Falling & Breaking Tail Feathers

Aquila

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Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
Sydney still isn't the best at perching and he often falls off a perch when he's sleeping and breaks his tail feathers. How long do they usually take to molt/regrow? And is there anything I can do to help him perch better or a better perch (flat perches?) that I can give him?

It also causes him to rough up his wings as well when they rub against the cage bars. What can I do to help him perch better/strengthen his feet?
 

weco

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If he's a young bird, he will grow out of that stage, there's nothing that will help him, though you could mount his perches lower in his cage, so that falls will be a shorter distance down.
 
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Aquila

Aquila

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Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
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His biggest issue is the scarring on his feet, and one foot being stronger than the other. The scarring means he doesn't have the dexterity with his feet but I work with them as much as he'll let me.

I didn't get blood tests done because he said it wasn't necessary, that he's in good health. I assume though it's also arthritis related. I think I might make one of those flat perches, since the ones we sell at work are more conure sized.
 

henpecked

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One of the best things to do for his feet is to get different size natural perches. Maybe 1" dia, 1 1/2"dia and 2" dia, gripping different size perches will exersize his feet. A play stand that has natural branches of many different sizes would do him a world of good. This something we see in many older rehomed zons that have live for years with wooden dowels (that are too small). Best perch dia for a zon is about 1 1/2 ", Ideally you want their toes to reach 75%(or less) of the way around their perch.
 
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Aquila

Aquila

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Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
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Yeah, I have plenty of perches, and a rope ladder that he climbs on. He climbs just fine but I guess it seems his feet don't "lock" like birds so when they sleep? Normally he's fine, it's only when he's sleeping that he ever falls.

Going to follow one of the guides and make a flat perch for him. Maybe even something with a little edge to keep him in, I'm not sure.
 

MonicaMc

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I didn't get blood tests done because he said it wasn't necessary, that he's in good health. I assume though it's also arthritis related. I think I might make one of those flat perches, since the ones we sell at work are more conure sized.

Please let me go bash my head against a wall first...
smiley-bangheadonwall-yellow.gif


Forgive me if I do not agree with your vet, but a bird with known health problems (falling while sleeping is not normal) and he doesn't think blood tests are required? A bird can appear perfectly healthy, but blood tests can say otherwise.


He climbs just fine but I guess it seems his feet don't "lock" like birds so when they sleep? Normally he's fine, it's only when he's sleeping that he ever falls.

My cherry headed conure (RIP) was the same exact way. He fell less often when he slept on rope perches vs smooth wooden perches. I felt bad for him because when I got him, he had all smooth wooden perches all at the same level and grouped in a manner that if he did fall, he had problems climbing back up. I could understand in the sense if the perches were strategically placed that if he did fall, he'd fall onto another perch, but this wasn't so.

Unlike normal birds, my cherry head slept with his head forward, and, over time, his head would slowly lower... sometimes even to the point that his head was lower than his feet. (scary to watch a bird sleep in this manner) If he woke up, he'd sit normally, but it was only when he was sleeping that he became "top heavy". At one point, he had a box he could sleep in, but had to remove it, thanks to his little cockatiel friend. He also had a platform perch (wire one) which he didn't take much interest in most of the time.


His blood tests were not normal, but they weren't quite abnormal either. I had put him on the Roudybush Renal Care diet, and he actually did better on this diet than any other I had put him on (although never tried Harrison's). Truth be told, his uric acid levels were not high enough to indicate kidney failure (they were on the high range of normal, if I recall right), but he definitely 'improved' on that diet. (droppings were less watery and more firm - not normal, but assuredly improved) He also did well on Metacam.



I'd feel more comfortable myself if Sydney had blood tests done to make sure he's fine, even if you need to save up for it.


May I ask one thing though... can you get us a photo of his droppings? A regular one during the day and his first morning poop? I'm curious to know if they are normal.
 
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Aquila

Aquila

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Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
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It's going to be a bit before I can save up for his blood workup and another exam. The basic was just $70, so I'm not sure how much a workup will cost.

I really think it's just related to his feet (one has two twisted toes) and he's never had a problem while awake. He sleeps with his head tucked almost always and will tumble backwards.

I'm slowly changing him from Zupreem Fruit Blend to the Naturals and Roudybush. He doesn't really like the Roudybush so I'm trying to crush it and mix it in with his purees.

My vet did say there's a very obvious strength difference in his left foot vs right and he tends to prefer to use his right. I guess when I get my tax return I'll use it towards his vet visit.

I'll change out the papers in his cage tonight after his bedtime. As far as everything I can tell they're perfectly fine. Pale green to orange sometimes, from the food coloring in the pellets, urates and urine distinct, clear.
 

MonicaMc

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What I'm looking for is the formation of the droppings. Are they well formed? Loose? Stringy? Clumpy? Watery?


Thanks for the reply, it does ease my mind some! I'd just rather see a bird with foot problems and be healthy than a bird that appears healthy but actually has health problems, and with the proper diet changes/supplements/meds, his overall health improves.


Birds are well known for "hiding" their illnesses, so I prefer the better safe than sorry approach.
 
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Aquila

Aquila

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Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
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A little watery first thing in the morning, but other than that pretty well formed. Obviously depends on what he's getting to eat for the day, treats and otherwise. But never anything drastic.

He's drinking more water now at least (I swear I never saw him drink any for a long time) but he learned to dunk his pellets from my conure.

Here's some pictures of his feet.
IMG_20121203_234819.jpg

IMG_20121203_235634.jpg
 

MonicaMc

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His poor feet! They look so rough!
 
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Aquila

Aquila

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Nov 19, 2012
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Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
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You should have seen them before when I literally took my nail and scraped off a coating off of his feet. They were YELLOW. Stained with poop and dead skin and everything, it was awful. In 4~ months it's a big improvement.

He still gets a foot soak at least once a week and a light scrubbing with a washcloth as best as he'll let me. I grind his nails and try to keep that back one short since it bends under.
 

Karigan

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Oh, my! I have problems with my grey and broken feathers as well. His feet are fine, he's just such a scardy-bird that he launches and smacks into things all the time... Half of his wing feathers are damaged or chewed (only the long ones on the left side... weird) and half of his tail is 'trimmed' because of it. In the last 3 months he's regrown three feathers, but I'm pretty sure all of them will come back within a year if he's careful.
 

TennesseeGal

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Hi Aquiela, this is my first post here. I just wanted to tell you that my mom in law wraps her amazon's perches in a thin foam padding and then vet wrap around that. He and another bird were given to her by a lady who had him for years. He had to have surgery for a bad spot of bumble foot that broke open and was bleeding profusely. We rushed him to the ER while I held pressure on it. Any way, the padding and wrap has worked wonders and she changes it regularly. Good luck! What is his history and how did you end up with him?
 
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Aquila

Aquila

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Nov 19, 2012
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Philadelphia
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Sydney - Blue Front Amazon
Gonzo - Congo African Grey
Willow - Cockatiel
RIP:
Snowy, Ivy, Kiwi, Ghost - Parakeets
Berry - Cinnamon GCC
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http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/25207-tumors-bumblefoot.html

Here's about Sydney, how I first got him and everything.

He's doing okay though his tailfeathers haven't regrown yet, I'll be getting some things to make some flat perches this week. Right now I had put a flat "perch" designed for a chinchilla in his cage that seems to be working out pretty well.

I might grab some vet wrap from work and give that a try on some of his perches to give him some more grip.
 

Remy

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I tried to view the pictures but it tells me they were deleted. I'd be interested to see.

It sounds like you are doing a great job!

Regarding the cost, try calling the vet office to ask if they can JUST do the bloodwork without you paying for another exam. Tell them you changed your mind about it, and want it anyway. If they say yes, you could save yourself $70 that doesn't need to be spent. Those tests are expensive! I think Puck's blood panel was around $200 by itself for one lab I used, but the other one was cheaper I think. Also, different labs charge different prices.
 

Featheredsamurai

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It's great hearing about Sydney again :)

Do you have any photos of Sydney's cage set up? With special needs birds they need a very thoughtful set up. If he's falling off his perch at night he can't be getting a good sleep. That will lower his immune system more, and a sleepy bird is a grumpy bird.

This is cocky Boy, he's a 60+ year old Galah with severe arthritis. He needs a very specialized cage. You may want to take some ideas from this for Sydney. The last image shows his current set up. You can read more about this subject here How to Set Up a Bird Cage Properly For Elderly Birds This blog post also explains how to deal with keeping the cage clean, since it's harder to do this way.
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DSCF6229.jpg
 
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