FINCHforum

My yonug male Zebra finch has a swollen and red leg (it now has a distinct red line running down it). He began holding his leg out to the side, and would balance on the perch using his other leg and his body. He and his mate were on a clutch of eggs and had been guarding it so I figured he may have hurt it fighting with my other 2 finches.

I took him to the vet and he said the lower leg was not broken, he had limited response to nerve stimuli, and it's possible he injured his hip somehow. He also said it could be a kidney problem because the nerve that innervates the leg runs over the kidneys. He told me to set up a hospital cage, separate him from his mate, and in 3 weeks we'll know whether he is going to get well or not.. The hospital cage he described was a small cage with no perches, food and water on the ground.

After reading the forums here I added heat, a humidifier, egg food, vitamins to his water, and covered part of the cage for privacy.. Within 10 minutes he responded to the heat it was amazing. His eyes were brighter, and he was sitting in the food dish gobbling down seed (I was skeptical whether this was as effective as everyone said and could not believe how fast he responded to a little heat)! As we were setting everything up I noticed that he has lost weight, and now has a build up of feces stuck on his rear. When I checked again today there wasn't as much feces on him but there was still enough to be concerned.

I don't know what to do. I kept his mate and nest in there with him against medical advice and she took great care of him. I separated them because she was becoming distraught at his condition, and it was looking like he was about to die. To my surprise he pulled through the night, I found this forum, and added heat, and they've been calling to each other ever since I moved her.

His leg is still inflamed and being held out to the side, his toes are curled under and he doesn't seem to really use them, he is weak, wobbles side to side, he has fecal build up on his rear, dull appearance, and weight loss.

Has anyone else seen something like this before? I'm an RN and my background is screaming proceed with caution because treating kidney problems and broken legs in people is very different and potentially deadly if treated wrong! Electrolytes in particular can really be a problem if you have kidney issues.

I'm not sure what else to do for him, should I clean the poop off his backside? He is so stressed as is and my most easily stressed finch, I'm not sure if this would be too much for him. Should I put his mate back with him? She would sit beside him so he could lean on her for support and encouraged him to eat..

Any advice would be greatly appreciated I'd really like to see this guy make a full recovery!

Hi,
To me it sounds like you are doing everything right with the hospital cage that you have set up for him. I think its best to put him in there without his mate and the nest, so that he can concentrate on recovering. You can clean up his bum if you want to, but I agree with what you said, that it may produce more stress for him. If its not too bad and he is able to poop, maybe wait for a bit to clean it up.

I understand how hard it is to have your bird in a hospital cage... When I put my birds in there I feel that time seems to practically stop as I wait for their recovery. I try give my birds as much quiet as I can when I have them in there, and allow them to rest, even though I want to check on them every 5 minutes. Covering the cage is a good idea, so he can sleep.

I wish you the best with him, please keep us updated concerning his condition. Perhaps other forum members can also offer some advice as well

Oh and ps... welcome to the forum! You will find really great, caring people here with tons of experience who will help you out with all of your questions

Thank you for such a speedy response and welcome (you're right the hospital cage is torture)!

I am a new finch owner so any advice I can get I greatly appreciate it!

His mate abandoned the nest as soon as he started getting sick so I took the eggs out and will take the nest out today. He likes to sleep in it should I put it on the bottom of the cage instead of removing it completely?

Thanks for everything!

Megan

if it's only him in the cage, you can place the nest down low for him. although zebras are fine sleeping on perches, they prefer nests given the choice. if his mate is in the cage with him, remove the nest so that there's no attempt at breeding. he needs all his energy for recovery!

and if you aren't already doing it, keep the heat lamp on overnight, too. it's actually more important overnight since the temperature drops. you can use a colored bulb so he still gets heat without so much bright light.

hope he improves soon! keep us posted!

How's he doing Megan?

He's sleeping a lot more and staying on the bottom of the cage all day now

I'm keeping the heat lamp and humidifier going throughout the day and night and he sits as close to the humidifier as he can.

The only thing I've changed in the past 24 hours is he was getting mealworms everyday, but I ran out and started giving him eggfood (he won't touch it).

His mate is out of the hospital cage and I lowered his nest to the bottom, he just looks off it's sad

Thor passed away early this morning

I noticed him laying on his side yesterday, he was very thin and not fighting me at all when I picked him up to exam him. He had lost most of the use of his other leg so it looks like this was a kidney issue and not a broken leg.

Thanks everyone for all your help and advice, I felt like I wasn't going through this blind and alone and know exactly what to do next time one of my little guys gets sick.

Now for the tough question, what do I do with the hen? She has already made a new nest and laid an egg. I was going to rehome the pair because they didn't get along well with my other two but then Thor's kidneys went south.

She's pretty down I'm questioning whether to get her a new mate and have them in a second cage or try and find someone locally with a nice group of zebras she can join. Are there any reputable breeders in central Florida or does anyone know of someone looking for a pied zebra finch?

I feel a little rushed as she seems depressed already. They had been chattering back and forth to each other the whole time he was sick and now it's silent and she's not herself

Awww Megan, I'm so sorry to hear he didn't make it. It can be very difficult with finches that are not feeling well.

If the female is on her own, you should be able to put her in with your other finches and she should be okay with them until you find someone to rehome her with or find her a new mate.

Just catching up, so sorry you lost him

megan i'm so sorry you did everything you could for him.