Encouraging disabled bird to be more active

[Brittany0208]

I don't post here much, but I'd thought I'd give it a shot.
I have a special needs parrot named Java. He is missing a leg, and his remaining leg has severe tendon entrapment, leaving him with very limited mobility. He cannot extend his leg or use his smaller back toe at all. I've had him for 9 months, and I want to encourage to move around so he isn't sedentary. I know that inactive birds tend to live shorter lives, and I want to make sure he's around for a long time. He's 9-years-old.

He has a plethora of toys, and his cage door is open all day, but he chooses to sit in one spot. If anyone can give me any insight, I will gladly accept it. Thank you.

 

[itzjbean]

Could you bring him outside in a towel or sorts and let him sit on your lap to catch some of those rays? Maybe just a change in scenery and some vitamin D could help him become more active, at least mentally. Not sure if he would take flight but it could be a start to just change his routine and make him go places with your help. Sorry that's my best suggestion, I'm sure it is no fun watching him sit in one spot all day.

 

[Brittany0208]

I've taken him outside many times (with a harness, of course) and all he wants to do is hang onto my shirt, and if I put him down, he just sits there. Now that it's getting colder, I don't know if it's a good idea to take him outside. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to fledge, so he has no clue how to fly without slamming into whatever's in front of him.

I've put him on my desk, bed, the floor, lap, recliner, and all he does is sit there, even when I'm trying to engage him with toys and encouragement. I'm at a loss on what to do.

 

[itzjbean]

I've taken him outside many times (with a harness, of course) and all he wants to do is hang onto my shirt, and if I put him down, he just sits there. Now that it's getting colder, I don't know if it's a good idea to take him outside. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to fledge, so he has no clue how to fly without slamming into whatever's in front of him.

I've put him on my desk, bed, the floor, lap, recliner, and all he does is sit there, even when I'm trying to engage him with toys and encouragement. I'm at a loss on what to do.

You have clearly tried many things to try to entice him to do different things with no luck ugh, I feel your frustration on this. Hopefully some members with birds that are disabled will chime in soon and offer some more help. Don't give up....even if that means just loving him the way he is, sitting there and all.

 

[Brittany0208]

Thank you. Isn't it detrimental to a bird's health to be sedentary? That's my biggest concern. I don't want his life to be halved because he isn't active.

 

[ChristaNL]

Hmmm, my first impulse was: let him fly again.
Landing on one crippled leg might be a challenge though... make him some soft sports to crashland?

Not sure how his wingsituation is, but if he can learn to backwing, hover, stall and controlled-crash he will have gained so much freedom.

Even just flap-flapping while you hold him is a huge exercise for him!
Not going anywhere, but draining pent-up stress and energy that way might wake up his brain enough.

alternative: flip him on his back and engage beak and left-over foot -> anything to get the old neural pathways firing again.

You can even work on "wingsignals" - up, high, low, out and fold on command (go small so there is no balancingproblem or just do it in nestinposition with his keel supported in your hand / that way you can help him balance)

Aks him to chose beween objects and between colors (go ALEX/Pepperberg on him) - even not wanting to play will result in frustration-flinging things away --> presto, you have activity!

 

[Brittany0208]

Thank you so much! I'll give that a shot. I have tossed him onto the bed to get him to fly but I didn't want to do it too often since he starts panting after a few flaps.
He does fling things when I hand them to him, so I'll start give him an option and build from that. Even though he hates when I take him away from the cage, it may be for his own good, so I'll work on that as well. I'm hoping, in time, he'll get a grasp on flying, even if I have to teach him. Thank you again.

 

[Laurasea]

It's taking Penny a while to figure out flying too...I talked to my old vet and she worked with an African grey and it took a year to start flying and get active after a previous abusive life .. so there is hope untill the last day of life . I would try confidence building, he needs more confidence in himself, though you would hav to google ideas lol ...I know some one legged birds do pretty darn good, I wonder if he lost his dominant foot that would be really hard.....you could take for car rides ...wish I had better ideas

 

[LeslieA]

Sherman, WCP, has a foot/leg problem and doesn't fly. Our biggest problems are exercise and mobility. She has a favorite place to sit, too.

I moved her in with the other birds and she is learning what toys are. She started copying the budgies' fake flapping using both wings. The list is good and bad, but that's the fun of all creatures.

What seemed to help most was moving her food bowls and adding another water dish. That way she is forced to move in her huge cage if she wants to eat.

Another thing was perch-size. Sherman uses only budgie-size or smaller natural branches. Instead of constantly falling, which had her eating as much food as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. Unfortunately, this with the lack of exercise lead to an overweight bird.

Birds with special needs, particularly foot/leg problems, tend to have bad posture making sleep difficult. Add more perches (Sherman has three.) for two main reasons. First, there will be another perch to step on instead of falling. Second, it forces the bird to lean more forward.

Finally, all toys are stationary. IOW, all are hooked at the top AND the bottom. Swinging toys can add to an already stressful life. Two of Sherman's three (She's never had toys before so they're added slowly.) have ringable bells now but initially bells couldn't ring.

Every disabled bird comes with its own set of special needs. Java is lucky to have someone willing to make those accommodations. You might want to read methods used by other owners of crippled birds. My AV and behaviorist have helped immensely as well as the web. Check how birds with splayed legs learn to survive and fly for exercise.

Good luck and thanks for loving Java!

 

[Brittany0208]

Sherman, WCP, has a foot/leg problem and doesn't fly. Our biggest problems are exercise and mobility. She has a favorite place to sit, too.

I moved her in with the other birds and she is learning what toys are. She started copying the budgies' fake flapping using both wings. The list is good and bad, but that's the fun of all creatures.

What seemed to help most was moving her food bowls and adding another water dish. That way she is forced to move in her huge cage if she wants to eat.

Another thing was perch-size. Sherman uses only budgie-size or smaller natural branches. Instead of constantly falling, which had her eating as much food as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. Unfortunately, this with the lack of exercise lead to an overweight bird.

Birds with special needs, particularly foot/leg problems, tend to have bad posture making sleep difficult. Add more perches (Sherman has three.) for two main reasons. First, there will be another perch to step on instead of falling. Second, it forces the bird to lean more forward.

Finally, all toys are stationary. IOW, all are hooked at the top AND the bottom. Swinging toys can add to an already stressful life. Two of Sherman's three (She's never had toys before so they're added slowly.) have ringable bells now but initially bells couldn't ring.

Every disabled bird comes with its own set of special needs. Java is lucky to have someone willing to make those accommodations. You might want to read methods used by other owners of crippled birds. My AV and behaviorist have helped immensely as well as the web. Check how birds with splayed legs learn to survive and fly for exercise.

Good luck and thanks for loving Java!

I never thought about swinging toys being an issue. How do you keep the toys from swinging? I have a lot of Java's toys on the bottom of the cage so when he decides to go down there, he can play without dropping his toys all the time.
And I really like the idea of moving his bowls around so he can eat. However, he's stubborn. He will only go from his sleep perch to the platform on his door, even if the food is out of reach. How do I go about this?
Also, I cover him up at night, but I use a dark-colored fleece blanket. I've thought about using a light-colored one so he could see better but I worried that it would keep him awake. What do you think?

 

[clark_conure]

while wing feathers grow. puzzels? foraging puzzels, abacus toys, things where he can use his neck and beak.

Also how does bathing work? if you put a half inch of room temperature to lukewarm water in the bathtub or sink will he frolic? Most parrots love water, even the sound of water, maybe aqua-size?

 

[Brittany0208]

while wing feathers grow. puzzels? foraging puzzels, abacus toys, things where he can use his neck and beak.

Also how does bathing work? if you put a half inch of room temperature to lukewarm water in the bathtub or sink will he frolic? Most parrots love water, even the sound of water, maybe aqua-size?

No, he's afraid of everything. He is a former breeder, and he's very untrusting of new things. He will let me spray him with a spray bottle and now that he's molting, that's what I've been doing. He uses the cage bars to get around, so I have to make sure they're always clear.

 

[clark_conure]

oh well just an idea

 

[Brittany0208]

oh well just an idea

I appreciate the suggestions, though. It's just really tricky to set everything up so he can move around but also be safe.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

There's something called a treat stick - I don't know if they have them in the US. But they're basically a skewer that you can slide slices of fruits/veggies and wood onto. You typically hang it from the top of the cage. I'd imagine you can anchor it to the bottom of the cage as well. That way it'd be a solid pole of food. Eventually when Java warms up to the pole (since it has tasty food on it), you could then try adding wood and other things to it.

Let me find a picture for you:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/...B38g5X55aqBfOq2Jb10nZU4wVZXlAcndcxeF&usqp=CAE

 

[ChristaNL]

Ah, they are called 'fruit-spear' here.


Great idea as well, the way to a parrots brain is (mostly) via the stomach!

 

[EllenD]

I think that a lot of his issue with not moving around much or doing much isn't his disability at all, but rather the fact that he's never done much of anything, and he's scared to death to even try. You mentioned that he is a former breeder-bird, and this type of behavior is extremely common with pretty-much ALL retired breeder-parrots, simply because they have spent most of their lives just sitting inside of a cage. They typically aren't given ANY toys at all, they are never allowed out of their cages at all, not ever (because they are considered to not be "pets" by the breeders, they just want them to breed and that's it, so no toys, no foraging activities, nothing, their entire lives are just sitting inside of a cage not moving, eating, drinking, mating, and depending on the species, the males sometimes also help raise the babies. That's it.) So even if he wasn't missing one leg and had a disabled remaining leg, my guess is that he would be no different at all in his behavior or his fear. It's very much the same as breeders who do not put their babies into a "Weaning-Cage" or a "Starter-Cage" while they are weaning/fledging. If a bird breeder simply move their baby birds after they grow-in their outer feathers from the brooder, which usually has no toys or activities in it, to a basically empty cage with only a food dish, a water dish, and a perch, then the babies don't have any concept of what a "toy" is, or even what "playing" is. All they know is how to sit inside of a cage and preen themselves or their mate, and occasionally eat and drink. That's it. So a lot of this is going to be about you literally showing him how to play with toys, and how to take-part in foraging activities, puzzles, etc. Vasa's are very intelligent parrots, so they need to be mentally-stimulated to be happy, and as soon a you show him how to play with toys and how to forage, he's going to catch-on very quickly.

****Question for you: How does he normally perch/stand? I'm assuming that he's able to at least use his remaining foot/leg to perch and stand on, and to climb along with his beak, correct? If he's able to perch on the remaining leg, then I would start out by buying him a swing to put inside of his cage, if he doesn't already have one. One of those nice, big, wooden ones that Petco sells would be great for a Vasa. Put it inside of his cage, hanging from the top, and then you'll have to SHOW HIM how it works. Put him on the swing just like you would a perch, and then push the swing just like you would for a child. This is something that he can learn in one training-session and that will bring him a lot of enjoyment and get him moving, and it will also get him started on not being afraid of everything new...And then he'll be on his way for you to start showing him how to play with other toys and foraging activities.

It's going to be very important to no overwhelm him with a bunch of new toys or activities at one time. This is why I suggest that you start-out with showing him how to swing first, as it's simple, it's fun, it will get him moving, it's not too scary or overwhelming, and it will be step #1. As far as the first toy or toys you buy for him, this is going to depend on what his abilities to stand, climb, etc. are. The simplest type of bird toy to start-off with would be something that is meant for him to chew-on and shred/rip-apart, like a toy that is made of thick, heavy paper/cardboard that is braided for strength, that has a loop or a clip that will allow you to hang it right in front of the place/perch where he spends most of his time, either from the cage bars at the end of the perch, or from a perch above where he sits...Probably best to hand it from the cage bars at the end of the perch where he sits the most, as that will make it easy for him, he won't have to climb to chew on it/shred it. And with a "shredding/chewing" toy, you won't typically have to show him much, as they usually just start chewing on it. And once he's good with the "shredding/chewing" toy, then get him a wooden block toy that he can chew on. And so on, and so forth. Baby steps, adding only one toy at a time, starting out with a simple swing, then a shredding/chewing toy, then a wooden block toy to chew, then maybe a climbing toy, then maybe a wooden puzzle toys where he has to pick up blocks and put them into holes (since at this point he'll already be okay with wooden-block toys!), etc. Build-up to each new toy or activity (The Dollar Tree has these awesome little wooden puzzle toys where you have to put different shaped blocks into the correct holes, my Senegal loves them, and it's something you can either put in the bottom of his cage or better something that you can play with him out on the floor, after he's already become used to wooden blocks)...

This will be a marathon, not a sprint, because it's going ot take time for him to get used to just being in close-proximity to these new things, let alone actually learning how to play with them. But it will happen as long as you take it slow, don't overwhelm him, start with easy, almost "innate" activities like chewing and shredding, and then build-up to larger, more complex toys and activities. As far as "exercise" goes, obviously trying to teach him how to fly properly is your best bet, as he's not going to be walking around much. The reason he gets so out of breath is because his lungs and his muscles are not used to the exercise and the amount of work that flying requires...Essentially, he's "out of shape", just like we get. So making a safe place for him to practice flying inside of your home is a great idea, get him to fly is short-spurts at first, maybe just starting out with "Recall Training", where he perches on a T-Stand or similar and you stand across the room from him, and you teach him to simply fly directly to you, and he gets his favorite treat and much verbal praise every time he does it. Getting him to be able to fly simply back and forth across the room to you will build-up his muscles, help him learn coordination, help him learn how to safely land on his one foot, and once he starts doing this on a daily basis he will gradually get in-shape, learn how to control his direction and his landings, and this will teach him how to be able to fly around a room without crashing into anything, fly around the house, etc. Again, baby steps that build-on to one another...

 

[Brittany0208]

I think that a lot of his issue with not moving around much or doing much isn't his disability at all, but rather the fact that he's never done much of anything, and he's scared to death to even try. You mentioned that he is a former breeder-bird, and this type of behavior is extremely common with pretty-much ALL retired breeder-parrots, simply because they have spent most of their lives just sitting inside of a cage. They typically aren't given ANY toys at all, they are never allowed out of their cages at all, not ever (because they are considered to not be "pets" by the breeders, they just want them to breed and that's it, so no toys, no foraging activities, nothing, their entire lives are just sitting inside of a cage not moving, eating, drinking, mating, and depending on the species, the males sometimes also help raise the babies. That's it.) So even if he wasn't missing one leg and had a disabled remaining leg, my guess is that he would be no different at all in his behavior or his fear. It's very much the same as breeders who do not put their babies into a "Weaning-Cage" or a "Starter-Cage" while they are weaning/fledging. If a bird breeder simply move their baby birds after they grow-in their outer feathers from the brooder, which usually has no toys or activities in it, to a basically empty cage with only a food dish, a water dish, and a perch, then the babies don't have any concept of what a "toy" is, or even what "playing" is. All they know is how to sit inside of a cage and preen themselves or their mate, and occasionally eat and drink. That's it. So a lot of this is going to be about you literally showing him how to play with toys, and how to take-part in foraging activities, puzzles, etc. Vasa's are very intelligent parrots, so they need to be mentally-stimulated to be happy, and as soon a you show him how to play with toys and how to forage, he's going to catch-on very quickly.

****Question for you: How does he normally perch/stand? I'm assuming that he's able to at least use his remaining foot/leg to perch and stand on, and to climb along with his beak, correct? If he's able to perch on the remaining leg, then I would start out by buying him a swing to put inside of his cage, if he doesn't already have one. One of those nice, big, wooden ones that Petco sells would be great for a Vasa. Put it inside of his cage, hanging from the top, and then you'll have to SHOW HIM how it works. Put him on the swing just like you would a perch, and then push the swing just like you would for a child. This is something that he can learn in one training-session and that will bring him a lot of enjoyment and get him moving, and it will also get him started on not being afraid of everything new...And then he'll be on his way for you to start showing him how to play with other toys and foraging activities.

It's going to be very important to no overwhelm him with a bunch of new toys or activities at one time. This is why I suggest that you start-out with showing him how to swing first, as it's simple, it's fun, it will get him moving, it's not too scary or overwhelming, and it will be step #1. As far as the first toy or toys you buy for him, this is going to depend on what his abilities to stand, climb, etc. are. The simplest type of bird toy to start-off with would be something that is meant for him to chew-on and shred/rip-apart, like a toy that is made of thick, heavy paper/cardboard that is braided for strength, that has a loop or a clip that will allow you to hang it right in front of the place/perch where he spends most of his time, either from the cage bars at the end of the perch, or from a perch above where he sits...Probably best to hand it from the cage bars at the end of the perch where he sits the most, as that will make it easy for him, he won't have to climb to chew on it/shred it. And with a "shredding/chewing" toy, you won't typically have to show him much, as they usually just start chewing on it. And once he's good with the "shredding/chewing" toy, then get him a wooden block toy that he can chew on. And so on, and so forth. Baby steps, adding only one toy at a time, starting out with a simple swing, then a shredding/chewing toy, then a wooden block toy to chew, then maybe a climbing toy, then maybe a wooden puzzle toys where he has to pick up blocks and put them into holes (since at this point he'll already be okay with wooden-block toys!), etc. Build-up to each new toy or activity (The Dollar Tree has these awesome little wooden puzzle toys where you have to put different shaped blocks into the correct holes, my Senegal loves them, and it's something you can either put in the bottom of his cage or better something that you can play with him out on the floor, after he's already become used to wooden blocks)...

This will be a marathon, not a sprint, because it's going ot take time for him to get used to just being in close-proximity to these new things, let alone actually learning how to play with them. But it will happen as long as you take it slow, don't overwhelm him, start with easy, almost "innate" activities like chewing and shredding, and then build-up to larger, more complex toys and activities. As far as "exercise" goes, obviously trying to teach him how to fly properly is your best bet, as he's not going to be walking around much. The reason he gets so out of breath is because his lungs and his muscles are not used to the exercise and the amount of work that flying requires...Essentially, he's "out of shape", just like we get. So making a safe place for him to practice flying inside of your home is a great idea, get him to fly is short-spurts at first, maybe just starting out with "Recall Training", where he perches on a T-Stand or similar and you stand across the room from him, and you teach him to simply fly directly to you, and he gets his favorite treat and much verbal praise every time he does it. Getting him to be able to fly simply back and forth across the room to you will build-up his muscles, help him learn coordination, help him learn how to safely land on his one foot, and once he starts doing this on a daily basis he will gradually get in-shape, learn how to control his direction and his landings, and this will teach him how to be able to fly around a room without crashing into anything, fly around the house, etc. Again, baby steps that build-on to one another...

Thank you so much for this! He has a lot of toys in his cage and I often asked myself if it was too many because I didn't want to make his cage barren.
As of yesterday, I've started putting him on the opposite side of the cage to encourage him to move back to his favorite spot. He's terrified of everything, even the bottom of his cage. I'll probably take out some of his toys in case they are overwhelming him. He does like to rattle a bell or chew those finger traps.
Just a bit ago, he got spooked by someone passing by the window and he crashed to the floor. The silver lining in his nervous nature is that he clings to me, and it's very hard to put him down because he resists. I'll post a picture of his cage so you can get an idea of his current setup. I will gladly take all the advice I can get.

 

[Brittany0208]

 

[LaManuka]

Gee that looks like such a nice set-up I want to move in myself! I think you are doing great work with Java and it looks to me like he appreciates it!