Can Gouldian break other finches leg?

[yamato]

G'day,
Came home last night to find one of my Gouldians on the floor with some bleeding from the upper leg (where leg joins body) and the leg obviously broken and twisted. When I approached the cage, the injured bird flew up onto the perch and the other Gouldian aggresively pecked at it's head and physically knocked it off the perch.

I am not sure how the finch injured it's leg, I can't see anywhere in the cage where it could have caught it's foot, the neighbours do have an annoying cat that pays visits...can not reach in the cage at all however may have spooked the birds possibly.

The injured bird has been seperated into a hospital cage as is doing really well, alert, jumping from perch to perch, eating etc.

I have a couple of questions:
is it possible that the other Gouldian could have attacked it to the extent that it broke it's leg and drew blood? They have not shown any signs of aggresion to each other upto this stage.
is it ok to put the bird back in the same cage when it has recovered or should I not risk putting the birds together again?
what other things could have caused the injury? (i know it's impossible to say for sure but there may be things I haven't thought of that could prevent a repeat).

Cheers,

[GregH]

The injured bird probably broke the leg by having it caught up on something (especially if it’s rung) or by colliding with a fixture. While cruel, the picking by the other birds is actually quite adaptive. The injury puts the bird on the lowest rung of the pecking order as it's flock mates try to force it to go away as an injured bird is likely to attract predators. You need to remove the bird from the aviary and confine it so that it moves as little as possible. Shock and blood loss (if not too severe) are treated by giving rehydration solution (like Spark) and keeping it warm - even on a warm day a bird will lose heat if the ambient temperature is less than body temperature. If your bird's leg looks viable then a trip to the vet may be warranted so you can get it properly assessed. How much you value the bird will determine what level of intervention you will be prepared to pay for. The heart sometimes over rules the head but you need to at least be told if it's suffering and don't count on it breeding again. That said sometimes things work out well and I hope it does for you this time.

[gomer]

I would think if it has a leg ring it is very possible it has caught it on something like brush or alike.I have found a few birds over the years with broken or a dislocated leg due to this.Most often they are found in the morning, still trying to take off with the leg still caught in brush or wire ? This may have happened to yours as Greg has mentioned, and it has managed to get out of what it was caught on before you found it.

[djb78]

It could also be possible that a wild bird might have attacked it if it was on the wire. Can't say for sure as I don't know how covered or where the cage is placed, but if at all possible that a wold bird can get to it it might he another thought to those previously mentioned.

[yamato]

Thanks for the quick replies. Much appreciated. The cage is often swooped/attacked by Indian Mynahs and recently a butcherbird has made an appearance too. That could definetly be a cause. I have now covered the cage with extra netting to minimise any spaces for beaks, claws to get in.

The bird is doing well by itself. Is it possible to get a single other friendly finch eg. society/bengalese finch to keep it company when recovered or is it likely that any healthy bird will attack the injured bird?