Foot health
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:34 pm
Hello Finch Forum colleagues!
I am writing for advice on correcting toe-nail growth. I acquired three St. Helena's Waxbills last December and three more this week. In both cases (as I believe is common with Waxbills in general because they are so flighty, easily stressed, and have rapid growing toe nails), most of the birds had toe nails that were quite long and in several cases starting to twist. With the new batch, none of the birds yet had twisted nails, but two of my first three still show signs of twisted nails (specifically the two side toes). Even though I have kept the nails very trim and have provided an environment with a variety of perch sizes (predominantly on the thinner side and mostly natural manzanita branches), there do not seem yet to be any signs of improvement.
Are there any suggestions or tips you have for correcting this issue? My other waxbills are also in similar environments with a variety branch perches, and their nails stay quite trim naturally. I do touch them up every few months, but I have not had any problems with twisting like this.
Also, I have a male Owl finch that has been in a flight with an Owl hen and a hen Blue Cap for 7 or 8 months. I noticed this week that he has a swollen toe (I don't remember which foot, but it is one of the short toes in front) that looks slightly pink in color. There were no conflict issues for a while but the cock recently became aggressive toward the hen Owl. To describe the personality of the three birds, the hen Owl is the most passive of the three, and the Blue Cap is the most resilient (but I have never observed signs of aggression--she is simply a very strong, agile flier and a very self-sufficient bird). The flight is one of the large Prevue flights (nearly 3 feet wide, and about 21 or 22 inches deep, 4 feet hight or so) with no apparently dangerous obstacles. There are manzanita branches, perch ladder (positioned horizontally in a corner), a ceramic microwave tray on the floor to hold the bath (a medium-sized cookie jar on its side), a closed-top ceramic feeding container, and plastic feed cups at various places on the walls. These birds have been in the environment since November…
Could aggression be the issue? Is this swollen toe simply an injury? How do I help the bird to recover? This week I separated all three birds. The two Owls are in a breeder cage with a partition separating them, and the Blue Cap is temporarily being housed with a younger Blue Cap hen (they will soon be in a flight with a male). The Owl hen is already looking much better (because of the aggression of the male, her plumage was not settled before). But I am concerned about the Owl cock's toe. Your advice would be welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks!
I am writing for advice on correcting toe-nail growth. I acquired three St. Helena's Waxbills last December and three more this week. In both cases (as I believe is common with Waxbills in general because they are so flighty, easily stressed, and have rapid growing toe nails), most of the birds had toe nails that were quite long and in several cases starting to twist. With the new batch, none of the birds yet had twisted nails, but two of my first three still show signs of twisted nails (specifically the two side toes). Even though I have kept the nails very trim and have provided an environment with a variety of perch sizes (predominantly on the thinner side and mostly natural manzanita branches), there do not seem yet to be any signs of improvement.
Are there any suggestions or tips you have for correcting this issue? My other waxbills are also in similar environments with a variety branch perches, and their nails stay quite trim naturally. I do touch them up every few months, but I have not had any problems with twisting like this.
Also, I have a male Owl finch that has been in a flight with an Owl hen and a hen Blue Cap for 7 or 8 months. I noticed this week that he has a swollen toe (I don't remember which foot, but it is one of the short toes in front) that looks slightly pink in color. There were no conflict issues for a while but the cock recently became aggressive toward the hen Owl. To describe the personality of the three birds, the hen Owl is the most passive of the three, and the Blue Cap is the most resilient (but I have never observed signs of aggression--she is simply a very strong, agile flier and a very self-sufficient bird). The flight is one of the large Prevue flights (nearly 3 feet wide, and about 21 or 22 inches deep, 4 feet hight or so) with no apparently dangerous obstacles. There are manzanita branches, perch ladder (positioned horizontally in a corner), a ceramic microwave tray on the floor to hold the bath (a medium-sized cookie jar on its side), a closed-top ceramic feeding container, and plastic feed cups at various places on the walls. These birds have been in the environment since November…
Could aggression be the issue? Is this swollen toe simply an injury? How do I help the bird to recover? This week I separated all three birds. The two Owls are in a breeder cage with a partition separating them, and the Blue Cap is temporarily being housed with a younger Blue Cap hen (they will soon be in a flight with a male). The Owl hen is already looking much better (because of the aggression of the male, her plumage was not settled before). But I am concerned about the Owl cock's toe. Your advice would be welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks!