Is a leg cramp possible with a CAG and if so how do I handle it?

[WesselG]

Just under two months ago a bird breeder I know offered me a hand-reared 4-5 month old CAG with a deformed foot since he couldn't sell it to his usual customers and he just wanted it to go to a good home. Long story short: I adopted Banana (because of his huge love for that fruit) and he has been entertaining me with his antics since as well as starting to imitate noises.

The problem I observed is the following:

He/she likes to climb all over the bars of the cage but about once a day or so while doing it he will suddenly start screaming at the top of his lungs. My usual response to this is to open the cage, fold my hands over the wings and get someone to try and get Banana to release his foot-hold. However yesterday when it happened I was alone and he was hanging just from the deformed foot. As soon as I tried to pry it loose I noticed that the entire leg was rigid and the toes was curled up extremely tight around the bar (imagine your arm in a spasm from the shoulder down and your fingers clenched into a fist because of the spasm and you get the idea). I had to wait for the spasm to pass with Banana's full weight on my free hand to prevent him losing his grip suddenly and his screams echoing in my ears for a few minutes till the cramp past. In the past when he started screaming like that I thought he was just looking for attention but now I'm thinking the screaming in this kind of situation is due to the pain of the cramp.

My question is: could it have been a spasm/cramp for some reason and what can be done to decrease/eliminate them?

Just a quick sidenote: he/she is able to use the deformed foot to climb/move and clutch treats so he apparently has a lot of use of that foot.

Kind regards,

Wessel

 

[miloslave]

Hi there.

Unfortunately I have no idea, but it sounds like he is hurting. Have him checked by a vet as soon as possible just to be sure would be my advice.

 

[WesselG]

Thanks miloslave.

I was thinking of an avian vet too but the problem is I'm 50 miles from the nearest big city and there is only an occasion avian vet at a local nursery that sells birds as well. But then again investing money in a thorough avian vet exam in this case will be worth the time, effort and money.

The breeder wasn't able to explain to me how the deformity happened since the chick already had it when it was discovered in the nest so my guess would be that it happened during the hatching process.

 

[miloslave]

Where do you live, Wesselg?

 

[WesselG]

In a very small town in the center of South Africa.

 

[weco]

Many veterinarians offer online consulting for those who may not be convenient to a clinic...sometimes on a gratis basis, but more often for a nominal fee. Often, if you send an E-mail enquiry, explaining the situation and the information you are looking for, you may be surprised and get an informational reply.....

Good luck.....

 

[WesselG]

Thanks Weco

I finally got hold of the breeder and he said that while the bird was with him (up to 4-5 months of age) it sometimes had the habit of doing exactly what I described to him.

I am thinking the best strategy based on this info is to wait awhile and see if the cramp/spasm re-occurs. I have 10 years experience of keeping Indian Ringnecks but this is my first ever CAG so I am in a very steep learning curve at the moment. Luckily I have known the breeder of the CAG for about the same period of time and he was always candid and straightforward whenever I asked something.

Wessel