Save Your Canary
From Canary Illness

These are the first actions you should take in

defense against canary illness.

Canary Illness

 
So, you suspect your pet canary may not be feeling well? 

Having a sick canary is bad enough but NOT KNOWING what illness to treat is even worse.

What's The Problem?

It can be incredibly difficult to know what kind of illness your bird has...

He could be suffering from a bacterial infection, a fungal infection, or a viral infection. In addition to those 3, there could be plenty of other things that are making your canary bird look sick, too.

Canary Illness and Low Stress Comfort

Before you call the vet...

Before you start giving him medicines...

Before you even try to figure out what is ailing him...

Quarantine Your Bird

If you have other birds sharing the same cage you should...

***Quarantine or Isolate Your Canary Immediately.** 

You don't want other birds to catch whatever it is he has. 

So, if you have more than one canary let the sick bird have his own cage. This will prevent spreading of the canary illness plus, being isolated will give him plenty of opportunity to rest in...

Low Stress Peace and Quiet

***A Place That is Quiet and Peaceful.***

Canaries are high stress birds.  They're always on edge. 

Provide a place without sudden noises or lots of movement or activity taking place.  Maybe a warm bedroom in the back of the house or the master bath. 

If the weather is nice and moderate a screened in porch will give him some fresh air and sunshine...always a good thing. (Only on a WARM day though...see below.)

Remember...he needs calm healing relaxation.  His immune system does a much better job when there is little stress. 

If you can't move your canary to a separate room, at least cover his cage to try and reduce stimuli.

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This next one is super important...

Warmth For Canary Illness

***Keep Him Warm.***

A canary illness will strip your canary of body heat.  I'm assuming here that your canary is exhibiting one of the most common
symptoms-->sitting still, all hunched up with his feathers fluffed up, and not singing. He's trying to keep warm.

sick canary

But...

Even if he doesn't look chilled you can still provide him with some warmth.  It will make him feel better and will speed the healing process.

Your best option for applying warmth is a...

HOSPITAL CAGE.

These special cages are made specifically for sick birds who need to be separated from other birds and who need warmth. 

They're built with lights installed, or a small heat emitter, usually in a separate compartment.  A temperature gauge on the side of the cage lets you know how warm things are-->85-90 degrees Fahrenheit is about right for fighting canary illness.

Most hospital cages are built and used by breeders for their own private use who have a lot of birds around.  For the average Josephine Canary-Owner it is a luxury...not a necessity.  

If you can find a bird hospital cage for sale it's going to cost you hundreds of dollars. 

Hospital Cage for Canary Illness

HEATERS AND PADS

A more affordable way to provide heat for a sick bird is to use a "bird heater" or a household heating pad. 

They're both more readily available and easy to use. 

The bird heater is a brilliant idea, just place in the cage with your canary and plug it in. It provides gentle heat that your bird can snuggle up to or even stand on.

You may already have a basic heating pad in your home for taking care of those aching muscles. Just place it on the floor, over to one side of the cage, place a cloth on top to keep it clean, and let your bird stand on it or as near to it as he feels comfortable.

You can also drape the heating pad over one side of the cage to create a little heated nook near a perch.

Another way Miss. Canary-Owner can provide gentle healing heat is to use a...

HOUSEHOLD LAMP

Try placing a cloth over 1/2 of his cage and placing a directional lamp WITH incandescent OR halogen bulbs (fluorescent bulbs don't generate enough heat) on the other side of the cloth outside of the cage. Close enough that he can feel the warmth but...

Not TOO close...I don't want you to burn your house down...

Try to use a very heavy dark cloth. 

You don't want any bright light coming through the cloth.  Too much light can throw your sick canary into an early molt...further exasperating matters. 

For this reason I really don't like using household lamps.  You're forced to turn it off at night because of the light...unless you cover the entire cage with the cloth.

Also--and this is my preferred method--you can use a...

CERAMIC HEATING LAMP

A ceramic lamp puts out heat but NO light. This is ideal because--like I just said--being exposed to too much light could cause an off-season molt and that would just make his problems worse.

You really should have a ceramic lamp on hand at all times. Sometimes warmth is ALL you need to cure a canary illness. If you don't have one please get one ASAP.

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You'll also want to make sure he has plenty of...

Food and Water

***Fresh Food and Water.***

Make sure he has plenty of seed, fresh water, and his favorite treat. Careful with the treats though.  Just use common sense...If your sick canary has diarrhea don't feed him greens.

Good wholesome treats are best...like

• dry oatmeal
• cooked rice
• fruit.

Although a sweet treat like a honey stick or sugar water can perk-up your sick bird...go easy on the sweets.  There is little nutritional value in them.

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Kaytee Songbird Treat Jar -- Canary & Finch 9 oz

Higgins 3 Pack of Sunburst Soak n' Sprout Seeds with Quinoa for Small Birds, 3 Ounces Each

Once you have your canary

1. isolated
2. relaxed
3. warm and
4. well fed...

...it would be a VERY good idea to give him some medication to help him fight off this canary illness.

What medications should a canary owner use? Glad you asked. 

First of all-->Get yourself a ceramic lamp like we talked about above.  It is a form of medicine all on it's own and literally can be a life-saver for your canary. Warmth is so important.

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Morning Bird Probiotics, Live Microbial Food Supplement for Young and Adult Birds, Enhances The Natural Intestinal Microbe Balance, 3 oz

Goodwinol Vet Rx - Bird - 2 oz

Hemp Well Bird Hemp Oil –Reduces Feather Plucking, Suppresses Destructive Behavior and Promotes Relaxation, Immune Support, Organically Sourced – 2 Ounces

Whether a virus or bacterial infection or some other canary illness...there are a few things you can give your sick bird to fight the enemy and hopefully-->Win the War On Canary Sickness.

Click here to learn what canary illness medications you should ALWAYS have on hand AND when to use them.

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