The band must be part of any captive bred bird, in fact, we must reject unbanded birds as this tool acts as a a bird's identity document since it includes a lot of encrypted information, such as the date of birth, the origin or the breeder's data. The ring assures us that said bird has not been hunted.
The rings can be open or closed and made of different materials such as plastic or aluminum, although experts recommend using closed and aluminum rings with an average height of 5 millimeters. Breeders place the rings about 8 days after birth, since at this time the joints are still elastic and these allow the ring to be inserted without hurting the animal's leg.
After placement, the ring must be supervised to ensure that it does not come off the end and that it does not squeeze the bird's leg either.
The caliber must be adapted to each type of bird and in canaries different diameters can be used:
- 2, 4 - 2, 5mm.
- 2, 9mm.
- 3, 3 - 3, 4 mm.
These variations are due to the different types of canaries that we can find, such as the song, color or posture canary.
It is possible that if the placement or choice of the ring has not been done in the right way, it could squeeze the leg of our canary, which can end up causing serious damage, such as necrosis (gangrene) of the fabric.
Here are the steps you must follow when faced with a canary with a swollen leg due to the ring, to offer you all the information you need you need to know to quickly solve this problem from your home, however, you should know that the most advisable thing is to go urgently to the veterinarian, so the alternatives that we present to you should only be considered in cases of emergency or when for various reasons it is not possible to go to the veterinary clinic.
Image from eljarillero.blogspot.com
It is important Observe your canary to determine its state of he alth, if the ring is tightening its leg excessively you will observe in the area affected swelling and inflammation, including changes in color that would indicate circulation problems.
It is also possible that the affectation is such that you observe that your canary cannot support the affected leg, as we have mentioned previously, this situation is very dangerous for the canary, you will be able to observe that it is even hurting the paw with its beak in an attempt to calm the discomfort.
You must be very careful try to raise the ring, if you do not press the leg excessively you will be able to move the ring to an area of the leg where it is not in excessive contact with the skin, to try to raise the ring you can apply a small amount of Vaselina.
If you manage to raise the ring until the separation between it and the skin is sufficient, you must use specific pliers-type scissors that are sold to cut rings.
Hold the bird with your whole hand to immobilize it, immobilize especially the affected leg, with the other hand you must take the scissors to cut the ring. Of course, if the ring tightens the leg excessively, you should not use scissors.
Imagen of diagnosticoveterinary.com
If the ring does not have any margin of movement, this indicates that the pressure on the canary's extremity is excessive and if it is not acted on time it can cause irreparable damage to the tissue. In these cases you must cut the ring using a small nail clipper
Remember that you must have some skill if you intend to cut the ring off the canary yourself, it is best to go to a professional since experience in previous cases is a great factor that will ensure the success of the removal of the ring.
However, if you cannot go to the vet for whatever reason, you should completely immobilize him (with the help of someone if necessary) and, being extremely carefulso as not to damage your canary's leg, remove the ring slowly and piece by piece until you manage to open it and free the affected limb.
Imagen of diagnosticoveterinary.com
Due to the changes produced in the circulation, it is normal that after removing the ring you notice that your canary continues to bite its leg, it is also possible that in the process of removing the ring you have caused a small wound and even that you have arrived too late and necrosis or incarceration has occurred.
When the canary is calmer, you should apply a Povidone-iodine-based solution to its leg to be able to disinfect the skin and prevent any complications.
In more serious or complex cases, you should go immediately to the exotics vet because he is the specialist who can best help you resolve this situation. Don't skimp on your canary's he alth, it can lead to a bigger problem.
