store near me that does adoptions, a Petco, takes the same care with the orphans as their cash crop. The animals come back to the store in crappy condition, most of the time I would blame the pet owners who brought them there - not the store. The stores get stuck trying to do their best with neglected animals and at least provide a place where uncaring 'parents' can drop off their unwanted (and usually uncared for) pets rather then just letting them free or killing them.