FINCHforum

I have adopted a pair of Painted finches over the weekend and the hen does not look good. She has an irregular shaped yellowish raised growth on her beak and she appears to be struggling to breath (heaving to take each breath and kind of bobbing). She has a swollen leg and cannot get up on the perches. I have her on a hospital cage with warmth, water and food. She is still eating and flies about if she is disturbed, but I am very worried about the breathing. Please let me know what you think it could be, and what else I can do? Could the growth be affecting her ability to breath? I have some Ivermectin and Moxidectin here, would any of these treatments be of any help? Thanks in advance.

Try Ivermectin..but it sounds like an Avian vet job to me.
Paul.

Finchie - How is she doing?

She seems to be getting better . I gave her some Ivermectin and removed the growth with a scalpel (it was a crusty deposit of some kind which lifted off as one piece). After we took the growth off her beak she automatically breathed more easily. The leg I think is broken? She does not put any weight on the leg and has a swollen joint? She has a leg band on, how do I remove it??? She is however much happier and is perching now on one leg with her mate! Any other further suggestions greatly appreciated and thanks so much for your concern .

Thats very good news. If you have a split band on her leg you can take it off with your fingers. I dont know about closed bands, i think there on permanently.

It must be a closed band, because it is not going anywhere...Does a swollen leg joint and the inability to stand on the leg sound like it is broken? Will it self heal, if so should I keep her in the hospital cage until she is fully recovered? I have a small empty aviary, should I place the pair in there? Thanks

Keep the injured bird quiet on her own if poss...she will quickly self heal and adapt.Closed rings need a special removal tool and the expertise to know how to use it.
Paul.

I have kept my sick hen with her mate (she seemed very happy with him and didn't have the heart to seperate them) and she is still in the hospital cage. The swelling at her leg joint had gone down a little and she seems to be putting more weight on the leg when sitting on the perch.

I am guessing this is the first time this pair has been in a cage this small (I adopted these two from a finch owner not willing to deal with sick finches) I dont want them to stress out over being in such a confined space. The hen seems to be getting better but at night I keep the light on them and they both huddle up close to it?? Would they still be doing this if they were both in full health (we are in Winter here in AUS)??? And should I be keeping the light on them over night?

If the birds seem to want it leave it on for a bit longer.
Paul.

The band isn't binding her leg at all, is it? Glad to hear that she's breathing better! I agree with Paul - if they are using the heat, leave it.

The band moves freely but I worry that because she sits on the floor with her mate majority of the time, that the band is constricting the blood flow to her leg? The leg looks a little swollen but I think time is the only treatment option to let it self-heal. I have a photo of her beak, how do I post it?

Photo of her beak

Yick. Wonder if it was mostly discharge, or....? I can see how it could block her breathing, though.

Sounds like she may have gotten her leg caught and freed herself, or just twisted it a good one. If the band moves freely I doubt that it's causing the problem. As you probably know, they tend to like to sit on the floor of the cage, and mine haven't had any problems with their bands.

Hope she continues to improve!

These are my first painted finches and have only recently discovered they are very much ground dwellers (which is a plus cos I was pretty worried about the amount of time they spent huddled together in the nesting material)! Thanks and I will keep her progress posted!!

How is she doing? Has she gotten any better?