Bent toes

Hello, we have an African timneh grey called jack, he isn’t used to being handled and is very cage protective.
This morning when we woke up his two toes have seemed to have locked...and he isn’t using it much but does bare weight when he needs to. Does anyone know what this could be? Thanks for any advice!

I recommend a fast trip to your Avian Medial Professional, first thing in the morning, as it looks like a joint is out of position and your professional maybe able to reset it. There is likely some pain, so back-off and keep the activity level low...

Agreed with the vet thing..There could be something physically wrong (arthritis, bumble-foot, a break etc), or something neurological (due to age, another complication or possible virus). Is it possible he got his toe tangled in a toy or stuck in a crack on his cage (and had to yank it out)? Does he have any sores or red spots on his feet?


Birds hide illness for a long time before showing signs and by the time they do, it's really important to take it very seriously, as showing illness gets them killed in the wild.

Give him a different perch. That rough one can lead to bumble foot. They will hold up a sore foot.

If he is always perching on the rough perch, it makes me think that the diameter or texture is preferable to him (perhaps because the other perches are too thin or too smooth)... Laurasea is absolutely correct in stating that an overly rough or overly smooth perch can lead to bumblefoot (if used for sleep or long periods).


Has he always spent most of his time on the rough one? He does have other perches in his cage, right?


Most birds don't love rough perches and just stand on them periodically-- if he suddenly is spending more time on a new perch, that could be significant (because it could indicate a problem with his old perch or with his health/balance in general).

If you can take a picture of the perch he sleeps on, that would be helpful. Has he recently changed perch preferences?
When Noodles was laying an egg, she preferred her rough perch but normally doesn't. I think it was easier to balance when she wasn't feeling well.