FINCHforum

Hi,

Just got a hen canary from a local breeder; i was told that she is about a year old and is molting right now (seemed a little weird that she is molting around November but i thought it was due to the fact that the canaries were in a basement and probably the lighting was not properly regulated); I asked about her dry looking feet and was told that it could be related to molting; however, i did some research at home and now i'm getting a scary idea that it could be scaly feet.
Has anyone had a canary with similar dry-looking feet?
Any hint will be appreciated!

If you can post a photo, it will help people help you.

And welcome to the forum! If you put your location in your profile, it also helps with advice and suggesting places to get meds, etc.

There are quite a few members on the forum who have experience with canaries, so I will let some of them give you advice on what it might be. I would guess that it could be scaly leg mites, but it also can be a sign of old age, though your bird is supposed to be young.

that looks like a mite infestation...in the early stage

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/features_scalyface.php

If you have other birds keep him isolated...he will need to be treated. Sorry to be blunt but the breeder selling you this bird should have seen this.

Looks like scaley mite to me also

Thank you all for your inputs; i just ordered SCATT to treat her.
Is there any other way to treat that is better than SCATT?
I read I need to be real careful with it not to harm the bird.

Thanks again!

If this is mites (can be easily detected by a skin scraping) then it is usually a result of an expressed immune system. Improved diet with fresh foods for vitamins is important.
The article that Cindy posted begins to address the diet and heretity nature of tassle foot.
When treating with strong chemicles, remember that you probably have an impaired bird healthwise... maybe treating with organics would be a better way so as to not tax the bird more than necessary.
Scales on the legs can also be from calcium salts... so the breeder may not have sold you a mite infested bird. With canaries, there are many problems with their legs that are not always mites. Maybe it would be advantagous to contact the breeder or talk with other canary keepers who have more experience with canaries. Or read the book Canary Tales by Linda Hogan, Or Rob Marshalls book of Canary Health. Both are great sources for anyone wanting to keep canaries. They are a finch but a bit different form your Austalian and African finches.
http://www.canaryadvisor.com/scaly-feet.html

I know everybody else said it, but looks like mites. I'm sure she'll be fine with some meds, and it's breeding season? She is molting quite late. Welcome to the forum! I'm sure somebody else said it but you can go to your profile and fill in your location and what not, helps with future questions and in the market place.

and I see you already did.

Thank you all again;

I ws surfing the web for some more info and found this video clip on how to apply SCATT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi50ZrOqaQ8

it might be on this forum already in somewhere but just in case a newbie like myself needs it;

I spoke to a Canary breeder at the BBF show and asked him about this because I noticed some of his older birds had feet that were a little scaly looking.

He told me this is very common with canaries especially as they age, that it's just dry scales but for some reason in canaries it is really common for it to build up rather than fall off, and that most people use a little mineral oil on the feet to keep them looking clean (the mineral oil softens the scales and the dry skin comes right off, it helps keep the scales moisturized over time so it doesn't continue to build up like this).

I'm not saying it couldn't be mites, but you could give the mineral oil a shot, too (maybe mineral oil also helps combat scaly mites in some way by suffocating them? who knows).

Ah! I just saw Candace's link.. maybe that's what he was talking about

Tiffany, a friend also used the oil and treatment both, the oil on the skin also helps with some of the irritation, after a few time of putting it on the legs the dead build up fell away.

I use mineral oil weekly on all canaries here at the store... it does really help the canaries..and they actually really enjoy the foot massage.
It is a common problem with canaries that don't get daily baths. Most that get baths rarely have scale problems. When I bred canaries I always offered a bath daily with a half of capful of listerine added to the water... the birds had the best looking legs ever