Experience with leg handicaps?

[HisAngel]

Hi Everyone!

My life since bringing Rosa the U2 home has been crazy hectic! Not her fault, just life in general is super busy! I doubt anyone remembers but when we brought Rosa home she has severely plucked her chest, back and wing tops almost completely bald.... I am happy to report that 6 months into our lives she about 75% back to a normally feathered bird!! She still struggles a bit with her chest and her right wing top, but were working on it, and she is a beautiful and wonderfully sweet parrot. We are SO blessed!

That's not what this post is about though, haha. I am adding another wee bird to the family in a few weeks. This little fellow is newly hatched but he has a leg issue. His right leg has no knee joint. The foot comes straight out from the hip joint. His toes are functional, but he cannot bend the leg. He is still so young, the breeder is nt sure how it will affect his mobility, and I am trying to decide on the type of cage he will need. He is a rose crowned conure, and I do have a cage that would be suitable for him, but with his leg, I am wondering if he should have something like a rabbit cage modified for him. He is still so little (3 feedings a day) that he is still hanging out on the bottom of the cage, and not moving about too much just yet. He wont come home until second week of sept or so, but I like to have a plan.

Does anyone have any experience with birds who have this or a similar issue? I figure he wont know any different, but I am curious how this may affect his mobility and if it will be much harder on his good leg or not. The plan is to allow him to fledge, and see how he does flying. If hes good at it (LOL Rosa is definitely NOT) then he can stay flighted. I feel like climbing may be a challenge since the leg is so straight outward pointing right?

Thanks for any insight or resources you can provide. Regardless, I think it will be good for Rosa to have someone who 'speaks her language'. Even if they never have any direct interaction, having another bird nearby will do her some good I think.

 

[henpecked]

can you get us a pic/vid ?? sounds like "splayed leg" , try goggling that and see what you think. At this early in life i'd get a second opinion from a good AV. Scott McDonald would be a good choice (goggle him too). Sometimes these things can be "fixed" early in life. Parrots can adapt very well ,i've seen many one legged , no toes, splayed legged, all sorts of handicaps . BTW i generally advise never to get another bird as a companion for a pet bird ,especially large parrots such as a too.

 

[HisAngel]

Oh no. The birds wont be caged together or have access to one another at all. He'll be another pet for ME, not Rosa. Ive read the vet report, and it is splayed leg, the vet recommended leaving him be. The option for surgery is there, but they didnt believe it was the best choice for him. Ive seen some pics, but none are great, and dont really show it. Hes so small, its hard to see it in a pic.

My main concern I think is climbing. How on earth will he be able to effectively climb the side of a cage for example with a foot sticking out? Im trying to envision how I can modify a cage to make it easier for him. If the foot/leg just wasnt there, I wouldnt worry quite so much...

 

[Kiwibird]

Oh I am so glad for the update that Rosa is doing so well! Excellent job with your beautiful girl. It always sounded like she was meant to be with you

I might look at a cage that was longer than taller, give him more platforms and perhaps put some ladders between his platforms perches (which I'm assuming would be easier for him to climb). However, you may find he gets around just fine. Many birds who have leg issues due to birth defect or injury learn to compensate amazingly well and can pretty much do anything a normal bird can. Can't wait to see this new baby, he sounds adorable.

 

[Kiwibird]

Oh I am so glad for the update that Rosa is doing so well! Excellent job with your beautiful girl. It always sounded like she was meant to be with you

I might look at a cage that was longer than taller, give him more platforms and perhaps put some ladders between his platforms perches (which I'm assuming would be easier for him to climb). However, you may find he gets around just fine. Many birds who have leg issues due to birth defect or injury learn to compensate amazingly well and can pretty much do anything a normal bird can. Can't wait to see this new baby, he sounds adorable.

 

[HisAngel]

Thanks Kiwibird! She is truly a delight. We are so blessed!

I think very likely I'll have to stamp down my need to have a plan and wait and see how he makes out as he grows. he's pretty funny looking right now, all covered in pin feathers.

I guess I will just keep reading and stocking up on toys and fun stuff while he grows and figures himself out.

I'll still take any advise or experience others may have!! I am super familiar with disabled 4 leggers but birds are a different realm altogether for me... Learn as you go I suppose

 

[Tangie]

I know it's different when you deal with different types of birds, but when I was hatching out ducklings(hatched about 100), some of them had splayed leg syndrome. One was particularly bad when his egg yolk wrapped around his leg and when he hatched it was bent backward like he was doing the splits. On top of that, he couldn't bend the leg, and his foot was twisted to the side and clutched together. For ducklings, if you started to work on it immediately(their legs are slightly pliable), it would be fixed. I just bent the knee carefully, put a homemade cast on him, spread out his foot and taped it so his feet couldn't curl over.


Needless to say, it worked. His foot is still bent slightly. I gave him to a preschool teacher and since then, he has become the class mascot, setting an example that even if you are different than others, your still special and loved. But parrots are a little different, and it seems rather late to start it now. It might work if he doesn't move around a lot, yet.