Wing, upper leg, and toe breaks should be allowed to heal with no assistance other than seeing that the bird is not disturbed. Breaks in the lower leg can often be set and splinted successfully with thin cotton padding on the leg and pieces of toothpicks bound snugly with cotton thread, but not so tightly as to cut off circulation.
Always remove the swing and all high perches from the cage, and arrange food and water so that the bird can get at them with as little movement as possible.
BROKEN FEATHERS
When tail and flight feathers are broken, they will grow in again at once if they are carefully pulled out. If it is near the regular moulting season, it is advisable to let them be shed naturally.
CHILLS AND COLDS
A chill or a cold in a canary is recognized by the bird sneezing and sitting with its feathers puffed up. Sometimes there is hoarseness, and if the nasal discharge is very heavy there may be complete loss of voice, temporarily. The cold will usually work itself off if the bird is given reasonable care. Sometimes, however, if the bird is in a more or less rundown condition and the infection is strong, a more serious condition such as pneumonia will result quickly.
Keep the bird free from drafts, and locate the cage where the temperature is as even as possible and warm rather than cold. Return to a regular diet with plenty of green foods. If the room cools off at night, cover the cage and avoid awakening the pet at night. Test for the presence of mites. If some are found, treat as directed under “[Mites].” Observe the droppings and make adjustments in the food if they are not normal as explained under “Constipation and Diarrhoea” below.
In addition to ten drops of French’s Iron Compound in the drinking water daily, feed a teaspoonful of egg food, fresh each day.
CONSTIPATION AND DIARRHOEA
Constipation is a digestive disturbance usually caused by feeding an insufficient quantity of green foods. The correction is to give a variety of green foods, including sprouted seed, regularly. Lettuce, sweet apple, Chickweed, watercress, and dandelion are beneficial. Green food should always be crisp, clean and fresh. When a bird is being fed generous amounts of fresh green foods, the natural result will be more liquid droppings. This should not be confused with diarrhoea, a condition in which the droppings are usually excessively watery.