Wasting (the bird wastes away) in canaries and finches

Cause: A sign, not a disease: causes include megabacteria, coccidia and atoxoplasma, tuberculosis, worms, Candida, and insufficient food · Type: Husbandry

Other names: Wasting، The bird is thinning، Knife breast

Symptoms

• The breastbone is prominent like a knife
• The bird eats but wastes away
• Fluffed-up appearance

How it spreads

Depends on the cause.

Diagnosis

A fecal test (mega, coccidia, worms) and necropsy of any bird that dies.

Treatment

Do not treat randomly; know the cause first and treat it. (All under veterinary supervision.)

Prevention

Quarantine, a regular fecal test, and good food.

Season

Year-round

Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.

Other diseases

• Egg binding
• Chronic egg laying
• Egg yolk peritonitis
• Cloacal prolapse
• Feather plucking
• Overgrown claws and beak
• Heatstroke / heat stress
• Cold stress in adult birds and chicks

Sources

• merckvetmanual.com
• merckvetmanual.com
• KB (not web-verified this session): widely repeated aviculture/breeder consensus; treat with stated confidence
• merckvetmanual.com
• merckvetmanual.com