Zebra Finch has been egg bound for about 7 hours

[Sir Bubbles]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted here in a while but unfortunately here I am again with another sick little zebe.

I found my bird Sadi sitting on the floor of her aviary at about 12 pm today, and after inspecting her legs for any sign of injury I could only imagine the problem was egg binding. I still can't tell for certain, but I've been treating her as such. I moved her into my bathroom and so far have run 3 showers throughout the day to keep the room warm and steamy for her. I've set her up in a small hospital cage with food and warm water on the ground, as well as a heat lamp covering half the cage. I've also applied 2 drops of calcium plus to her beak so far, as well as several drops in her water dish. I've also attempted to help her by rubbing a small dab of olive oil around her vent 3 times now ( every couple hours or so. ) I haven't tried to massage the egg out because I don't trust myself enough with such a delicate procedure.

I'm not sure what else I can do for her at this point besides let her be, but it seems like she hasn't passed her egg yet. She has spent almost the entire time sitting in the corner with her eyes closed except for when I come to check on her. I haven't seen any sign of her going for food or water yet.

I've dealt with a zebra finch being egg bound in the past ( my bird Melody ) and my memory is a bit fuzzy about how long it took her to finally pass the egg. I remember finding her early in the morning before dark, some time around 4-6 am, and it lasted until around noon or afternoon. So she went roughly 6+ hours with the egg. I guess what I'm getting at is, how much time do you think she has at this point? I've read all sorts of forum posts and articles about what to do and how long it lasts; most people say a few hours, some say a day. I guess I won't know for sure until tomorrow.

I'm doing everything I can for her right now but as each hour goes by I get a little bit more worried.

If anyone has any extra solutions or advice I'd appreciate it very much. I will keep you all updated.

[Sally]

Instead of having to run the shower, you could wet and then wring out a dish towel or hand towel, and then place it over part of the cage (well away from the heat lamp). This would supply humidity. I would go ahead and give her another drop or two of liquid calcium, and then just hope for the best. If she makes it through the night, she should pass the egg by then.

[Sir Bubbles]

Alright thanks Sally, I will do that.

[Sir Bubbles]

Update. I woke up about 20 minutes ago and she's still here. I haven't seen any signs that the egg has been laid yet. I've still got her back in my bedroom with me and I gave her another drop of calcium, in addition to leaving a humidifier on low all night. I will go ahead and give her a fresh wet rag too.

[Sally]

Sir Bubbles Is she sitting on the floor of the cage, wings drooping down at her sides, and with very squinty eyes? Eggbound hens often will look absolutely miserable, and then once they pass that egg, the change will be almost miraculous, they will look like they never had a problem. Keeping fingers crossed for her.

[lnlovesorange]

Sir Bubbles How is Sadi doing? I hope ok.. Let us know how she's holding up, nd if any egg yet... Poor thing...

[Sir Bubbles]

She is still sitting on the floor of her cage, being immobile with her eyes closed occasionally. Last night and today I saw her begin to eat and drink small amounts again but she is still acting lame. I have heard her peep back at the other birds but only very quietly, not like her normal self.

At this point, I feel like she should have passed an egg if there is one. Could it be something besides egg binding?

Also, it has been about 24 hours since I first found her. Is it normal for it to take this long? Because from what I've read, it only lasts a few hours.

Sorry I should have mentioned, to answer your question Sally her wings have not been drooped at her side. They are at her side but only in the way that they would normally be from what I can tell. She is just lying on the ground all the time except for when I have my hand in the cage to handle her and give her calcium, she will sometimes attempt to run away so her legs are still working fine ( in case it were a problem with her legs. )

[Sir Bubbles]

Here is a picture of her I took just a moment ago.



(Sorry it's blurry, they tend to react to the camera by trying to get away so she was in motion as I took this.)

Compared to yesterday, she appears more alert, and as mentioned before is even talking with the other birds. She will move around a little bit to get her food and water. I haven't seen her acting too sick, just not flying and being docile instead.

I wonder if her right leg is possibly injured because I see her left leg is more prominent, yet she still stands on both. It's not so much standing as crouching though. Could it also possibly be a wing injury if she's not flying? What would that look like though?

I'm just speculating. For all I know, she could still be eggbound, but it could also be something else. I'm no expert but I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong.

[lovezebs]

Sir Bubbles

I'm thinking, that had she been egg bound, she would have either passed the egg, or passed away by now.

Speaking of wings...
From what I can see in your picture, it seems to me, that her right wing is sort of at half mast (not smoothly held against her body as it should be ). Is her left wing being held that way as well (can't tell from the picture ). Have you seen her fly, since her behavior has changed?

[Sir Bubbles]

From what I can tell her wings are both at the same level in terms of position and posture. I haven't seen one drooping more than the other, and she tends to keep them smooth at her side. No ruffling, not laying out against the ground or anything. It could be that in that picture she was moving her wings while trying to get away.

I haven't seen her fly once, but she has used her wings, they open up a bit as she's hopping away.

The only thing I've really noticed out of the ordinary is that she isn't standing completely, both her legs tend to be pressed towards her center and she crouches whenever she gets up and moves, but from what I've seen in the past this is pretty common when any of my birds aren't feeling well. They just want to sit, instead of stand and hop around at full attention.

She is still using both of them though. I don't see any favoring or flopping/falling over when she moves.

Edit:

I watched her just now. Her friend Melody was peeping at her from the aviary and she wanted a closer look, she was peeping back. She cocked her head up and started to stand because she obviously really wanted to see her. I saw her walk with her wings spread out at both sides and her feet towards her center. It almost looks like she is favoring her left foot and her right is at a slight limp, but it's very hard to tell. Maybe she hurt it or sprained it in some way, but didn't fully break a bone, because she is still putting pressure on it?

[StodOne]

Maybe she is not egg-bound , maybe flew into something in the aviary and is acting that way .. when she tries to get away from your hand , does she seem like she is hopping not normally , like something is pulling her on one side?
Yes I agree with Sally , when I rescued a female pigeon as soon as she laid the deformed egg , she started acting normal even more lively ( I am guessing it applies to finches as well) , just hang tight and let her be , good luck .

[Sally]

Sir Bubbles I would say she probably was not egg bound, as by this time, she would have been in a bad way, obviously very distressed, and she doesn't look like that in the photo. When I say distressed, an egg bound hen that hasn't passed an egg in 24 hours will be either dead or near death. As others have said, perhaps she flew into the side of the flight and hurt herself. I'd keep her separate from the others as you have been doing and keep the heat on her. If it is just a minor injury, she will soon perk up. The fact that she is now wanting to eat and drink a little is a good sign.

[Sir Bubbles]

Alright, thanks you guys. She is certainly better than she was yesterday, but still obviously injured/sick in some way. I will keep her separated and if things start to look bad I will contact the vet. For now though, she is still moving around and eating, and using the heat lamp.

[lovezebs]

Sir Bubbles

Good luck.

[Animalzoo]

Sir Bubbles I've been following your progress with your hen, how is she today?