Weak foot grip - what's wrong?

Bird12345

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Hello,

I have a 16 year old sun conure who is very healthy. I just noticed yesterday one of her front toes doesn't "grip" my finger any more....she is unable to bend the last knuckle of her "toe".

What does this mean?

There are no signs of injury or pain and she doesn't seems to notice a difference

Thank you

I attached a photo of a different bird I found on Google with the same condition
 

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GW.Joe

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Hello,

I have a 16 year old sun conure who is very healthy. I just noticed yesterday one of her front toes doesn't "grip" my finger any more....she is unable to bend the last knuckle of her "toe".

What does this mean?

There are no signs of injury or pain and she doesn't seems to notice a difference

Thank you

I attached a photo of a different bird I found on Google with the same condition

Welcome to the forum!! How long ago was the last time you remember her gripping with it?

When was the last time she was at an avian vet?

I'm sure someone with more experience will see this and respond soon!!

Joe
 
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Bird12345

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Hello Joe,

It has only been two days that she has has this problem. She was fine before that. So signs of trauma and she doesn't seems to be in any pain.

There is no avian vet in my area

Thank you for any advice you may have
 

sam4life

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Hello,
Do you have a photo of your own bird's foot? Does your bird have a lump in its foot?

When you say there is no avian vet in your area, what, exactly, do you mean? Do you mean you'd have to drive several hours to get to an avian vet, or that you are in a country where there are literally no vets who will see birds, or something else?
 
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Bird12345

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There are no lumps on her foot or anywhere else

I live in a very rural area I don't know of any vets especially not avian vets. But if I felt she needed a vet I would travel as far as I would have to travel for her. I'm hoping someone else has seen this before and may know more about it
 

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sam4life

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So is just that one part of the toe that is stiff? Or does his whole grip feel weaker on that side?

I did once take my parrot in for weak foot grip. The vet had to consider a host of conditions from the trivial (irritated tendon) to the really serious (stroke aftereffects or warning signs). But that was the whole foot, not just one part of one toe.

Has he been energetically playing with one of his toys recently? Did you recently clip his nails?
 
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Bird12345

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It's just one toe (longest front toe on the right foot)

She doesn't seem to notice a difference and continues to run around and climb her cage but the week toe is limiting her ability to grip perches and grip my finger. I really hope it goes away.

I have not clipped her nails, she hasn't gotten a new toy recently, she is the only bird I own.
 

GW.Joe

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Did you try rubbing it (maybe move some blood around) and see if she moves it at all? is it colder or warmer than the other toes?

Can anyone else weigh in on this? Anyone else ever have this problem?

Joe
 

Anansi

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Did you try rubbing it (maybe move some blood around) and see if she moves it at all? is it colder or warmer than the other toes?

Can anyone else weigh in on this? Anyone else ever have this problem?

Joe

Not exactly, but close enough to cause concern. My dearly departed cockatiel, Suzie, had a weak grip. First in one foot, and then in the other. I brought him into the vet and it turned out he was suffering from kidney damage.
You see, birds' spinal columns run between the kidneys. So when said kidneys get inflamed and swell up, they begin to compress the nerves leading to the lower extremities; thereby inhibiting the foot's ability to grasp.

Now, the fact that it's only one toe may point to something different, but considering that kidney disease is progressive and the damage is irreversible, (it was too late for Suzie) you might want to take your sun conure in to the vet as soon as possible.
 

GW.Joe

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you might want to take your sun conure in to the vet as soon as possible.

That's why I asked about it in my first post, of course the avian vet is the only safe answer
(most people here will tell you to get her to the avian vet ASAP)

Birds can reach "a point of no return" VERY quickly, and then it's too late
What town or city are you in or near?

BTW, Did you try rubbing it (maybe move some blood around) and see if she moves it at all? is it colder or warmer than the other toes?

Joe
 
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Bird12345

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Hello,

Thank you for your answers. I tried rubbing it and nothing changed. I think she may be unable to feel that toe. It doesn't seem to be a different temperature and it doesn't look swollen or red.

I'm thinking it could either be nerve damage, arthritis (she is 16) or possibly the kidney damage you spoke about.

What causes kidney damage in a bird? Is there anything I can do to halt the progression? Any different foods I should be feeding her?
 

TessieB

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At 16 years of age your bird is going to start experiencing changes typical of an older bird. Yes, she could have arthritis, gout, damaged tendons, or cancer. I've had cockatiels who were so old that all their toes were stiff and straight. Of course they had issues with perching so I modified the cages to accomodate their special needs. I used extra, extra large perches, supplied platforms for them to rest on, and some people have used the heated perches for added warmth for those old toes.

Make sure your gal is on a good diet, make sure her home is safe for her, and you'll have her for a while longer. Remember, she doesn't know she's getting old, but you'll have to respect her aging body.
 

GW.Joe

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Is there anything I can do to halt the progression?

Yes, See an avian vet, Before it is too late

Ask yourself this question: Would you rather lose the bird or find an avian vet?
(don't worry about where it is, or how much it costs right now)

For example in a city near me they have an University animal hospital, but if you didn't know it was there you couldn't go there for help

We could help you locate an avian vet, What town or city are you in or near?
 

okkie

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First time post, long time lurker-

My GCC (female, just over 5yrs) is going through something similar. I noticed the toes on her right side weren't gripping the way they used to. I read about minor injuries, so I kept my fingers crossed and just kept an eye on it... but it's getting worse. I've been to the vet a few times, they've taken gram stains, x-rays, and blood... X-rays didn't show anything, and I'll get the results from the bloodwork in a few days.

What I've heard so far:
fracture
cancer/tumor
kidney failure
respiratory infection

I'm trying everything I can until I get the results back. I'm supplementing her with this. It supposedly can help inhibit tumor development. On top of that, I am giving her [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Juice-Herbal-Detoxifying-Formula-Ounces/dp/B0019LT6QI"]this[/ame] which apparently has been successful in detoxing some birds. My vet OK'ed both for my bird. You should DEF try to see a vet ASAP, because if you're conure is going through the same thing..it's going to get a lot worse.

She started about two months ago, and now she barely uses that leg at all. The weakness is spreading to her other one now T.T

Best of luck, I hope he gets better soon!
 

weco

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Mango, you and Okkie realize that the original poster (OP) of this thread may have abandoned it.....the thread is almost 2 months old. It's a shame, but some people often do that, abandon a thread when either the bird has passed, for whatever reason or they do not get timely information in order to help their feathered friend. You might also find duplicates of a post.....people often do that when they think their OP may not have been seen or to try and get more people to see it.

I don't mean that you were wrong to answer an old thread.....just thought you might wonder why there was no further activity if you came back and looked at your posts on this thread.

Another thing about this thread is that Bird12345, the original poster may not have the option to take the sun conure to any type of veterinarian, let alone an avian veterinarian.....we don't know where Bird12345 posted that thread from (s)he may not even be in the United States, but it would be nice to know what happened to the sun conure.....
 

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