FINCHforum

I got 2 yellow canaries( male and female) . They were kept in the dark alot, their toenails were super long and scary. I fixed toenails and they are in the light room and have great diet . Ever since I got them, they have not left the feeding dish alone. They eat and eat.... and eat .I offer fruits and vegies and they eat those as well. I am concerned a little, I don't want them t get fatter( I got them and they felt overweight). They are not really active. Male does not sing( people said he used to but he stopped). They are just sitting and not flying arond. They look healty otherwise. Should I be worried? Is there any way to make them active and slim . Any help on canary topic would be great.

Well first of all, how old are they? Is the cage that you have them in, big enough for them to fly around? Are they by any chance in the middle of a moult?

It could be that they have been neglected for so long (and probably on a fatty, seed only diet) that they are indulging in all the goodies you are now providing for them. I would get them on a quality, but simple canary seed mixture and provide a leafy green veggie or slice of fruit every couple of days. Keep it simple. Avoid spray millet, conditioning food and song food - any oily seeds with a high fat content. A liquid calcium/D3 suppliment might not be a bad idea either at this time.

Canaries really do best on a seasonal daylight schedule. Keep them in the dark from sunset until sunrise by covering the cage if necessary. Provide full spectrum lighting if you can't expose them to natural sunlight during the day. With good care, proper diet and correct lighting, you should see a marked improvement in a few weeks. Good luck and keep us posted. Bob

Thank you for your answer. They are only 2 years old. I checked bands and they came from same breeder. They are in a flight cage in a sunny room. I am hoping they are just indulging. I offered them fine-grated carrots... they munched those up super fast. I don't think they are molting because I don't see any feathers on the bottom but there is a chance that they just finished molting. I am just worried I guess.

have you wormed them & treated for air sac mites?

lyzzyjayne wrote: have you wormed them & treated for air sac mites?

I bought a yellow canaries pair about a month ago. Both are about 2 years old and very healthy. This is the first time I am keeping canaries. So I do not know much about them.
Which medicines do you use for air sac mites and deworming canaries? From where you buy those medicines?

Hello,
First off I am so glad you were able to give these babies a good,new home! I'd love to see pics if them =) this is where I get all my medications for my birds and especially for quarantine of new birds. They have a great combo Pak for quarantine and send you a schedule. The air sac mites affect canaries and Gould's prevalently and can cause a canary not to sing. http://www.finchniche.com/index.php

Please keep us posted. =)

The first thing I did was to treat them(I do it with all new birds). I put them on calcium, vitamins and good quality food, in clean spacious cage in a sunny warm room( they did not have that before). I inspected them again few days ago but for different reasons. Like I said before they were neglected ( makes me sad and mad). Turns out they are really underweight( it did not occur to me to check that when I was treating them for mites). They are not fat, just really skinny . They look better and better every day and male is starting to sing a little. I hope he really start singing soon. As far as air sac mites go... I used SCATT. It has proven to be the best and most effective in my experiences.

Oh! Sounds like you have done everything just right. =) I am so glad your male has started singing. That is wonderful news!

In good hands they should bounce back in no time. Glad to see that things are going well. Bob