Canary foot stuck in cage!

[Rowdy Hotel]

I got home from work today and was horrified when i saw my prized fife canary hen hanging from the side of the cage.Somehow she managed to catch her foot on one of those doors that cages have on the side that slide up.

I immediately removed her from the bars as gently as I could, her foot where it had caught on the cage was very red there was a little bleeding. It looked like her foot was broken but on closer examination her bones were intact. I couldn't get her to move any of her toes, though, so I am unsure if she has suffered any nerve or tendon damage. I've placed her in her own smaller cage with a perch on which she is perching on one leg I'm assuming, all fluffed up in a little ball and breathing a little heavy. Does anyone think I should get anything for her? I was going to buy a dewormer and mite treatment from some website tomorrow, anyway, so if there's something that'll help please let me know and I'll get it.

My other concern is that I will never be able to breed this little canary. I got her because she looked like the perfect little fife and was going to breed her as soon as found another compatible male I liked, but now this setback has me concerned that she'll never lay for me.Can a canary with only one leg (assuming the injured one never heals) still want to mate and lay eggs and raise babies? I'll probably just foster her eggs out to other canaries and maybe leave her one to raise.

[cindy]

This happened with on of my finches, it got it's toe stuck in the tiny gap where the sides meet. I got him safely out and he sat fluffed and did not put his foot doown for a few day...I was home and in the same room when it happened, he was flapping hard, and was upside down.

Give her a heat lamp, keep her warm, put her food and water near her. Take into consideration she might have some leg and muscle soreness....she is just a bit in shock, sore and just needs a few days rest and then hopefully she will be ok. My male was himself within two days and went about building and mating!

[Rowdy Hotel]

It's nice you were close by when it happened. My bird was hanging there for a while because alittle bit of the blood looked dry. It was also in a worse spot, right above the foot and ankle. The foot looked a little pinched at that spot, but again the bone was not broken. Should I rub something onto the wound to keep it from getting infected? is there anything I can buy made specifically for finches?

[L in Ontario]

I agree with Cindy - heatlamp. You could give her some Vitalize or Guardian Angel or NV Powder in her water. These are a boost for when they are stressed.

I'm sure she will be fine after a day or two and I believe she will be able to breed in the future as well.

Do keep us posted on her progress, please.

[Rowdy Hotel]

a heatlamp with a simple incandescent bulb used in homes or does it have to be a red heat bulb for reptiles? the closest pet store is already closed so I won't be able to get one of those till tomorrow. i do believe i have a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter but am not sure where it is and I know that when I used it for bearded dragons which like a hot basking spot.

[L in Ontario]

The ceramic heater would be great. A normal household light bulb if nothing else is available - it will still give off some heat. Place it close to one end of a perch so the bird can go to it to get warm but can also move away from it to cool down.

[G8love4finches]

You can rub a little antibiotic cream on the spot to keep it from getting infected....Let her rest a while, then apply a thin amount...I had a hen with a red swollen foot and never knew what caused it...I applied antibiotic cream daily and did give her antibiotics in her water...She has recovered fully, except she still doesn't grab the perch very well with that foot....They can recover from these injuries, and I plan to breed her next season...Good luck!!

[BigBear0007]

If the leg is broken?
You want to put splint on it, so it heals properly.
Get some little straws that are used in bars to stir drinks.
Take a razer blade and cut it down the one side.
Slip it on the leg, and tape it.
This will keep the leg dtraight and give her some strenth
to stand and balance on the leg.
Leave it on for a week and repalce it, if needed.

Jerry

[Sally]

For now, I would just let her rest, keep her quiet and warm and see if she gets over it without any more treatment. If you are using the 100w ceramic heat lamp, make certain that she can get away from the heat if needed, that puts out quite a bit. A plain incandescent 60w bulb will work, too, but the light will stay on all night. Food and water on the floor of the cage, as Cindy said, so she doesn't have to put out any energy to get to them.

[FeatherHarp]

How is your Canary doing today? Hopefully there is some improvement.

[Rowdy Hotel]

This morning I checked her out and noticed that she was still favoring that leg, obviously. It looks to me like she picked the wound some as there was some blood up on her feathers where she tucks her leg in. She puts weight on it sometimes, but one of her toes is curled in and she can't seem to straighten it which leads me to believe that she's lost nerve sensation or muscle control. If the foot is looking dark by the end of the day it will likely not make it. So antibiotic cream and an antibiotic in the drinking water?

[G8love4finches]

I used Amoxitex in the drinking water with my hen, as well as Polysporin ointment rubbed on her leg....I am not an expert with this, but this is how I treated my hen's injury.....I hope all goes well....Keep us posted on her condition

[kenny]

hi
this just goes to show most people are content with the feeding and drinking of thier birds,you need to inspect thier claws regularly so things like this dont happen if they have the tiniest hook overgrown on the claw it can get caught up on bars nesting material and allsorts,societies are the worst culprits for this ,but canaries are really bad especially when they are young and just growing...i hope she comes out of it ok,but i bet you will check your birds claws more often


ken

[6finchfriends]

Best wishes for your Canary hen's foot I have a young Zebra male that was given to me who is bow legged and his left foot doesn't always work very well. He does fine and seems to not notice. I hope she recovers but it will probably take a few days maybe a couple weeks.

[Rowdy Hotel]

The claws were short, I had just gotten these birds. Hopefully I'll be able to foster some of her eggs out. I don't think I'll be letting her raise some babies if she has only one leg, but who knows. If she learns to get around really well then there's no reason not to, I'll just limit them and not let her feed a whole clutch.