downtownbirdie
Moving in
- Joined
- 5/17/19
- Messages
- 14
- Real Name
- Susan
Hello everyone- so glad you are here!!
A month ago, in April, my beloved male canary Baby just didn’t seem himself - he was making loud (new) chirps, lightly fluffing and had a pasted vent, so we rushed him to the vet. We have had him for almost 4 years - he is a 2014 bird sold to us as a male. He had had a dirty vent in February and was treated for a mild yeast infection so we were concerned it recurred.
Tests showed nothing wrong, but he still continues to fluff up in quiet moments and started shredding paper and nesting. Our vet thought we were nuts, but we insisted on feather DNA testing him — and yep, today we learned “he” is a GIRL!
Here’s the problem: Should Baby have laid the eggs by now?
(S)he’s been acting odd for about a month. Her latest “symptom” started in the last week —- she straddles two perches that are side by side but 2-3 inches apart. She puts one foot on each — it looks like she is doing a split in the air - her legs out completely. It’s weird! When she does this, she also seems like she is in a trance or asleep with her eyes open. I can reach out and almost touch her before she “wakes up”... She sits in her nest too, but no eggs yet. Now I am TERRIFIED she is egg bound.
She has always been a healthy bird, but because we believed she was male, I am not sure if we have supplemented her calcium enough. She eats mostly ABBA 1700 and 3700 seed. We always provided Zupreem Fruit pellets because she liked to eat some, but I switched that to Harrison’s recently. We always gave her a vitamin drop in her water every day that had some calcium. She also gets a spoonful of a veggie each day - mostly broccoli, carrots, cauliflower or a sprinkle of dried kale. She always has hical grit and ground oyster shell but I don’t know how much she eats. She won’t touch a cuttlebone. She gets egg food as a treat a couple times a week. We are now adding a drop of Calcibird to her water too.
How long before I need to worry that she hasn’t laid her eggs?
Is that enough calcium?
Is there anything else I should do?
I love Baby SO much, and am really frightened. I lost an egg bound pigeon years ago but am not sure I’d know the signs in a canary...i only know to take care of a MALE canary!
Thank you for any advice.
A month ago, in April, my beloved male canary Baby just didn’t seem himself - he was making loud (new) chirps, lightly fluffing and had a pasted vent, so we rushed him to the vet. We have had him for almost 4 years - he is a 2014 bird sold to us as a male. He had had a dirty vent in February and was treated for a mild yeast infection so we were concerned it recurred.
Tests showed nothing wrong, but he still continues to fluff up in quiet moments and started shredding paper and nesting. Our vet thought we were nuts, but we insisted on feather DNA testing him — and yep, today we learned “he” is a GIRL!
Here’s the problem: Should Baby have laid the eggs by now?
(S)he’s been acting odd for about a month. Her latest “symptom” started in the last week —- she straddles two perches that are side by side but 2-3 inches apart. She puts one foot on each — it looks like she is doing a split in the air - her legs out completely. It’s weird! When she does this, she also seems like she is in a trance or asleep with her eyes open. I can reach out and almost touch her before she “wakes up”... She sits in her nest too, but no eggs yet. Now I am TERRIFIED she is egg bound.
She has always been a healthy bird, but because we believed she was male, I am not sure if we have supplemented her calcium enough. She eats mostly ABBA 1700 and 3700 seed. We always provided Zupreem Fruit pellets because she liked to eat some, but I switched that to Harrison’s recently. We always gave her a vitamin drop in her water every day that had some calcium. She also gets a spoonful of a veggie each day - mostly broccoli, carrots, cauliflower or a sprinkle of dried kale. She always has hical grit and ground oyster shell but I don’t know how much she eats. She won’t touch a cuttlebone. She gets egg food as a treat a couple times a week. We are now adding a drop of Calcibird to her water too.
How long before I need to worry that she hasn’t laid her eggs?
Is that enough calcium?
Is there anything else I should do?
I love Baby SO much, and am really frightened. I lost an egg bound pigeon years ago but am not sure I’d know the signs in a canary...i only know to take care of a MALE canary!
Thank you for any advice.
