Leaning to one side

[re4leader]

Hi I just picked up my beautiful sun conure! I think hes been in a box his whole life and not used to being on a perch because he always puts his weigh on one foot. Looking at his feet and claws everything looks ok, he can grasp with his other foot but after a few seconds takes the weight off and leans to the other side. Is this something I should be worried about or does he just need time to get used to being perched.(I know hes kind of old in his development to just start being on a perch. I blame the breeder)sorry for the blurry pic it's the best I have of his stance

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[EllenD]

Is this a young bird, from a conure breeder? Was she hand-raised? It's extremely unusual for a sun conure breeder who hand-raises their babies not to put the babies into a "weaning cage" at about 5-6 weeks old. I have never heard of any breeder who puts in the time and effort to hand-raise baby conures from 2-3 weeks old, which is a ton of work, and then not putting the birds into a weaning cage...when the chicks are pulled from the parents between 2-3 weeks old to be hand-raised, they are kept in either a brooder or a plastic tub that has added heat, and they stay there until they have a full coat of down and their outer feathers are coming in fully. At that point they start to introduce pellets/seeds/veggies/fruit to the birds, and once they no longer need extra heat and are starting to wean onto solid food, they are moved to a regular cage with many different types of perches, toys, etc. This is the weaning cage.

And if they are not hand-raised but rather raised by the parents, then they naturally come out of the nest box and into the cage the box is in at about 5-6 weeks, as this is when they start eating food on their own in that situation too...either way they would be exposed to a cage/perches...

if you could post a better photo, specifically of the foot in-question, that would be the best way, as honestly from that photo her right foot looks swollen to me, could just be the photo, but a close-up of the foot would be wise, just to make sure nothing is wrong, as a young bird like this should not come home with a foot issue...

Also, did you check the underside of that foot for deformities? If this is a questionable breeder you must worry about bumblefoot and other issues from improper weaning/caging techniques.

If she's hand-raised/tame, then try to get a close-up of the entire foot, and then put her on her back in the palm of your hand and get one of the bottom of that foot too.

 

[re4leader]

Here's how he
Like I said nothing looks swollen and he can grasp with his right claw but its weak

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Sunnyclover]

Please take him to the vet. It's not normal and his foot is hurting him or isn't right in some way.

 

[Terry57]

I agree with Sunnyclover, I would take him in to see an avian vet. It seems as if he could be injured and in pain.

 

[LordTriggs]

yes agreed, go to a vet for a check-up. it could potentially be his foot has been hurt in some form, he could even potentially have a displaced/dislocated bone up where his leg would attach to his body.

 

[EllenD]

I totally agree, again, this has nothing at all to do with him "not being used to perches or being kept in a flat box", as he is a tame, hand-raised bird that knows how to step-up, so he is very familiar with perches and that is not the problem...plus, as you state, "he can grip with the right foot, but it's weak", and that is enough to indicate that something is very wrong. He could have fallen or gotten his foot caught in something and twisted it, either on the way home, or since you put him in his new cage. Any number of things could have happened to it, either way he's obviously in pain, and he needs an x-ray and pain medication from an Avian Vet.

Here's what you need to remember right now, he's a very young bird who just weaned, and he's still got a lot of growing to do. If he has a broken bone, a torn ligament/tendon, a dislocation, etc. in either his foot or his leg, it could very well not only effect his growth and development, but it could become permanent and cause him to be permanently disabled and not be able to perch comfortably or safely for the rest of his life. That's why I mention Bumblefoot as an example of the many developmental issues that young birds can have which cause permanent physical disabilities.

Most importantly, your bird is in pain and needs at least a prescription for Metacam or Toradol, and an x-ray to rule-out a fracture...AT HIS AGE, IF HE HAS A FRACTURE SOMEWHERE, EVEN A HAIRLINE FRACTURE, AND IT'S NOT PROPERLY SET AND STABILIZED, HE COULD BE THIS WAY FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, AND A BIRD THAT CAN'T PERCH IS A PROBLEM. IT'S NOT FAIR TO HIM.

I'd also call the breeder and tell them what's going on, tell them that he has an obvious foot or leg injury, that he's had it since you brought him home and that you haven't seen him fall or do anything that would have caused it, and ask them if they are aware of any fall or accident that he had before you picked him up, or maybe a fight with one of his siblings, etc. The breeder should have never, ever let a newly-weaned baby bird go to it's new home with a possible injury, that's an old trick that breeders of all types of animals/pets do to avoid having to pay a vet bill, they send the animal to it's new home and then when the new owner calls them and tells them something is wrong with their new pet, the breeder plays stupid and says that they were fine when they left their care...If he truly came to you that way and you noticed this immediately when you got him home from the breeder's house, then that breeder should be stepping-up and paying the vet bills.

Either way, you need to get him to an Avian Vet or at least an Exotics Vet immediately, as he's in pain and needs medical attention immediately before it gets worse. Again, has nothing at all in any way to do with not being perch-trained or anything of the sort, it's an injury.

 

[Sunnyclover]

I keep wondering what happened with this little guy! Please update!