Deformed feet on fledgling zebras

[Nightfeathers]

First of all, hi all! I haven't posted in a couple years. Computer issues, replaced it, lost the address. Lots of fun lol. I was trying to find some information on a problem I'm having and ran across this place again.

I have a pair of zebras who I am certain are unrelated. They had a clutch of babies. 6 hatches, and now there are 6 fledglings! There are 4 who are doing beautifully and juuust about ready to be separated from the parents. I'm letting them hang out a while longer to make sure they are fully weaned, but they fly around like it's nothing now.

The other 2 though are having problems. Neither one can fly first off. I can't be sure if that's due to a wing abnormality or just that they haven't left the nest much. Both of them have deformed feet.

The first, a white poofball of a baby with just a small grey patch on top of his head, seems to have the hind toe on his left foot curled round. It sits more like thumb if you put your hand flat on the table. He can put weight on it, I've seen him perching on the bars at the bottom of the cage. However aside from that he doesn't put any weight on it. He just sort of toddles around on one leg. He tries to fly a lot, but so far has not lifted off the ground. He does preen himself though and act pretty lively. He likes to watch everyone else around him too.

The second is a grey pied, and he is the worst of the two. He doesn't try to fly really. He just wants to sit beneath whomever is near. His left foot has the toes partly fused though the leg seems fine. The right one the foot itself seems normal but the leg is twisted sideways.

They are almost fully feathered, both of them. I took out the bars on the bottom of the cage so they could walk on solid ground, and I have seed and water available to them too. I am very much hoping they will start eating on their own but so far I have seen no evidence of that. I fear the grey one may not make it given his general lack of effort, but the white one might.

Unfortunately they are all parent raised so I only saw the problem in the last couple of days. Has anyone figured out anything that I could do to maybe help give them a better chance? I've seen information on splinting legs, but in this case I am not sure that would help and I'm afraid it might even hurt. Any advice would be super helpful just now.

[Angeldov222]

hi, i just lost a little zebra, he had deformed feet. and he was very small........he possibly had other problems. maybe try to put cotton in between the toes ?? i dont know, mine just seemed like an abnormality my littls zebra was born with.....keep us posted

[Sally]

If they aren't quite fully feathered, it makes me wonder if they aren't way behind the other four. This could come from not being fed as much as the others, so they are developing slower. The foot/leg abnormalities could possibly come from overcrowding in the nest--again, the littlest ones being squashed and crowded by the bigger ones. I don't know that there is much you can do at this point, but I would make sure there is food and water on the floor of the cage, which you are already doing. Spray millet and eggfood are two items that appeal to babies. If the parents aren't feeding enough, these two may start sampling food on their own. As far as the handicaps, finches do quite well at coping with them.

[Nightfeathers]

The millet was devoured overnight lol. I assume that was mostly the rest, but I have seen the white one pecking about at stuff so I am hopeful. The little grey has gotten more active too, peeping and flapping some. I did notice both are smaller than their siblings, so they might possibly grow into their wings still. *fingers crossed*

[Nightfeathers]

Well the grey one didn't survive the night unfortunately. His crop was empty but I dont know that it means anything. He could have just stopped begging when he started feeling too bad. The white is doing well still so we'll see how it goes.

[Sally]

So sorry the littlest one didn't make it. Often, with these runts, the parents just stop feeding them. It seems cruel, but it is survival of the fittest, which keeps the species going. It is an instinctive thing with the parents. Sometimes you can handfeed a fledgling, but it is very difficult, they don't want to beg or open their beaks for your food, and it is especially easy to aspirate them in the attempt.

[debbie276]

So sorry for your loss