Subtle signs of...something (worried)

[sandri_90]

Hi, I need some opinion on a matter. I have noticed some physical changes on my female canary and I’m getting a little worried. I’ll be going to the vet, but given the fact that I live in a poorly developed country, I have to have some ideas as to what the problem really is, in order to talk to the vet.
I’m suspecting it’s a mite problem, but it looks nothing like the photos I saw on avian care websites. They are more subtle.

Important: a few days ago she injured her left leg. I was afraid it was broken, but it was just a sprain, I think. She favoured it for a few days, not sitting on it. But she could move it and sit on it if she needed to, the toes were fine, there were no cracking sounds and no blood – it was just a little swollen and it looked weird (I’m going to described that in a moment). Her leg is fine now, she is using it normally and I don’t think she is in pain anymore.

Good signs:
She’s very active
She’s eating, playing and flying around with the others

(It can't be a nutritional deficiency, I'm taking good care of them and feeding them properly, they shouldn't be missing any vitamins or minerals)

Bad signs:
She lost some feathers around her eyes (around the time the chicks have fledged, she was very stressed - honestly, I could tell that she was!)
Her beak looks scaly
And also, only her left leg looks weird. It’s like it has scales, but because it was the one she injured I also tend to think it’s just the sprain… Arghhh, I’m getting frustrated!

Here are some pictures. So... is it mites or something else? I would be so very grateful if you could give me some insight.
Thank you in advance!

P.S. In the first and the last picture she just had just taken a bath, that's why she's all... fluffy.

[Sally]

Though I can't tell from the photos, there is the possibility of scaly face/leg mites. Many of the photos on the internet are of birds in the advanced stages, it won't look like that in the early stages. If you are taking the bird to a vet, he/she can take scrapings and see the mites with a microcrope. Here is an article that may help:

http://www.finchinfo.com/health/disease ... _mites.php

[sandri_90]

Sally Thank you! I will talk to the vet tomorrow.

[monotwine]

sorry duplicate post.

[monotwine]

To be honest your bird looks real healthy. When is she due to moult? She might just be starting to moult so you seeing some feather loss around the eye.
What I think you are seeing on her leg is the outcome from her earlier leg trauma. If say she got her leg caught up in the bars and managed to free herself the swollen injury would have caused the skin to be damaged too. It might now just be the leg's new skin coming through and shedding the old injured stuff off. A mite infection can look like that, but I think its too coincidental around an injury too. Have you had any new birds or things that could have brought mites? Mites make the leg hot and red initially and then swollen and red or crusty at advanced stages.

You could give her a precautionary mite treatment, e.g. Scatt / moxidectin, to be on the safe side. It would do no harm, but honestly I don't think she looks bad at all. If she were my bird I'd give her a few weeks of rest to see what is happening with leg. If she looks like she still has issues, I'd then give her mite treatment. You would have to give mite treatment to all your birds if you wanted to be sure to stop any possible infection.

[Corkysgirl]

sandri_90 She looks like my bird that I got that came with a very mild case of scaly mites. It was just a little like that around the eyes. Here feet looked a tiny bit not so shiny as my birds usually look but I know your birds, how they usually look so well, so if you're seeing any scales at all on the beak, feet then I really do suspect scaly mites. Is she scratching more than usual? I know there are different meds where you live so I'm not sure what the names of them would be. The vet I'm sure will take a scraping as Sally said and you'll know for sure. Even if her foot seems better make sure they look at it tomorrow to see if she may have injured it. I know how things always go away....just until you leave the doctor's office.

[exile]

So what did it turn out to be? It would be very helpful to me and others...Tom

[Corkysgirl]

I was wondering also sandri_90, and also wondering how you are doing as you haven't been around in a while. I miss you and your amazing birds and pictures!

[adoumski]

Hi sandri_90 I would love to know what the vet said.
Im having the same sort of issue and its been going on for a while. I was advised to do treatment for trichonomisis and it didnt seem to work on this pair, my mosaic hen got better for a while on it but Now she looks like ur bird.
Currently im doing invermictin drops on the neck every 2 weeks.
I do suspect mites as you can see the toe nails are disfigured.

[sandri_90]

adoumski She didn't have mites and it wasn't something more serious either. I tend to be a little paranoid when it comes to my birds They were entering their molting phase, and my female apparently experienced it the worst. I got them some anti mite strips, just in case. You put them around the perch and they look like this.

She is completely healthy now, her legs are back to normal I tend to be a little paranoid when it comes to my birds

@Corkysgirl I haven't took any more pictures of them lately because the weather was so hot here that it would've been a shame to have them inside the house through the summer. The are outside every day; I'm lucky that I have a terrace here, even though I live in an apartment building

[Corkysgirl]

sandri_90 I'm happy to hear you are okay and your canary is doing fine. Paranoid is good! I never saw those strips before. That's great you're getting warm weather. It's been like fall here. A weird summer. I'll look forward to pictures when they come. Getting a new parakeet tomorrow for my Jo Jo...finally. I hope it's a girl!

[sandri_90]

Corkysgirl Yaaay! What kind? Can I see a pic?

[Corkysgirl]

This is my Jo Jo flirting with and singing to the parakeet on the bird seed bag. I don't even use that seed any more but can't throw away his first love! The yellow parakeet (not sure which one it is) is just weaned. We tease and call it parakitty because of a video Jo Jo watches.

[adoumski]

sandri_90 its good to hear they didnt have mites.

[sandri_90]

Oooooooh! That is so sweet! And they're budgies too! I had 5 budgies in high school and they were wonderful. I bought 4 budgies (over time) and the 5th one just appeared in our yard, out of nowhere, flying around the grape vine. My grandma caught him and brought him inside, he was deep blue.