Eyesight - is this normal?

[HisAngel]

So, I obviously spend a lot of time with or watching Rosa. I noticed that her depth perception is REALLY off. I know that their depth perception is not as good as ours due to where the eyes are on the head, but I wonder if this is normal or if she is worse than average. A few examples:

If I am handing her a treat she sometimes comes for it and misses once or twice before zeroing in and grabbing it with her beak.

Moving from the side of the cage onto a perch often takes a couple of exploratory foot pokes before she finds it, even if it is right beside/behind/above her.

Today she was sitting on my shoulder and decided to show off and display, she bonked her beak/forehead on my head twice before she moved further out on my shoulder. LOL

Im curious if this is pretty normal or if I should be concerned about her eyesight. I do know she sees relatively well, as she knows when a hand is coming for pets.

 

[Kiwibird]

Didn't you say she was pretty much cage bound at her past home (I may be mistaken)? If so, she may just literally be regaining proper coordination now that she is in a place where she can come out and be active. Imagine if you lived in a closet with a window for several years. You would probably need some time after being allowed out again to gain coordination to do even simple tasks like grabbing something or placing your foot in the right position when moving. I wouldn't be too concerned, just keep working with her!

 

[HisAngel]

Thanks for replying Kiwibird Im curious though, she had a huge java tree play gym thing that she could climb over/play on and the birds were kept in a huge open kitchen. Her cage while much too small for living in, was mostly only used for sleep and by her choice for naps. Much like it is now. She was never locked or forced not to move about. Would that still affect her abilities? I mean, the cage and perches are all new, and her cage now is gigantic. It's 5ft7in, 37in across and 25in deep. Bigger than anything she's ever been in before. I know she isn't blind, but maybe it is coordination?

 

[Betrisher]

It could be her focal length too. Maybe her eyes are fixed at a short focus because she was in a small cage for a long while. It might take time, but perhaps she'll adjust now she's in a larger cage and has a much wider visual field to deal with? I'd keep an eye on her, though, because the things you describe are surely not the usual things seen in a bird.

 

[Anansi]

I would indeed be worried about her eyesight. Especially given the part you mentioned where she sometimes misses the treat in your hand one or two times. That's definitely not normal for a bird. But hopefully it's something temporary along the lines of what Trish mentioned.

 

[HisAngel]

So, I thought I should update. Ive been watching her closely and Rosa definitely does not see well. Just a moment ago I placed her daily small piece of cheese (about the size of a quarter) in her dish with her pellets. She dug around in the pellets for 30 seconds before she found it..... She knew what it was as I told her, and she watched me put it in.

She is still also having trouble grabbing treats or toys from my hand. Even larger sized ones. She normally misses once or twice before grasping it. She has no trouble finding new hanging toys, as I rearranged her cage yesterday and switched out her toys for new ones. She went to them immediately and began checking them out and moving bits and pieces around.

She spends a lot of time studying people up close. She moves closely to hatever part of you she wants to check out and then spends a couple of minutes moving her head about to get a good look. I know that she does see, its just not very well I dont think.

I'm calling around for some vet options. The two I have heard of are not very good apparently. So, the search is on..

 

[MonicaMc]

Cockatoos do tend to examine things closely when they are interested in something.


Of course, she might have some eyesight problems and if there is anything that can be done about that, it may be expensive to treat or fix.

 

[TessieB]

Could be a neurological issue. Her eyes might be fine but something is not connecting in her brain to allow her move normally. She might have an age related issue, or a past viral/bacterial infection, or a nutritional issue. Of course this is only a guess and please continue to look for an avian vet.

 

[SandyBee]

It could also be cataracts, a simple visual examination by a vet can confirm it. If so you can somewhat help support her eyesight through diet. Lots of VIT A. Cataracts can progress slowly or quickly.