What is my parrot doing?

[Shikshai]

Not entirely sure what's going on here. I gave my parrot a bit more cage stuffing and this is what happen. Is this my conures attempt at digging?

[ame="https://youtu.be/pf-jeVaZRqo"]??? - YouTube[/ame]

 

[noodles123]

Generally speaking, any kind of stuffing is dangerous.

1) for health reasons (respiratory complications from fumes, dust and/or bacteria) and the possibility of intestinal blockages if ingested)

2.) It can encourage hormonal behavior (aka, nesting, screaming, feather plucking, aggression and egg-binding in females which can result in prolapse or death).
The bird shouldn't be walking around with its face in the same bedding it poops in.
This is probably nesting behavior and should be discouraged. On a similar note, if you have any huts, boxes, tents or any dark/shadowy places in the cage, remove them as well...That ledge/plastic wedge shaped perch so close to the cage-bottom is very bad because it creates a cave/dark nesting place (again, you absolutely do not want to give any dark spaces to your bird)---notice how your bird chose to nest under it. Take it out if you can and stick to stick-type perches that do not cast such massive shadows.



Does he have any toys/perches higher up in the cage? Does he sleep on the ground even though he has perches (that can signal a serious health issue).


Back to the bedding issue-if you have a cage grate, plain old paper towels can be used beneath it, as can black and white newspaper or butcher paper. If you don't have access to any of these, do not use a liner and just make sure you clean it often.

 

[Shikshai]

Where is he supposed to sleep then? He is blind and his feet aren't working well. He can't sleep on a stick or climb.

 

[noodles123]

Can he walk on a metal grate?

Is he 100% blind? It is interesting that he was able to find the cave to nest in (that is why I ask).


Have you taken him to a vet?

 

[Shikshai]

He can not walk on a metal grate and he is about 90%blind he can see some light and shadow. And he has been to the vet many times.

 

[Shikshai]

http://i.imgur.com/McahgHT
As you can see, he can't

 

[noodles123]

I have never been in your situation, so the health issues obviously complicate things.
What I said before applies to birds in general or any future birds you may own. I am not sure what to do in his case...
A towel cold possibly be a safer liner.....bedding is not safe.
He doesn't need a dark space for sleep, so if you put down a towel (and watch him a pit to make sure he isn't chewing on it/ingesting it) then that would allow him to walk without all of the risks from fluff/bedding.
You would need to change the towel frequently and if I were you, I would wash it with free and clear scentless detergent (with water very hot).

 

[Shikshai]

The problem was that he ate the towel and hated the paper towels which is why i ended up with these compresses paper lumps. Obviously not ideal. But I'm not sure what else to use. I just wanted him to have something soft so he could rest his bad leg.

 

[noodles123]

Well, I am glad it is paper and not pine, ceder or corn. That is good at least.
The nesting behavior is going to occur when a bird has access to things like that, but if you are sure he is male, then egg-binding is a non-issue, as that is a major problem in hormonal females.
Given his current state, you kind of have to just do the best you can I suppose. If he was eating the towel, then that is bad because that can cause blockages as well.

Did the vet say what is wrong with his leg?
Have you had blood-work run?

It is a tough call. If he can't walk on a grate, then you need something and if he is blind/has bad feet, he may not be able to inflict as much damage as a healthy hormonal bird, so.....it isn't ideal at all, but I don't know....
He doesn't need that cave-like ledge though---birds don't need a special place to sleep (mine sleeps on her regular perch), so yours can sleep on the cage bottom wherever, but I wouldn't give him a special little hiding place like that.

 

[Shikshai]

This bedding is supposedly safe for birds, no dust and non toxic. But of course it is fluffy.

They couldn't really figure out what was wrong, they thought an infection or something might have run trough his system and taken his vision and damaged his leg. Finding a good avian vet in my area is kinda impossible.

Most birds might not need a dark space to sleep. But mine will refuse to sleep anywhere that doesnt have one. He originally slept on a dark corner shelf. When he went blind and bad legged we had to move him to a cage. If i remove those things he will never settle in this cage at all. So hes been sleeping in a dark corner for 10 years and the 10 years before that he slept in a perch only cage that he hated.

 

[Flboy]

I disagree about the ledge/cave! I am sure he feels quite vulnerable at times, and the shelter gives protection! Plus, in my understanding, many conures live in hollowed out spots in nature!

 

[noodles123]

It is true that they do, but it encourages hormones. Cockatoos live in tree hollows, but they don't need them in captivity. Dark spaces are the same concept as a snuggle hut (minus the dangers of ingesting pieces of the hut). In this case, we are talking about a sick bird, so he is a bit of an exception, but conures in general don't need special sleeping spaces.


Here is a link to a forum thread in which a member removed her conure's snuggle hut and saw almost immediate decreases in hormonal behavior/aggression.

http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/79026-help-aggressive-green-cheek.html

 

[Laurasea]

Hi Shikshia! How wonderful you are providing love and working with your birds disabilities. I'm do sorry he lost his vision and has leg issues. And I'm do glad you love him anyway;!!
He is just so cute!!! To me it just looks like he is playing. Infact it looks like something I would offer to my birds as enrichment for a play period, then remove.

If this is working for you, and it's bird safe then why not. If behaviour issue develop you can find some different then.
You can also offer a very wide perch, he might like that too, and is easier to balance on with one leg, and to rest on.
I loved seeing your cute baby.

 

[Shikshai]

I'll definitely wait and see. He's been on this bedding for a couple of months and is finally choosing the cage over his old shelf. No behavioral problems so far. We're just kinda letting him live out his older days as comfortable as possible.

 

[noodles123]

That makes complete sense, given the situation. My comments about behavior etc were more for birds in general. I initially didn't know why you had yours set up this way, but you definitely are dealing with extenuating circumstances. He is lucky to have a caring home!

 

[Jen5200]

My conures shred a bunch of yucca chips and then kick them around just like that . It might be a bit of nesting type behavior but mine also do it to play sometimes. He’s pretty cute!

 

[ParrotGenie]

It is likely nesting behavior, my Cockatiels started doing it as well and shredding and then like digging the paper in the play area.

 

[ChristaNL]

If it is just cataracts.... a lot of CAV's can fix that (they told me it is quite simple).

 

[AutumnBreeze]

Where is he supposed to sleep then? He is blind and his feet aren't working well. He can't sleep on a stick or climb.

aww poor little guy. Is there any chance you could cut a few peices of fabric to fit the bottom of his cage and then just hand wash the fabric using a bird safe cleaner and reuse it?

 

[Laurasea]

Where is he supposed to sleep then? He is blind and his feet aren't working well. He can't sleep on a stick or climb.

aww poor little guy. Is there any chance you could cut a few peices of fabric to fit the bottom of his cage and then just hand wash the fabric using a bird safe cleaner and reuse it?

He chews swollow threads of fabric