Special Needs Finch Ideas

[flrancho]

I ended up buying a poor little male Java finch today with no toes at all on one of his feet. To make a long story short, the bird was going to be destroyed.

He seems to get along well, but I'm trying to figure out something I can rig up to give him flat roosting areas so he doesn't have to stand on his bum foot all the time. I don't want to use a nest as I don't want to encourage breeding in my other Javas. The cage is also made of wood and plastic mesh, so it eon't support the weight of anything heavy. Thoughts on things I can use for an alternative rooting place?

[Zebrafincher]

Try cuttlefish. I have a Zebbie at the moment who has an issue with perching and i"ve placed several flat ones around the cage verically which he seems to like. You could also try a flat wooden piece of wood cut to size - this worked for a previous canary who had renal issues and was fluttering around on one foot.

Both require regular cleaning (as finches LOVE pooping) but birds seem to adapt pretty well. I also have a red faced star finch who cannot fly. He gets around on two very fat perches I got from the vet and also has two small ladders he can climb. They adjust quite well.

[cindy]

If you go to Home Depot or Lowe's in the wood dept they have dowel that are flat, square instead of round.

WalMart, craft dept. has flat rectangle pieces of wood that you can use as a roosting spot in a corner.

[tinysparrow]

i used to have a zebra hen with no foot on one side. i miss her, as she didn't live very long with me, since i adopted her when she was older. she was one of the best little hens i've ever had.

i found that she was able to balance herself pretty well on manzanita perches. especially the ones with multiple little twigs sticking out of them, as she would put her body on the big branch using the good foot, and place her side without the foot on one of the little twigs. i always looked for manzantias that had "Y" shaped branches, so she could use the "Y" for balancing.

[30 Seconds to Bob]

I have a canary with one foot. I bought this tiny 3-tier wire shelf from Big Lots for about $2.00. I believe it's meant to hold spices. I cut off one 10 inch by 3 inch tier (using bolt cutters) and bent the legs around to form a hanger. I hung this near the top of the cage and my canary spends about 80% of his time there. - he even sings from it! It took him a while to accept this perch and I had to tempt him with sprey millets. Now I don't know if he could live happily without it. I'll post a pic (tomorrow) if you want me to, but the birds are asleep now and the cage is covered. P.S. Great job in taking in the handicapped java and trying to provide him with a good home. Bob

[lovemyfinch]

I have a zebbie named Champ...who is missing 1 foot all together and only has 2 toes on the other. Being as how he had been born and fledged in the aviary I had never added anything extra for support, he has always gotten around famously. He does enjoy every once in a while however, to go over and perch on the v-shaped branch to take a nap.