Not splinting okay?

If you browse the conure forum here you might have already seen my posts about the conure I have reserved from a breeder.

The breeder told me last Friday (March 14th) that my baby had gotten his leg stuck between some cage bars and she thought the leg might be broken.

She's holding one of the next clutch for me just in case this injury doesn't heal well.

I heard from her late last night and she said he's still not putting weight on the leg, though seems to be acting fine and being in a bit less pain. But that sounds like it's pretty bad. She also said she hasn't splinted it because she's had birds that were splinted and still healed up awkwardly.

I'm not sure what to think of that. Actually, I'm not sure what to think of this situation in general. I know if this had happened HERE, I would have brought him to an avian vet immediately no matter what.

But I figured I'd ask around and see what people, maybe even other breeders, thought about how the situation is being handled.

It's really emotionally stressful on me. I waited 3.5 weeks for the DNA sexing. I only want a male bird right now, because I lost my tiel to egg laying and am not ready yet to even possibly deal with that again. So, having one backup baby doesn't really comfort me much... what if THAT one isn't male? I got lucky this time. Well, until my guy broke his leg.

And frankly, I can't keep putting this off. I put in a deposit really early this season because I'm going to be gone for a while in May/June and didn't want to bring home a baby RIGHT before I leave.

I'm not sure what to think here. Is the breeder doing everything right and I'm just worrying too much? I feel so attached to this baby already. I've been sent photos for weeks, watching him grow up. He was going to come home in less than two weeks. We'd even settled on a name, darn it. It's SO upsetting to know he's hurt and might not be getting all the care he could. I don't really WANT another baby. I want this one to be taken care of...

But if he ends up healing poorly... what then? I'd thought maybe I'd take him home anyway and build him ramps or whatever he needs. But to be honest, I don't know if I'm prepared for 20+ years of working with an animal that may be constantly struggling with pain and disability. More importantly, though, I don't know if I want to offer my business to someone who let that happen to an animal in their care, without so much as a vet visit to try to prevent it.

But maybe I'm not being fair?

I don't know. I'd really appreciate some thoughts. Do you think this breeder's way of handling a probable broken leg by just waiting to see how it heals is okay?
Should I do business with her even if the baby ends up seriously deformed/disabled?

Any other ideas or thoughts? It's such a miserable situation.

Firstly, I am so very sorry this happened to your baby. I can see and understand how this is stressing you out - and rightfully so.

Secondly, I believe the breeder should take the young bird to an Avian vet ASAP to have the leg examined by a professional, so it can be dealt with appropriately.

Accidents, unfortunately, can happen at any age, and I wouldn't necessarily blame the breeder for it (unless the bird was housed inappropriately). But I don't agree with how she's handling an injured bird one bit.

That breeder need to take him to a avian vet ASAP. Even if the vet cannot set the leg (which most likely they can), the bird probably needs a course of antibiotics to prevent infection from setting into the break. My mom almost lost her DYH to infection when she broke her foot because she waited to take her to the vet not realizing he could in fact set the break and that there was an infection potential in a broken bone in a bird. Her foot healed a little funny, but she's completely ok and can walk, fly, land and most importantly, did not die of an infection.

And disabled animals are resilient. they tend to overcome their physical limitations easily so long as they are otherwise healthy. Even if he's got a little bit of a crooked leg, it likely won't affect his quality of life at all. I will never forget while on vacation once, seeing a wild pigeon that had NO feet (it was hopping on stubs). It was obviously doing just fine, and had no special help. I hope he's ok, and don't discard him just because he broke his leg

We have met birds that have lost most a leg or all their toes and adapt to healthy happy lives. I doubt you would need to do much once he's healed.

That said, this breeder should not be in business. Its clearly about money, only reason that baby has been taking in for help.... just my opinion, but can't see any other reason. If in your shoes, there would be two options, baby goes to vet or a full refund. This is the breeders responsibility, actually her duty for lack of better word!! Does her sales page or info have a health guarantee? If you are too attached to walk away, take the bird direct to a vet the day you pick him up and go to small claims for the vet bill.

Sorry you are dealing with this, I can only imagine how upsetting it is to really not be able to do anything to help your little guy right now!

if you are really set on having your boy,and she will not take him to the AV.
Offer to pay for it yourself,but do demand proof,like a receipt with the datum and i know they give you a paper with all the information that was done in your appointment if you ask.

Should I maybe send her an email and ask why he hasn't seen a vet?

I just really don't know how to handle this. I've started trying to explore what my options are if things fall through, because I'm really not sure I want to do business with this person if she would rather let the bird be crippled and try to sell me another one than get a doctor's opinion.

I'm so disappointed. I contacted this breeder because she is the most praised one I could find. She's very honest and transparent with her methods and shares SO much great information on her site.

So this is totally perplexing to me. I was really not expecting her to handle an injured baby like this and I just don't know what to do.

Yes, please send her an email.

Be honest with her. Tell her you chose her because of her good reputation, that your heart and soul was set on this little boy, and that you would still like to have him, but ONLY if she takes him to the A-vet to have his leg/foot assessed properly. Remind her that it's her responsibility to take him to the vet, that her reputation could suffer.

Please don't be afraid to let her know exactly how you feel. The best outcome would be that she heeds your advice and take your words to heart.

Great advise from everyone else so I will just say I am sorry this happen to your baby and hope it all works out.

JerseyWendy said:

Yes, please send her an email.

Be honest with her. Tell her you chose her because of her good reputation, that your heart and soul was set on this little boy, and that you would still like to have him, but ONLY if she takes him to the A-vet to have his leg/foot assessed properly. Remind her that it's her responsibility to take him to the vet, that her reputation could suffer.

Please don't be afraid to let her know exactly how you feel. The best outcome would be that she heeds your advice and take your words to heart.

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Thank you for saying this. It was the push I needed to go and write that email.

I told her that I was still interested in the bird, but that I was mostly interested in his complete well-being. I also mentioned I wasn't sure how I'd feel buying a bird from the next clutch (which is what she has offered me if this doesn't go well), knowing that the first one I had reserved might have been okay with vet care.

I don't know if this will change or accomplish anything, but I feel better just letting her know how I feel about it. This might help me get a feel for how I want to proceed in the future.

I think my letter was fair and tactful. I hope I get a response soon. Sometimes my emails have gone unanswered for days or not been replied to at all, but I would think something this important won't go unanswered.

In the meantime, I'm still interested in anyone else's thoughts, ideas, or comments.

I've started exploring my alternate options if this doesn't go well. I am thinking about looking into Poicephalus parrots. But hopefully this doesn't come to that.

Hopefully it works out with this baby. You did the right thing taking Wendy's advice.

However, if it doesn't work out I can't recommend poicephalus enough. I love my 2 and they are the "perfect" parrot for me and my lifestyle.

Please let us know what she sends back,i am sure i am not the only one wanting to know that.

thekarens said:

Hopefully it works out with this baby. You did the right thing taking Wendy's advice.

However, if it doesn't work out I can't recommend poicephalus enough. I love my 2 and they are the "perfect" parrot for me and my lifestyle.

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It's funny you should say that.
As part of my backup plan, I posted on some Facebook bird groups for Ohio, asking if people knew any good Poicephalus breeders around. I am DEFINITELY considering them.

I will be sure to let you all know how this turns out. Thank you so much for the advice and support. It means so much. <3

I'm so sorry this happened to you! I would be very conflicted too, but I believe you took the correct route in sending her an email. I'm interested to hear what she says!

She wants to talk on the phone. That's probably the quickest way to work things out, but also puts me more on the spot, makes it harder for me to collect my thoughts, and makes it so the conversation isn't being recorded like it is through email.

Not sure what to do...

She can't record you for legal purposes without your consent unless she is also working for homeland security!!

Talk to her on the phone and listen to what she says or suggests. Then simply tell her you need to think about options and will get back to her.

I agree chatting is quickest solution and time is important considering the circumstances.

Good luck!

I also prefer to have things in writing for record keeping purposes, but in this case I'd go ahead and call. Before you do take some notes so you can ask all the questions you want and regardless of what she says do like Jen says, tell her you want some time to think about it.

Don't let her put YOU on the spot, please. If she wants definite answers from you, tell her you will think it through first, and that you will get back with her once you've had the opportunity to give matters some thought.

GREAT advice about having a notepad handy. You can write down YOUR questions, and you can jot down things she says that you want to think about.

And whatever is agreed upon, make sure you tell her you'd like it in writing.

Thank you all for the kind advice! This is a bit of a nerve-wracking thing for me. (I get a wee bit nervous just ordering a pizza by phone!)

I wrote down some talking points and things I would like clarified. I guess the good news is if I forget something... there's always email to revert to.

I'll keep my notes on hand to write things down while we talk. I don't want to make any decisions for sure over the phone, so whatever we discuss, I'll be sure to say I need to think about it and will message her back later.

Someone else suggested that after the conversation I follow up with a thank you email including an outline of what was decided/discussed. What do you think of that idea? Then I can put it in writing myself and have her agree that that's what happened.

Yeesh, I hope this goes well. This is important, but it's also a little anxiety-inducing to be talking real time.

Yes, GREAT idea with following up via email.

Please don't be afraid to ask her for things in writing. We are talking about your hard earned cash here. (And I'm not trying to sound heartless by mentioning the money)

Take a deep breath. You can do this. IF she makes you feel uncomfortable at any given time, let her know. There is NOTHING wrong with being shy, and you can tell her you'd rather settle things via email/writing because you are shy and nervous about strangers, and may therefore get a bit tongue-tied.

The way I see it, you are a customer, and she should be treating you respectfully and kindly.

I think once we're talking, I'll be fine. It's the suspense and worry that makes it hard. Once I'm actually talking over the phone, I don't feel anxious.

I feel pretty sure that it'll go alright, and that I probably won't get too flustered. If so, I can handle that too. I think this breeder is really nice and genuinely wants to get things figured out well for everyone. If I decide not to get the bird (or a different one as she's offered) I'm sure it won't be out of frustration or bitterness, but a simple disagreement as to how this should have been handled.

Essentially, right now I'm leaning toward this plan of action:
If "my" bird heals up relatively fine, even without vet care, I'll probably go for it. I wanted this baby, and even if I disagree with how the injury was handled, that's not enough for me to walk away from him.
If he doesn't heal up well and didn't receive any vet care, I think I'll always be wondering if he would have been okay had he seen a vet. That would make it hard for me to want to get a different baby. I'll probably have to start looking elsewhere.

If she takes him to a vet and he still just doesn't heal well... then I may still take him depending on the severity of his condition. Otherwise I may consider another baby from her. But I may also look around at other birds/breeders, just because of timing. I really can't wait until May or June to bring a baby home. I'm doing research for weeks in those months.

Thanks again so much for the support and advice. I'll be sure to update after the phone call.