Blind African Grey?

Hello,

I adopted an African Grey last Saturday, I will have had her a week tomorrow. She is eating great, lots of pellets and starting to eat the fruits and veggies I give her as well, at her previous home she didn't get very much of those. She stepped up on my hand last night and allows me to pick her up and pet her.

I am concerned that she is blind though, the previous owner said she was 10 and had her since a chic. I just called her and she said she never saw any of the symptoms that I am seeing. She doesn't appear to see my hand and all and jumps a little every time I touch her. She also does not follow my finger if I move it in front of her face or blink her eyes if I get close to them. The exotic vet in my area can not see her until Wednesday of next week.

Does anyone have any experience with blindness in parrots or know what might have caused it?
 

Bandespresso

New member
Dec 22, 2014
389
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Tucson, AZ
Parrots
Congo African Grey+
Worked closely with many species, birds with behavioral problems, and now birds of prey and other wildlife
Parrots adapt so easily! Definitely get her to the AV to make sure there aren't any underlying reasons for her blindness but don't worry about having av happy bird if she is. The most important thing is to never make drastic changes to her cage set up and use your voice a lot with her. With love and consistency, she will adjust just fine! I hope everything is okay with her health-wise!
 

jax7271

New member
Jul 20, 2011
7
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Ontario, Canada
Parrots
Amazons
African Greys
Alexandrine
Goffin Cockatoo
Hi
I have a blind Congo male I adopted almost a year ago....he was very scared and nervous when he first arrived, but he has come so far...he was not very tame when I brought him home, but slowly I am gaining his trust.
He doesn't step up yet, but he was a breeder bird that they no longer had a use for just because he was blind :(
I can touch him all over now and he takes food from my hands...
He is now starting to talk and has clearer words than my girls....
I talk to him any time I am around him and he is much less nervous now..
He is becoming a very sweet boy :)
 
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dogslovepeace

New member
Apr 7, 2015
89
2
Do you have photos to share? He sounds sweet! I have a blind dog...and husband so this touches a special spot with me. [emoji51]
 

Dewfield

New member
May 10, 2015
33
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Gallatin Tennessee, U.S.A.
Parrots
Mr.Man (Congo Grey/17 year old)
Sinbad (Senegal/ 40+ year old)
Dewey (Senegal/ 13 year old)
We have a Senegal that's well into his 40's. About 10 years ago, he developed a cataract ( sorry, not sure on spelling) in his right eye. He was still able to see shadows if approached. He has totally lost vision in that eye and is starting to develope a spot in his left eye.
We have moved him to a slightly smaller cage with narrower bar spacing to help him get around easier.
The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is to NOT change up his environment too much. Once he/she gets used to navigation around his/her surroundings, everything should be okay.
I would see a Vet ASAP to try to determine the cause of the blindness though.
Dewfield :grey:
 
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Thank you everyone for you advice and help. Apparently the breeder/previous owner did not realize she was blind. Once I contacted her and explain what I had observed she requested that I bring her back.

I felt like I was abandoning her, but as soon as I saw how happy Alex was to be back home and with her people I felt a lot better. They said they honestly had not notice this behavior before and that they would immediately get her to an AV.
 

Hawk

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Dec 5, 2014
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Michigan, USA
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5 Parrots, 8 year old Blue-fronted Amazon, 2 1/2 yr. old African Grey, 2 3/4 year old Senegal. 5 month old ekkie, 5 month old Albino parakeet. Major Mitchell Cockatoo, passed away at age 68.
Hello,

I adopted an African Grey last Saturday, I will have had her a week tomorrow. She is eating great, lots of pellets and starting to eat the fruits and veggies I give her as well, at her previous home she didn't get very much of those. She stepped up on my hand last night and allows me to pick her up and pet her.

I am concerned that she is blind though, the previous owner said she was 10 and had her since a chic. I just called her and she said she never saw any of the symptoms that I am seeing. She doesn't appear to see my hand and all and jumps a little every time I touch her. She also does not follow my finger if I move it in front of her face or blink her eyes if I get close to them. The exotic vet in my area can not see her until Wednesday of next week.

Does anyone have any experience with blindness in parrots or know what might have caused it?

If I may offer a suggestion.......parrots, including birds of prey, need adequate sunlight daily. Their eyes take in the ultra violet light to which they see color better. A parrot kept in a dark area or room and never getting direct sunlight occasionally will develops inability to distinguish color thus causing symptoms that resemble blindness...parrots do not see very well at all in the dark or very low light conditions constantly. A parrot that looses it's ability to see color is a common condition of many pet owners that do not realize they need 30 minutes of sunlight daily. The loss can become permanent.
 
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Allee

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2013
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Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
Thank you everyone for you advice and help. Apparently the breeder/previous owner did not realize she was blind. Once I contacted her and explain what I had observed she requested that I bring her back.

I felt like I was abandoning her, but as soon as I saw how happy Alex was to be back home and with her people I felt a lot better. They said they honestly had not notice this behavior before and that they would immediately get her to an AV.

I hope she gets the vet care she needs and finds a wonderful home.
 

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