FINCHforum

i just adopted some zebra finches from someone who couldn't look after them anymore due to allergies. one of the males is blind in one eye - he was born this way. he keeps this eye closed almost all of the time, as apparently the vet said that it dries out faster. it is noticeable (i noticed it right away when i looked at him) as it is bigger than his other eye.

i do not know who is related in the bunch as records were not kept, but i do know that some of them are brothers. i am concerned as i have noticed that some of the other birds are also closing their eyes too i know that this is often a sign of dehydration, and there is a ton of water in their cage, in two separate areas.

does anyone think that some of the other birds may be blind in one of their eyes as well, but it just may not be as noticeable (or as pronounced) as the first male's eye that i mentioned? or perhaps that they have reduced vision? do you think that this may have affected an entire family line but the previous owner was unaware?

thanks for your help!

It could be a possibility if the parents had a 'lethal' combination with their genes. I'm not really sure lethal is the right word for this. Or it could be that maybe the chicks were inbred...

Hopefully someone else can give you a better explanation than me but from what I understand about chicks becoming blind would be from one of those factors or possibly even a really weak blood line.

My idea is possible inbreeding. That is very easy to do, for example, if the prior owner bought a brother and sister.

1st, separate them M from F, to prevent any possible inbreeding. If they lay any eggs within a week after separating, throw them away, they could be from inbred mating.

2nd, band the birds (use plastic split bands) to keep track of them, so you don't accidentally breed them together. Since you don't know which ones are related, best to treat them as all related to each other.

3rd, if you want to breed them, breed them to different birds.

Separately
If you have not put out a bath, give them a bowl of water to bath in. They will also drink from the bath, giving them more water.

gud luk

Dayna wrote:It could be a possibility if the parents had a 'lethal' combination with their genes. I'm not really sure lethal is the right word for this. Or it could be that maybe the chicks were inbred...

Hopefully someone else can give you a better explanation than me but from what I understand about chicks becoming blind would be from one of those factors or possibly even a really weak blood line.

hey thanks for the help! yes. i was also thinking inbreeding. i asked the previous owner to provide me with a list of each bird's pedigree and medical history. she knew who was the mom of the babies, but not the dad

ac12 wrote:My idea is possible inbreeding. That is very easy to do, for example, if the prior owner bought a brother and sister.

1st, separate them M from F, to prevent any possible inbreeding. If they lay any eggs within a week after separating, throw them away, they could be from inbred mating.

2nd, band the birds (use plastic split bands) to keep track of them, so you don't accidentally breed them together. Since you don't know which ones are related, best to treat them as all related to each other.

3rd, if you want to breed them, breed them to different birds.

Separately
If you have not put out a bath, give them a bowl of water to bath in. They will also drink from the bath, giving them more water.

gud luk

hi gary

yes. all of these steps are in the works !

i separated them all today into male and female cages. i have split bands but not enough colours so i ordered a bunch more a few days ago. they should arrive soon and i will band them all for my records.

as for breeding them in the future...yes. i agree. as i mentioned in my post above, the previous owner could give me some details about their pedigree but not as much as i wanted. i assumed from this that they may have been inbred i will be very careful with them in the future and make sure none of them are bred together.

thanks for your help, as always!!