Lady Gouldian Finches | Issues

Meadowlark Farms

Lady Gouldian Finches - About Your Bird's Feet

My own personal experience has taught me what to look for when I think my birds are
sick. Their feet are the first place I start.

White or pale feet: They should NOT be pale as if all the color has gone out of them. If this is the case, your bird may have
internal bleeding (perhaps it hit a wall when it escaped, or was injured during entanglement or a bad fight - something may be
broken). Unless you take this bird to an avian vet immediately, it WILL die. A bird with white or pale feet may also be
suffering from a very intense case of blood mites. Blood mites suck your birds blood, first making them anemic (their feet will
turn yellow), then so weak they can no longer replace their red blood cells at all. If your bird is infected with mites and has
gotten to the point where it's feet are pale or white, they must be treated immediately or your bird will die. It has been my
experience that white or pale feet is an indicator that the bird is near death, if they've gotten to this point, it is often too late to
save them.

All types of mites carry other diseases (protozoal, bacterial, other parasites and mites). If your bird's feet are changing
colors, chances are they are sick or carrying a parasite and need immediate attention! If you are not able to perform your
own fecal scans or grams stains and think your bird may be infected, take them to your vet immediately and request a
screening.

I'm going to go out on a limb here (no pun intended). The reason I say this is because I have never read
about what I am going to discuss below, nor have I heard any other breeder speak of it. This is purely an
instinct thing coming from my own personal experience and gut feelings. I have no basis on which to
make these assumptions other than what I've witnessed in my own birds, my experience with these
diseases, and what I have seen in my own bird room over the course of nearly 10 years. Again, this is
merely my opinion and not backed by any official studies.

I cannot reiterate enough - I am NOT and Avian Veterinarian. If you think your bird is sick, take it to an
Avian Veterinarian for treatment immediately!

In my experience, a bird's feet are a very good indicator of health. Look at your bird's feet. They should
be nicely pink, but not overly so. The scales should be smooth and not raised or overly rough. If the
color is off or the scales are raised and/or rough, your bird has something going on and it probably isn't
good!

Yellow feet: It has been my experience that a bird whose feet are yellow has a liver or kidney problem. I have found that in most cases, it has
been from over medicating hence damaging the liver and kidneys. In other cases, the birds have had protozoal infections. Some protozoa will get
into the liver causing a "jaundice" or yellow appearance in the bird's feet. It is extremely important that you test or have your bird tested for liver
and kidney function, and screened for protozoan infections. If it is a protozoan infection affecting your bird's kidneys or liver, your birds droppings
may be off. By that I mean they may look green and tacky, or even mostly white. The white part of your bird's droppings are the urates - urine. If
your bird's kidneys are functioning properly, it's droppings will be firm, medium brown to dark brown, with a small amount of white at one end. A bird
whose kidneys or liver aren't functioning properly will usually have larger (or longer) droppings that are just not right. The color may be very pale
or yellowish, or very dark or green. Sometimes they can be tacky - like tar - an often they will smell bad. Again, liver and kidney damage isn't
something to mess with. If you want your bird to survive, it is imperative you get your yellow-footed bird to an Avian Vet for a full screening.

Red feet: If you bird has red feet (meaning more than just pink) there is probably some type of internal thing going on - perhaps a bacterial
infection or your bird is gearing up to protect itself from some kind of parasite. When their feet are red, it usually means they have a fever - over
their already very high normal temperature - which means they are trying to produce more white cells to protect their system. It means their body is
trying to fend off something that is attacking from within.

However, it can also be a sign that they have some type of irritation such as mites. For signs of mites, see the External Parasite link.

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