Is it possible to keep a “disabled” bird?

[Zebrafinch000]

I have two female zebra finches and one of them always has issues with egg laying. For the last few times she basically had to sit at the bottom of the cage, looking very miserable for hours in order to lay one. Every time when this happened, she would not be able to perch or stand about a day before laying the egg, and afterwards her ability to stand would get better, but worse than before in general.

So this time her condition has been quite awful. She hasn’t been able to stand well for over a week. And in the past two days she has been unable to perch and always falls to the ground. But she eats and chirps normally. She seems to have lost her ability to preen properly (can’t turn her head to the right side of her body... etc). It’s so painful to watch her being this way. Because of that she hasn’t taken a bath for weeks, and I can see that her back isn’t clean. She also became very agitated. She bit me when I tried to help. I assume it’s because she knows she’s weak and doesn’t want anyone bother her or senses danger. The last time she laid an egg I thought she was going to die and it was a very upsetting experience. But she ended up ok. She hasn’t laid an egg for quite some time probably her body knows that she’s too weak to do it frequently. I read a lot of articles about egg binding but have yet to find one that talks about something similar. I think the lack of nutrients and her trying to create an egg damaged some nerves in her body. And it got worse every time. And the fact that she doesn’t eat anything but seeds, spinach and cucumber makes her body even weaker. However, the other female is perfectly fine and rather healthy.

Does anyone encounter similar problems with their female finches? Is it possible to keep a “disabled” bird? Can I give her a bath myself? The thing is, a small bird that can’t really perch is a nightmare for herself and would make her lose all the ability to live well or enjoy life.

Thanks for reading!

[Icearstorm]

Zebrafinch000

It's possible, but she will need some accommodations. If she can fly, provide some flat perches so she can balance herself on her legs more easily (this includes around the food and water dishes). If she can't fly well, food and water dishes should be moved to the ground or new ones can be added (just make sure she uses them). Provide shallow water dishes so she does not drown if the condition gets worse, but keep in mind that these will need frequent refilling. What substrate are you using? If she sits on the floor, you could provide her a softer area to sit in, so long as it isn't in a container that resembles a nest (dark, raised edges, top, etc).

Unless birds have been tamed, they will generally see people holding them as a threat or predator. In the wild, a restrained bird is a dead bird, and an ill bird would be at an increased risk of predation. If you do have to help her, she may eventually get used to you; she may not understand that you're helping her, but she should start to learn that whatever you do to her isn't going to kill her. Healthy birds can usually deal with a bit of handling, but the stress could weaken an ill bird. It's just a question of whether handling is worth the risk. My birds don't get too shaken up and go back to their usual activity in a few seconds if I handle them, but other people's birds will spend the nest hour panicking after being touched, so it really depends.

That being said, calcium drops may help her quite a bit. If you have powder instead of drops, mix it in a small amount of water to a soupy consistency, and then use a toothpick to transfer a drop to the side of her beak (you do not have to open her beak). She should then drink it. This can be extremely useful for birds recovering from egg-binding. Consider doing this with a finch multivitamin powder as well, though be more careful, as vitamin overdose can be fatal.

Just think about her standard of living every so often. If she is not recovering, no longer able to do anything, and in chronic pain, it may be inhumane to keep her alive. But it sounds like she's still doing okay-ish, considering she's still chirping and eating. These things need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and at the end of the day, you probably have a better idea of how she's doing than the rest of us.

[Zebrafinch000]

Icearstorm

Thanks for your response! I did provide her with a towel so that when she falls she would fall on a soft surface. I also put the water in a smaller dish. She can fly but it feels like her legs weigh her down or something, and she can’t perch well. I used to feed them with my hands and she’s not very timid around humans. I also could pet her sometimes but she’s become quite nervous since the last time I fed her some liquid calcium next to the side of her beak when she was very sick. She would get really nervous whenever I enter the room. I have to walk and move really softly and slowly so that she doesn’t feel the need to move. She seems normal except the fact that she can’t stand or perch well. Her butt would touch the ground al the time now. Today she somehow landed on her back on the towel and she wasn’t able to stand back up after a few tries as her legs are too weak. It’s as if she doesn’t have legs, only wings. Poor thing... but she looks rather normal and chirps loudly. So I’m not sure what to feel about it.

Do you know if I can give her a bath? I don’t think it’s very hygienic if she continues to not clean herself (she used to take a bath once to twice a day). But then I feel like there’s only so much I can do for her.

[Icearstorm]

Zebrafinch000

Hmm, maybe she's become more nervous because you've had to do things to help her that she doesn't like. She might calm down if you alternate between feeding her from your hands and doing any needed procedure, so she doesn't start thinking that any time you interact with her something unpleasant happens. However, this has a chance of stressing her out more, so I don't know.

Keep a lookout for her pooping. Since her butt is on the ground, there's a chance that she will poop and it will stick to her vent and dry out, making her unable to poop any more. I had a bird that this kept happening to, so I'd have to check his butt and wipe off dried droppings each day.

I'm not sure if bathing her would be a good idea at this point, but if you do, provide a warm place free of drafts to dry off in. A ceramic heat lamp on one side of the cage could help her dry off, but make sure she can get away from it if she wants to.

[FinchMama]

Hi Icearstorm, How is your little bird doing?

[Icearstorm]

FinchMama

Did you mean Zebrafinch000?

[robin311]

I had a blue cap who broke his knee, obviously meaning it was broken at the base of his body. I took him to the avian vet & there was nothing to do, as you cannot splint the break that close to the body. I put a corner perch in there for him so he could sit w 1 foot on one perch & his other foot (which always stuck out behind him for the rest of his life) one perch back. So he sat on 2 perches but was very comfortable & lived for many years.