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so i decided to take out my gouldian nest today to check on my 3 babies. they were supposed to fledge several days ago, so i just wanted to see what was up. when i looked, i found out why. they had gotten themselves all twisted up in their nesting material. each of them had a leg caught. i've been trying to do the hands off thing, so i don't know how long they've been tangled up
each of them has 1 leg that's pretty purple, swollen, and maybe broken? what can i do for them??

i cut a small box in half and put a towel in it for them. and i put them in the bottom of the cage with the parents. they don't want to stay in the box, they keep hopping out of it, which i'm sure isn't good for their legs. they're even flying around the cage some. the parents seem to be feeding them as they hop out, though. someone help!

Oh my, I'm so sorry. Not sure what you can do other then watch for possible infection. It's probably a good sign that they are up and about. What kind of nesting material do you use?

i'm using this straw stuff that i cut into small strips for them. i've never had a problem with it before. maybe they just happened to get too long of a piece or something
other than the leg thing, they all seem spry and chipper. the parents are feeding them when they come out of their box. one of them even managed to fly up to a perch and awkwardly sit with his parents on it. 2 of their legs seem to be swollen around the hip area, so i'm wondering if maybe once the swelling goes down they'll be able to hold their legs a little better. i think they may have lost use of their feet on the bad legs, though

Hopefully you caught the legs in time....It's great they are active....Good luck I hope they recover OK

From the legs being caught and unable to move properly the muscle has most likely has a bit of atrophy and soft tissue damage. Hopefully now that the blood supply has been restored and they are active it will heal well for them.

What concerns me is the legs seem splayed out to one side. keep an eye on that, if they don't seem to be able to right that then you may have to help it along with a splint. Are they using their toes, moving them ok?

I would definately splint to correct the splayed leg. These type of dislocations can usually be corrected. Prayers sent for their recovery.

here is a recent link of Ray and his successful treatment to his little gouldian Chip... shows the splinting.
http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5 ... &start=135

thank everyone for your well wishes!

CandoAviary wrote:I would definately splint to correct the splayed leg. These type of dislocations can usually be corrected. Prayers sent for their recovery.

here is a recent link of Ray and his successful treatment to his little gouldian Chip... shows the splinting.
http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5 ... &start=135

i've actually been following the story of chip! i'm so happy for ray and his little guy!!
once the initial shock of finding them and untangling them wore off i actually took the time to really look at their legs. they looked more swollen and crooked than broken, so while i was waiting for responses, i figured the best thing i could do for them was treat their legs as if they were splayed. so i looked up chip's story for reference, since i've never dealt with splayed legs before. (btw, that pic of chip standing with his newly taped legs is ADORABLE!)
so i taped my guys legs and put them back in their box i made for them. they seem pretty content and they don't look like they're distressed. i think they're just happy to be out of the nest box (and not connected together). the parents are still feeding them, so other than their legs they seem pretty healthy. they're standing ok and one of them is actually perching pretty well!

cindy wrote:Are they using their toes, moving them ok?

as for their toes, they don't seem to be able to move them at all. they can all move their bad legs, so i don't know if maybe they'll get feeling back in the feet or not. i try to be a good bird mommy and not interfere and this is what happens! looks like i'll be in the market for new nesting material as well!!

By correcting their legs may help in blood flow...hopefully with time the swelling will go down and tissue heals. Keep us posted.

My wishes are the same as everyone else - perhaps with their movements blood flow will increase to their lower legs and help heal them.
Birds have amazing recuperative abilities - they may just surprise you

Bravo, great job. I am sending prayers that they heal well and completely.

so far, one of them is mostly still chillin at the bottom of the cage. one of them is perching ok, and one of them you wouldn't even know he had a bad leg. they're all still eating and flying around. as for their feeties, they don't look like they're going to recover /

I had a Society fledge with a bum foot too. She/he is more passive than the other fledges, but seems to be able to perch and the one foot leans to the side. Otherwise, the fledge gets along fine.

Looking forward to following their progress.....Great save to catch them in time!....Good luck

so time for an update on my little broken clutch
so far they all seem to be doing good. parents are still feeding and they're all pretty active. the youngest baby is doing best. he/she flies from perch to perch with almost no problem. the middle baby is also perching well. the oldest baby still spends most of the time on the bottom of the cage. today is the first day i've seen him/her perching at all. i don't know why, the oldest one seemed to have the least damage done to his leg.
i'm thoroughly convinced that they're gonna lose their feet. the feet on their bad legs are dried up and almost brittle. i'm afraid to touch them cuz it feels like they make just break off. so i'm wondering now how long should i tape their legs for? for the most part, they seem to have straightened out pretty well. except for the middle baby, i think he may have displaced his hip. i don't know what more i can do for that one. i'm posting pics of all 3 of them untaped, so you guys can see how their legs look. also, i've read that their feet will most likely fall off on their own. does anyone know how long that's going to take?
anyway, for the most part they're doing well and seem to be healing quickly.