Well... my baby has one eye and a crossed beak.

[fhgwgads]

I wasn't able to get a good look at the baby that much... but I was able to finally see him today because he was moving around a lot more and coming to the front of the nest. I don't even know what to do. I am assuming that the parents are related... Because the first baby died young and now this one has a crossed beak and one eye. I don't know what to do.. but I am going to have to take all their eggs away I guess. I am so upset because I NEVER would ave intentionally done this. And I am terrified of bringing another little baby into the world and having it end u with serious issues.

Any advice is more than welcome. My poor little baby.

[fhgwgads]

I tried to look up info about this and I really couldn't find anything. I read that deformities even from incest are rare.. and that deformities could also be from trauma while in the egg, injury at a young age, bad genes, viruses/illnesses, malnutrition, poor parenting.. if anyone has any advice at all please help! His beak does not look THAT crooked... but it does look a little funky and a little different than theirs.. and I still can't get past the one eye thing. I am beside myself over this poor little guy. I almost feel guilty. If anyone has advice on what to feed him if he has any issues with seeds in the future please let me know. His feathers look great, his other eye works and he is moving around ok, preening lightly while in the nest, he eats ok and squeaks and chirps.. so I am hoping he will adapt ok. And he hasn't fledged yet so I am hoping he doesn't have any other issues.. by the way he moves around I am assuming his legs/feet are ok.

[Perfex]

I think that with his problems, which might not be very disabling for him, he's a lucky little bird to be with you where he can live in fine style. He'll likely do fine and in all probability it was just one of those unexplained things. Good luck with him.

[fhgwgads]

This is the best picture I can get... seeming as how he almost never turns his head this way because he always looks out with the only eye he has:



I hope he will be ok...

[hmarshall76]

Sorry to hear about your little one I don't have any advice, just wanted to say that I'm sure he'll learn to survive with his disabilities because he won't know any differently. I have a male Society with a major scissor beak. He eats seeds just fine, is the best builder of nests and is my best foster bird. I also have a Red Billed Firefinch with a bum leg and missing toes. ( I bought her that way) It doesn't slow her down. I do have to be mindful of where I place things, as she cannot hang on the cage bars like the other birds so cuddle bones, millet sprays etc need to drape over a perch for her. Other than that she is just like all the other birds in the flock.
Don't beat yourself up over it. Like Perfex said, sometimes these things just happen.

[fhgwgads]

Thank you! Advice or not I appreciate your response and you sharing your experience as well! I am comforted by the fact that he/she seems to be ok so far.. and he/she sounds adorable and lively. I am just concerned about them having anymore babies. They had 2 eggs.. both hatched and one died early.. but they have already laid at least one egg again that is in with the baby. I would love to have more babies but I would hate to bring another baby into the world and have it end up with more serious issues. I am not sure if it has to do with the parents being related and I will never know as they came from Petsmart and aren't banded. I read a lot to avoid breeding relatives but I also read that even breeding birds that are closely related rarely results in such serious deformities so I am skeptical on what to believe. And I would feel guilty if I intentionally let this happen to another baby.. but I don't want to rob them of their purpose in life either and would love to have more babie.. even though maybe it is the responsible thing to do in order to insure further possibilities of worse conditions! And I don't want to separate the parents or pair them up with others because they are so clearly in love! I am also afraid that because there is another egg.. possibly more.. that once this one fledges they might bully him/her. Even if there weren't eggs I am afraid of this because he/she is clearly the weaker bird. I still need time to digest all of this as the initial shock hasn't left me yet. I was nearly in tears earlier and felt so bad for this baby.. but as long as he/she seems healthy I guess he/she doesn't know any different! And as far as I can tell they have been wonderful parents to the baby.

And he/she is still adorable! It isn't like the baby had an eye and lost it.. there was never an eye to begin with... it's just feathered over.

[debbie276]

So sorry your going through this If it is scissor beak, everything I've read says it is a genetic problem related or not. I'm not sure you would have ever known until you had a chick with it.
Most stores buy entire clutches from their suppliers so chances are good they are siblings.
If you decide to keep them together you can always throw out any eggs laid.
best of luck

[Nanajennie]

I don't have advice either, but can share my story.

I have an elder Black Cheek Zeb that was given to me, she has a serious cross beak and is missing a back toe. She is great! She eats and flies and sits on fake eggs... She is adorable. I provide a lot of soft foods for her though. When I got her she was skinny and her feathers were dull. Today she is a sexy little momma who is active and vibrant. I give her eggfood and watermelon and canned mealies (her old man really loves the mealies, BTW the old man is blind in one eye and does just fine) and romaine lettuce etc... soft foods. She does eat seed and millet even though she has a crossed beak, but I do notice she struggles.

I also have a Orange Cheek Waxbill with a club foot. It was given to me as well, and it is totally fine!

I would just prepare to pamper a bit and let nature take it's course. Good luck! Keep us posted

[nelloyello11]

It's doubtful that you'll ever know the cause of the deformities, but as others have said, this little one knows nothing else, so he will probably do alright. Many forum members have finches with handicaps of one sort or another, some they were born with, and some as a result of an accident.
I'm not sure if there are any special adaptations you would need to make on account of his eye, as I'm thinking he'll make those allowances naturally, in how he flies, perches, etc. Maybe Nanajennie or other members with blind guys can help you out there.
As far as his beak goes, I would keep an eye on him, make sure the parents feed him to weaning. Once he starts eating on his own, see how he does with seed; he may have difficult hulling seed, or he may do just fine. My suggestion here is to provide additional nutritional options, like pellets, as these may be easier to eat for him. And of course a varied diet of fresh veggies etc is impoprtant, as with any finch.
It is possible that he will get picked on; this happens even with perfectly normal finches, especially zebras, since they are so pushy. Keep an eye on this too; if mom and dad are too mean, it might work to give him a cage mate that would be less pushy than another zebra, maybe something like a society. But he may be pushy right back, so you would have to make that call based on his own temperament. Again, maybe someone else can chime in on this idea.
Good luck with the little guy. Keep us posted on how he is doing!!

[Ginene]

Good luck with your special needs baby. He is lucky to have your for a mommy.

[Sally]

Finches with handicaps adapt quite well, so don't let that worry you. In the wild, a handicapped bird will be at the mercy of all predators and so won't live long, but we protect them in captivity, so there is no reason they can't live a long life. You will just have to see how the beak does as the baby matures. With some minor beak abnormalities, you can trim the beak carefully to a more normal shape. With the eye missing, I don't see anything special you need to do, this little bird will adapt to that handicap just fine.

Though inbreeding is not desirable, especially between siblings, I once had an accidental sibling breeding--incest baby developed just fine and is indistinguishable from any other finch.

[Nanajennie]

I'm not sure if there are any special adaptations you would need to make on account of his eye, as I'm thinking he'll make those allowances naturally, in how he flies, perches, etc. Maybe Nanajennie or other members with blind guys can help you out there.

All I can say is treat them like normal and be mindful of the needs. I try not to startle the old blind man, and provide soft fresh foods for Shabby the cross beak LOL

I am learning as I go. The best advice I have EVER received is to "just love them and enjoy them and have fun"

[fhgwgads]

Thank you all for the amazing advice! I am still somewhat in shock but I love him more than ever. I am soooo anxious as he hasn't fledged yet and he is at 20 days so far. I am sure he will do fine and I will be the one not able to eat or sleep! But I am just so afraid because they have eggs again. In addition to seeds I already provide them with hard or soft boiled eggs, pieces of veggies, sprouts, etc... so I am sure he will be ok with that and I am going to get some pellets. I am just hoping he will fledge ok. Well... he may be a she too... I won't know yet. I am just happy that the parents are still very attentive to him. Is there any way this could have been a result of them being new parents and not knowing exactly what to do? Considering they had 2 eggs and one died early I a wondering what happened.. though I am sure I will never know. I am debating on taking the eggs away once he fledges though. I will update with more pictures once he is out and I get a better look.

On a lighter note.. I have been trying to come up with names. One of my friends suggested naming him Brd (without an "I), lol! And my boyfriend said we should name him White Beard because he has one eye so he is obviously a pirate! When I told him we need to wait to see if he is actually a she.. he said "Ok so name it Black Beard!", as if that makes all the difference! Lol!

[fhgwgads]

Thank you all for the amazing advice! I am still somewhat in shock but I love him more than ever. I am soooo anxious as he hasn't fledged yet and he is at 20 days so far. I am sure he will do fine and I will be the one not able to eat or sleep! But I am just so afraid because they have eggs again. In addition to seeds I already provide them with hard or soft boiled eggs, pieces of veggies, sprouts, etc... so I am sure he will be ok with that and I am going to get some pellets. I am just hoping he will fledge ok. Well... he may be a she too... I won't know yet. I am just happy that the parents are still very attentive to him. Is there any way this could have been a result of them being new parents and not knowing exactly what to do? Considering they had 2 eggs and one died early I a wondering what happened.. though I am sure I will never know. I am debating on taking the eggs away once he fledges though. I will update with more pictures once he is out and I get a better look.

On a lighter note.. I have been trying to come up with names. One of my friends suggested naming him Brd (without an "I), lol! And my boyfriend said we should name him White Beard because he has one eye so he is obviously a pirate! When I told him we need to wait to see if he is actually a she.. he said "Ok so name it Black Beard!", as if that makes all the difference! Lol!

[Rox]

All I can say is treat them like normal and be mindful of the needs

I totally agree with Nanajennie. With the right care, animals with abnormalities can do just fine. Plus he has you for a great mom!! The 'special' ones creep deep into your heart