Aussie Finch Forum

Bluefaced parrotfinch looking scrappy the other day when I was out feeding them: looked dishevelled, poorly groomed, with some adherent matter and a mass about her vent. Finshed feeding and returned to catch her, but couldn't find her.

The next day, saw her looking worse: tail bobbing, reluctant to fly, preferred to run into an impenetrable clump of brush which is full of nests so I was loath to pursue her thither.

Yesterday (day 3) managed to catch her. Some faeces and undigested seed were stuck around her vent, which I cleaned gently with a cotton bud dipped in clean saline. The mass had apparently resolved and she was flying well and not bobbing her tail anymore. I also found some fragments of broken eggshell in the birdbath.

This morning, she was almost indistinguishable from her conspecifics. Some feather loss around her vent, but otherwise bright, tight-feathered and active.

Yes, I should have caught her up on the first day, but sometimes life prevents us from keeping our birds as well as we would like to. As luck would have it, she seems to have come good. It seems to me like egg-binding, which she fixed herself.

My question is:
What is the natural history of eggbinding (i.e: What happens if you do nothing)? Is it usually fatal? Is it often self-limiting?
Is it ever best to leave them to sort it out (eg: in warm environmental conditions, if they can still fly well), or is it always recommended to catch the bird and give it heat and Spark?

Thanks in advance for thoughts...
mm.

I have success when the bird is caught up and given heat and spark, also some sort of lubricant applied around the vent to lubricate the area is beneficial. Egg binding is fatal if the temperature drops or it is consistantly cold. As soon as the egg passes and the bird is eating she can be returned to the aviary. Early intervention is paramount. It also is a chance of worming the bird so I put a drop of conbantrin on their tongue before returning it to its cage.

Egg binding can also be a indication of low calcium levels in the hen affecting her ability to form a shell and the muscles of the reproductive tract to pass the egg. As well as heat and Spark I would consider giving the bird a calcium supplement such as "Calcivet" direct to the beak.

In your case as the bird has overcome the problem I would look at adding additional calcium to diet as a preventative measure for future clutches.

All the best

I must admit that a few times I have caught up birds looking eggbound, put them in a warm box, waited til they looked happy and then released them back into the aviary before they have passed the egg. These hens have then (I assume) gone on to lay these eggs in their nests and successfully raise clutches.

Effect in part it depends on the species, some are more susceptible than others. In long tails, which are prone to egg binding, it is nearly always fatal. Warmth and cod liver oil are among the best solutions, keep the hen isolated and rested for a day or so afterwards if possible.

It's very often a sign of low calcium so we always ensure the bird is given it via the drinking water while it is in the hospital cage - not as effective as directly applying to beak I know but I'd rather not stress a bird that if "caught" early enough will usually make it anyway.

All of the above plus make sure hens are getting plenty of calcium and remember that some green foods cancel the calcium out so you might have to research to see what greens you are feeding so calcium levels are at their proper levels.. And good luck with future breeding of them...

One of the biggest problems with egg-binding is actually how long the bird has been that way - if for a long while then the most important thing is to make sure her crop is full even before dropping her in the hospital cage............imperative we have found and gives the bird the strength to last out a difficult "birth"!.
Age - both very young & very old - is often the birds most at risk.......so despite all preventatives u may stil experience it.

Be a tad wary of water based calcium treatments as u can overdose with it especially on hot days when birds drink it whether they need it or not!! We opt for a good dry calcium mix (one in particular but no prizes there!!) which the birds can access 24/7 so that whoever needs it can get it. Obvious one about water based solutions is do males actually need to be forced to consume copious amounts of calcium?!!

For greens - in a balanced diet u should be fine as long as u don't go mad with silverbeet!! We live in a cold climate yet feed large amounts of Kale which is rich in calcium BUT also in oxalic acid which can leach calcium........all things in moderation.
Yet I know many parrot breeders that will not feed their parrots silverbeet because of the oxalic acid content.
However we never feed spinach to our finches - good for Popeye but not so good for finches we suspect!!!!