r/Canaries

About two weeks ago, my canary started losing feathers on its right cheek, and the skin became increasingly red. I drove three hours to an animal hospital to see an avian specialist.

The vet told me it’s a severe case of dermatitis (skin inflammation). They said the feathers might never grow back, and in the worst-case scenario, it could even be fatal.

I was prescribed some powdered medication at the clinic and also picked up some Nekton supplements on my way home.

My house is quite old, so mold and dust tend to build up easily, even though I clean often. I feel so guilty thinking that my home environment might have caused this.

I checked my other birds just in case.

Looking at them, they don’t seem to have any serious problems.

However, my Gouldian finchs have some feather loss on their faces, so I’m planning to take them to the vet soon

I really hope it’s not a severe case of dermatitis for them as well.

It looks like I’ll end up spending my entire paycheck on vet bills this month.

Some time ago I asked you for advice about the cage setup, so I made some adjustments, removed long perch, and now McGregor enjoys his exercises twice a day, flying from one corner to another. Thanks to everyone who commented and advised!

He also started singing much more, either because there’s more sun outside or because he’s happy with his “Hilton” 🤣

Ignore the nails, we’re getting them done tonight.

(sorry for the bad video quality, I didn't want to approach them lol)

She used to do this sound when I approached her to changer the food/water but now she is doing it more frequently and I'm not sure why. Is it maybe because of the season? I'm really not sure. My male canary is starting to sing more often, maybe she's trying to imitate him, lol?

Also, since my last post, I started letting them fly in the room all day everyday and they quite like it. I also bought new toys, perches (that are better for their feet) and food (pellets) for them! They'll all arrive next week.