What type of canary was I obsessed with?

[chirpy]

Yearssss ago when I was 14 I worked at a local pet shop.
My boss Michael and Rose were really amazing with animals and had the vet on call whenever an animal was sick and they had a very nice hospital cage for birds who were ill. When I look back to how they treated the birds I am at awe at how much they cared for them.. they would give them medication if needed (not sure what they were back then - im sure she told me but i don't remember that far back lol) and always explained to me in detail about what illness they had and how I had to be very very careful with them.

ANYWAY.
There was this sweet little canary. I really wanted him.. but my mom really didnt appreciate pet birds (wild ones she likes) since she cant get away from their singing (lol.. oh geez.)

His characteristics were:
He was a plumpy looking guy, very round.. not slender like a yellow canary. like a ball almost.
He had yellow and green feathers.
The green was like a moss color.
The yellow was not as vibrant as a yellow canary.
It seemed as though he had a dark brown in there as well.

I want to get one exactly like him one day.. (he passed away one day in the hospital cage at work) but I don't know what kind he was. I hope you all can help me

[Beaker'sMom]

Maybe he was a Border canary? They tend to be more round. As for the coloring, I can't help you there…some interesting color morph perhaps?

[Pukasand]

Perhaps it was a Green Singer.

[chirpy]

It seems as though it is the Norwich!

I found a pic... I dont know what coloring s/he would be
here is the link:

http://www.unclemikespetworld.ie/images ... canary.jpg

Many thanks

[30 Seconds to Bob]

My first thought (before you even posted the link) was Norwich. They look like canaries on steroids. Next thought was that a lot of the canaries I see in big chain pet stores are so sick they spend the whole day puffed up like little tennis balls. Mistakenly cute to the unsuspecting buyer. Bob

[chirpy]

30 Seconds to Bob lol canary on steroids LOL

Are Norwich canaries hard to find? and what coloring do you think he is.. or are they all this color? I liked the "muddy" messy colorings he has. They are so plump and fat looking - is this just feathers or are they more meaty?

The local pet stores are pretty good with canaries.. well birds in general.

btw, how come pet stores have lots of sick birds? is it the stressful environment? their diets?

[30 Seconds to Bob]

I've only seen Norwich canaries offered a couple of times at large canary shows. They are much more popular in Europe.
My theory on why a lot of canaries look so poorly in pet stores is as follows: Every time I see them, they usually have a dish full of uneaten pellets. These birds were probably raised on seed, and someone told the store manager thay are better off feeding pellets. Without doing a proper transition, they ignore the pellets and eat nothing but millet. Result - malnourishment and death. The extended daylight hours and stress of all the people walking by doesn't help much either JMO. Bob

[chirpy]

30 Seconds to Bob
Oh darn.. so I probably wont be able to find them they are cute! I guess if they are so rare even if I did find them they are probably expensive.

That's so sad that a lot of it is caused by what could be prevented. Poor little things. I went just yesterday to petsmart as we were in the store next to it and my daughter wanted to go.. they seem to do pretty good with birds they always have new ones.. though the more expensive parrots and such are there for months or even a year.