Canaries in need of help

[Icpet]

Hi everyone. I have recently adopted a pair of canaries from someone who had them for a long while in pretty bad condition. I am not sure of the age, but they might be about 3 or 5 years old. they were kept in a fairly small cage in a dim lighted kitchen where food was cooked on a daily basis. Apparently, they bred yearly until this spring, when they didn`t lay any egg, after which never trying to build a nest again.
I had them for about 3 days now in a room separate from the rest of my birds for quarantine and noticed they are very kight and have trouble jumping from one perch to another (atrofied muscles maybe?) and are really quiet, letting out only short chirps from time to time, mostly if the lightbulb is turned on in the morning. they do eat fine and are in molt right now

Do you have any tips in putting these birds back on tracks?

 

[Zara]

they were kept in a fairly small cage

have trouble jumping from one perch to another (atrofied muscles maybe?)

It´s likely. That or a nutrition deficiency.. or both.

Do you have any tips in putting these birds back on tracks?

Number one, a vet check up would be good.
A large (wider rather than taller) cage would be good for them, you can line it with some non pilling fleece while they learn to manouver around the cage.
Introducing veggies, some pellets if they don´t already have those as part of their diet. Consult with your vet RE a supplement for vitamins / calcium.

Welcome to the Avenue!

 

[Icpet]

thanks. i have checked in with some vets I know and one recommended some anti mite drops and good care (we suspect they might have air sac mites, as they keep make a clicking sound while sitting)

 

[Rædwalda]

Hi, I would recommend giving them S76 to remove air-sac mites.

Dr Rob Marshall's S76

This will do a thorough job of removing mites, which is something I am sure they need. I have used it for my Canary and 9 Finches. The external drops will not eliminate the problem completely.

I would also get them some vitamin drops for their water, and also Guardian Angel for sick and stressed birds;

Guardian Angel

Also Mycoform, a natural respiratory supplement by Aviform (make sure you get the Cage/Aviary version, as there are different types)

Mycoform - Respiratory supplement

Not sure if you can get these in your country (?) but you may be able to find a similar product. If you tell us roughly where you are located we can help you to find what you need.

They will need a proper Canary seed mix with added protein such as dried mealworms or crickets. Bird greens, dandelion leaf, and eggfood, and of course vegetables, I don't give much fruit, too much sugar. Also definitely need a cuttlefish bone, and occasionally boiled egg with some shell.

Please keep us updated and we can help. Lovely birds, can see they have been neglected though by the dull colouring, bless them.

 

[Rædwalda]

Also I strongly recommend against giving any type of nest or any nesting materials, as egg-laying is very tough on the females, and they are known to die when breeding in small cages as it is too much stress, by the looks of these birds she may well die if she lays another egg, so make sure they sleep only on perches.

 

[Coop]

Giving Ivomec orally is good for air sac mites. And mites would explain the lethargy and trouble moving around. I use liquid (injectable for cattle) Ivomec given orally when needed for parasites in all my birds from the smallest finches to the biggest turkeys, with the blessing of my avian vet. It has a very high safety factor, but you still want to give a small bird the smallest possible dose. The actual formulary dose is 0.2 mg. per kg. bodyweight and can be repeated in 10 to 14 days. It can be diluted with water to get down to an exact dose for a small bird. I use an insulin syringe fitted with a cow teat infusion cannula and just touch the liquid on the tip to the bird's beak. (the cannulas will not fit over a 1 cc oral dosing syringe end). Air sac mites will probably need more than one dose but you should consult with an avian vet if at all possible. I realize not everybody has access to an avian vet. Air sac mites are a lot more common in canaries and finches than people realize, but these days, luckily, they are easy to treat! I can remember when the only cure was either injecting a horse parasite drug into the chest muscle, or keeping the bird in a hospital nebulizer cage for extended inhalation treatment. Modern medicines are wonderful!