My 12-year-old canary won’t keep one eye open. Need advice
Hi everyone. I’m looking for advice about my 12-year-old canary.
For the past few days, he has been keeping one eye closed most of the time. Sometimes he opens it briefly, but then closes it again immediately, as if it bothers him or hurts.
He is still very active: eating normally, moving around, perching well, and behaving like usual. No major behavior changes.
At first we thought it could be an infection because he scratches around that area sometimes. We carefully cleaned around the eye and applied a very small amount of Gentalyn around the outside area (not directly inside the eye). The next day the eye looked a bit swollen but seemed slightly better. However, now it’s still mostly closed.
We also improved his diet:
- carrots
- apples
- quality seeds
- cuttlebone
- occasional lettuce (dried well)
- fresh water changed often
No obvious breathing issues at the moment.
I’m worried because of his age and because exotic vets are very far from where I live. Does this look/sound more like:
- conjunctivitis?
- eye injury?
- mites?
- irritation?
- something more serious?
What would you recommend doing safely at home until I can possibly reach a specialist?
(Photo attached)