Lost my little friend to egg binding

[GorkaGirl]

I'm just here to speak to a few people, see what I can do better... Because I feel like I failed the bird I lost.
I have Zebra Finches, they eat a good seed mix and frutti patee, which they seem to like.
They also get millet on occasion, fresh water and they have grit and a cuttlebone.
I've tried getting them to eat other fruits and even broken up cooked egg, which I was told they love and go nuts for - but my birds just refused to eat anything but seeds.
Even if I don't give them seed for days, they'll wait.
So, I lost one, to egg-binding, and I want to prevent it.
Given what I have above, do you think the following will help?

1. adding ground egg shells to their grit.
2. adding moultone moulting tonic to their water. This is a solution of Ferric Ammonium Citrate, Calcium, Potassium and Sodium Glycerophosphates.

What else can I do? These fussy li'l dudes DO NOT eat anything - rarely they'll eat cut up dandelion, but not grapes, tomatoes, any form of berry... Nothing. They refuse all I try but seed, so I'm worried for their general health.

[Sally]

So sorry for your loss, but don't beat yourself up, we've all lost birds from time to time. It is always best when having hens to keep some liquid calcium on hand. When they get egg bound, one or two drops directly to the side of the beak can be a lifesaver.

To keep egg binding from happening in the first place, hens need calcium and they need exercise. We can give them calcium in grit, cuttlebone, eggshells, but they need vitamin D3 to utilize that calcium in their bodies. They get D3 from sunlight, from diet (eggs), or from supplements. Since yours are not good at trying a varied diet, I'd add a vitamin supplement that contains D3 or I'd give them a calcium supplement that contains D3 (most of them do these days).

Most of my finches aren't great at eating fruit, and they don't eat all veggies, you will just have to try out different things. Dark leafy greens are great (kale, collard greens), broccoli is also good. Just keep offering them different veggies chopped up very small. With the hard-boiled egg, if they won't eat it mashed up, try putting it through a garlic press so that it looks like worms--that works for some birds.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, where the section on Diet and Nutrition offers lots of advice on feeding. If you put your general location in your profile, it helps when answering locale-specific questions later on.

[GorkaGirl]

Almost forgot, they also get dry mealworms.
They used to like suet too, but they decided suet was not good all of a sudden.
But that was more of a treat, anyway.
Most of the time, they let the male be the test subject for new things - he's bolder and more prone to explore the food bowls as soon as you walk away, so if he doesn't eat it, the others... tended to leave it alone too.

I'll try to find a supplement with calcium and D3 in (my area is pretty lousy for that sorta stuff, means travel) - do you think the moulting solution will help as a stopgap? It's a calcium boost, at least.

Are all finches such personal little guys? I found that my one female would eat grit, but never trusted the cuttlebone, but another tended to sit there carving shapes into the cuttlebone every now and then.

[wildbird]

I have a Java finch female that was just a seed eater. When I got a male that was raised on different foods, she learned to like some of them too. But being a female, I worried about the calcium too. Now they both get Cal-D-Solve, a calcium/magnesium supplement that can be put in water or on food, like the frutti patee. It is put out by Avitech Exotic Birds 800-646-bird. They also get AviVita Gold vitamin supplement sprinkled on their food. Also an Avitech product, 661-245-1013. I find they like Roudybush Nibbles, so give a little of those to them too. Don't ever remove all the seed to try to starve them into eating what you want them to, as they will starve rather than eat some foods. I wouldn't give them the moulting tonic. Sorry for your loss. I hope this helps.

[Corkysgirl]

I have birds that won't eat any greens or fruit but will eat dried greens. I give them Herb Salad. It's loaded with greens that also have calcium in their nutritional ingredients. I would still offer extra calcium as stated above. Here's a link for it. My birds love the parsley also. https://ladygouldian.com/Herb-Salad
https://ladygouldian.com/Health-Greens

[dutch]

GorkaGirl.....indoors?....if so you need d3

Soluvite d breeder...it's brilliant

Also lack of exercise can cause egg binding....post some pics of your cage

[Prism]

Sorry for your loss. In addition to exercise and all the calcium sources mentioned to prevent the problem, I have used Morning Bird Calcium Plus in drinking water or direct to the beak and humidity to help the hen pass the egg. One hen had it so bad and was so weak she didn't resist me and I was able to sit her in her bath for a minute to get her bottom wet. She laid the egg in a few hours.