Disabilities Due to Tail?

Are there any set backs to a parrot without a tail?
As in that the butt area is bare with a few incoming feathers?
*I'll have to upload a picture when he settles down and stops trying to move all over the place.

Gizmo seems like he's having a hard time with releasing his droppings as they get stuck on his feathers, this could be other things as well so I'll be taking him into the vet very soon.

And I don't want to make a new thread so,, is it normal for a new bird to sleep at the bottom of the cage with no other symptoms of illness? Gizmo has been really alert but when he sleeps he stays on the bottom (no ruffled feathers/no lethargy). He's also not the biggest fan of perches and I rarely see him on them, mostly he sticks to the side or hangs on to his toys. I've seen him climb up the round cage fine before, but he's getting a cage with climbing bars as well.

I'd bring him in as soon as you can, to me it sounds more like an illness than problems with his tail

My munch didntt have a tail when we got her and it didn't affect her in that way, at worse make flight and landing a little harder

Soiling the vent feathers and struggling to go poop sounds more like he may have an imbalance of gut flora and may need that sorted out. Could also be a bacterial infection, egg related issues (possibility since gender isn't 100 percent known), or a blockage or even a tumor worst case scenario

What kind of parrot is Gizmo? Riley lost her tail feathers in a night fright a couple weeks before I got her. She has some difficulties flying but I still like to make her fly atleast once a day (only about 5 or 6 feet) by leaving her on her cage and if she wants to spend time with me she has to fly to me and unless shes eating I have a hard time just getting more than a couple steps before she starts. She also has chosen to sleep on the bottom of the cage a few times. I personally think it's because they know they can't fall if they are on the bottom. She also sometimes falls off her perches but is getting better hopefully by the end of next month (that's when the 7-10 weeks it takes for a feather to grow back will be up) she will have her tail feathers back. Riley also isn't able to climb the cage bars but I'm hopeing that will change soon. Without the tail feathers the birds become unbalanced making flight and other activities more difficult. Now my grandmother (they're technicallly my nieces but when my niece is at her moms my grandmother is responsible for them) has 2 parakeets one of which also lost all her tail feathers but a couple weeks before Riley. With Tinkerbell, thats the parakeets name, theres no difference in her behavior and she does everything Peter Pan (the male parakeet) does.

I agree with Dallytsuka about going to the vet because of the issues pooping.

You need to take him to the vet ASAP. The missing feathers may be nothing, but the difficulty passing feces is a concerning issue. Dirty vents are another concern, and especially because he came from unknown circumstances. Also, you have to think about the health of your other birds.

Didn't you say, in an earlier post, that the lady who found him had taken him to a vet & the vet had cleared Gizmo? Since he was seen by the vet only a few days ago, I think I might be inclined to give the vet a call and ask him/her what might be causing the problems in pooping, then, if the vet thinks another visit is needed, take him, but it could be something dietary, since you don't have a history on him.....

I think that if you were to ask the vet about any problems with Gizmo not having his tail feathers, I'm pretty sure the vet would tell you that acrobatic flying is about the only thing that will be affected until new feathers grow in.....

Good luck.....

So sorry for not responding, I've been watching his behaviors intensely incase anything else popped up (luckily there was nothing).

DallyTsuka said:

I'd bring him in as soon as you can, to me it sounds more like an illness than problems with his tail

My munch didntt have a tail when we got her and it didn't affect her in that way, at worse make flight and landing a little harder

Soiling the vent feathers and struggling to go poop sounds more like he may have an imbalance of gut flora and may need that sorted out. Could also be a bacterial infection, egg related issues (possibility since gender isn't 100 percent known), or a blockage or even a tumor worst case scenario

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Colorguarder08 said:

What kind of parrot is Gizmo? She also has chosen to sleep on the bottom of the cage a few times. I personally think it's because they know they can't fall if they are on the bottom. She also sometimes falls off her perches but is getting better hopefully by the end of next month (that's when the 7-10 weeks it takes for a feather to grow back will be up) she will have her tail feathers back. Riley also isn't able to climb the cage bars but I'm hopeing that will change soon.

He's a lovebird, sorry I will have to update my bio! I decided to keep a food dish on the bottom just to make sure he's been eating but he's been going on more perches lately as he mostly prefers to climb on the side of the cage. I put up a ladder to make it easier for him.

I agree with Dallytsuka about going to the vet because of the issues pooping.

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SilverSage said:

You need to take him to the vet ASAP. The missing feathers may be nothing, but the difficulty passing feces is a concerning issue. Dirty vents are another concern, and especially because he came from unknown circumstances. Also, you have to think about the health of your other birds.

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I tried calling today to get a check on Monday but he was booked out. So now I have to wait until Tuesday and its beyond excruciating. For the worst, I'm only hoping that he'd be prescribed to medicine and that's it. He has nothing on his vent, the only issue is that it lands on his bottom feathers.
I had him eat throughout the day to clarify that his poop gets stuck, it was difficult since he's a picky eater -- he doesn't even like millet -- but it turned to be either a hit or miss with the droppings. Sometimes its fine when he's on me, other times he has to preen them out. No matter how inconsistent he is, he's still going.

I'm also going to start giving him more fibrous foods to see if it helps a bit.

He had no contact with my birds what-so-ever, they are in different rooms and not the room Izzy was in.

weco said:

Didn't you say, in an earlier post, that the lady who found him had taken him to a vet & the vet had cleared Gizmo? Since he was seen by the vet only a few days ago, I think I might be inclined to give the vet a call and ask him/her what might be causing the problems in pooping, then, if the vet thinks another visit is needed, take him, but it could be something dietary, since you don't have a history on him.....

I think that if you were to ask the vet about any problems with Gizmo not having his tail feathers, I'm pretty sure the vet would tell you that acrobatic flying is about the only thing that will be affected until new feathers grow in.....

Good luck.....

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I think she took him to the vet I'll be taking him to shortly. I'll be emailing her when I get up tomorrow to see what else he said as well.
Now I'm thinking it could be partial stress related and im trying to mellow it down.
I was guaranteed to get a second opinion and get him on the vet records while I was at it.

Even without those back feathers and clipped wings he can fly 6 inches to a foot gracefully, but he's only demonstrated that twice at home.

thats why im thinking its more of an imbalance of gut flora, which stress can cause since he was given the all-clear. the vet will prescribe probiotics in this case. is there a petstore near you that has benebac for birds? its a probiotic and if this is the issue then it should clear it up.

DallyTsuka said:

thats why im thinking its more of an imbalance of gut flora, which stress can cause since he was given the all-clear. the vet will prescribe probiotics in this case. is there a petstore near you that has benebac for birds? its a probiotic and if this is the issue then it should clear it up.

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Today he seemed much better quite some poop in his cage on his ladder. It's also been passing better, he dropped 2 bombs on my lap top x). He'll still be checked out by the vet, and theres a pet store right next to him, so 'll be able to head down and check.

What did the vet say?

So sorry for getting back late on this, I hurt my eyes pretty bad this week and it was hard to look at bright things so I had to limit how long I could stay on my laptop. (Around 30, enough time for my homework).

Back on topic, the vet said that he's perfectly healthy and that the poop was more because of his consistency with his food. 2 flight feathers grew back quite quickly and was clipped again. I really don't know if his assistants put down everything I said but he went over his entire body to make sure he was okay.
He was extremely good during his checkup, no screaming, a bit of not wanting to be held but the doctor was never bitten.