Jasper keeps catching his toe on things

katie_fleming

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Parrots
Jasper (6yr old Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot)
Something weird I've noticed lately. Jasper seems to keep catching one of his back toenails on things and struggles to remove it. The nail isn't too long, so I'm not sure how he's managing to do it.

This morning when he was climbing down his cage it happened again. And when he was trying to climb down from his boing, it was caught on there as well.

His grip is good, he doesn't look to be in any sort of pain.

Any ideas??
 
Yipes, that is the scariest thing!
Well, I sound like a broken CD, buttt... a trip to the vet would rule out an injury, or neurological problem, or other issue...
If that's not the case, maybe trim the nail a bit shorter?
Lastly, the Rb has skinny little feet and toes, and his nails tend to be long. The vet fully approves of this in order to make sure he's steady on his perches.
Anyway, his nails tend to catch, too. So I'm very paranoid about his toys. I've give up on ropes and boings totally. Any toys that I am worried about... he only gets them when I'm watching
Good for you, for getting right on this!
 
if he allows you to file his nails maybe a little clean up is in order, if not then a quick trip down the vets for a little pedicure may be in order
 
Sorry Katie I can't add anything to what has been said here..Poor Jasp..if it's not one thing it's another:o How has he been doing with his flipping and tapping? I hope that has been totally resolved.



Jim
 
Can you post a pic of his foot, Katie? With a clear view of the nail in question? And the boing as well?

But what is it on the cage itself that's catching his toenail?
 
Sorry for the delay, and thanks for the replies.

I am keeping a close eye on him. His toe looks good (@Anansi I will get a picture tonight or tomorrow). I know one of his front toenails is far too long but I've been slowly working at filing it every other day.

On the cage itself, I noticed when he was climbing down on the outside. His toenail was still hooked over one of the bars and he didn't lift it enough to release. So he just kind of pulled at it for a minute before getting it loose.

He is still moving around as normal, energy/appetite all good. Playful. Will try and get a picture soon.

@Jim he is doing much better thank you! He still gets ClayCal on his food twice a day. No wf/tt in two weeks. I have the CalciBoost always ready just in case of another episode. I will still not give him any showers at this point because any time there's a lot of energy exertion (too much flapping, trembling even after a fire alarm for too long) it happens again. So I know his level is just on that line where it's ok/not ok.
 
I wander if he has just hurt it slightly causing a little loss of strength in it making it hard to ungrip sometimes when he is moving down the things he is catching it on. Kinda like if we bang a finger or toe we loose slight balance. Time would heal this ofcourse but the vet would confirm it. Wishing him well x
 
Upon closer inspection of Jasper's toenails last night (comparing to his other side) I think you might be right about the nails being too long. I know for sure one of his front toenails is far too long. I've been filing at it but I think it needs to be cut.

As for the problematic nail, hopefully this picture is ok:

jasper_toenails.jpg


I've always filed them myself but I think they should be cut. Is it safe to bring him to a pet store where they do bird nails instead of the vet? It would be cheaper/easier for me to get to.
 
I USED to t0ake Amy to the local pet shop,they'd do his nails and arms for free coz I get a lot of stuff there..last time I took him they BUTCHERED his nails and made him actually CRY! Too short and made three of them bleed!
Now I gladly drive the thirty minutes and take him to his doc and pay.



Jim
 
Yeah, it's most likely the length of that nail. If you cut it and there's still an issue, you. might be looking at an injury of some sort. But Occam's razor would suggest that the nail length is indeed the culprit, here.

And I agree with Jim. There are, of course, pet stores that do an excellent job cutting down nails. But you are far less likely to run into people who would accidentally cut the nails down to the quick at an Avian Vet's office than a pet store. Of course, if a pet store comes highly recommended it could do quite a bit to assuage any fears on that front.

Either way, though, I recommend bringing in your own towel to lessen the chances of Jasper picking up any nasties from his visit to either place.
 
Either way, though, I recommend bringing in your own towel to lessen the chances of Jasper picking up any nasties from his visit to either place.
Thanks, I had never thought of this. I get Nike's nails done either at the CAV or the bird store, both use towels and you'e right, who knows what's been in them. Great Tip!
 
That's such a great idea about the towel, I wish I had thought of that before!!

The problem with taking him to the vet to get his nails done is it costs me $40 in cabs just to get him there/back. I could get a ride to a pet store tomorrow for example (vet is closed).

Hmm. How do I find out if they've done a good job with nails I wonder??
 
Katie,

I know it's a lot of money but if you can swing it I would go to the CAV. If I were accessing that behavior on my bird I would be worried that the continued catching of the nail, while originally may have been caused by too long a nail, has progressed to either a bruised or broken toe. It just seems to me that the repeated problem could easily be the result of loss of control of that toe or enough pain that he cannot get it unstuck readily.

I would go to the CAV if it were me and not just for a nail trim, I'd want the vet to examine the toe.
 
Ok good news. Managed to get an appointment tonight (and found a ride!) at the vet's office. Hopefully a nail trim is all he needs. Also replaced his sandy perch with a new one.

:)
 
Cement perches are excelent for keeping the nails short also x
 
Cement perches are excelent for keeping the nails short also x
best tip here
Max 2 yrs 2 toes
Lily 2 yrs not had to yet and looks like i wont have to as long as i keep her
cement perch on the door.
 
I always have a pedicure perch in his cage but I guess it had worn down without me really noticing. I will have to look for a cement perch. I have another one (I don't remember if it's cement though....) so I'll now be more diligent with changing them!

And even better news. I was worried sick he'd have wing flipping/toe tapping after being toweled (the more stress/energy exerted the faster his calcium drops) but he was TOTALLY FINE after!!!!!!! I had prepared myself for an immediate problem, told myself he'd be ok because I'd get calcium into him when we got home, but NO NEED. What a relief.

:D

Now hopefully he won't have any problems climbing around!
 
I have a few cement perches and wood perches in both of Parkers cages and they still aren’t enough. I need to back off the vitamin a some, possibly. But he still needs a vet trip every 4-6 months.
 
I have 2 different types of cement perches in Maya's cage (the twisty type and the soft top/rough sides type), and all the rest are wood. With that arrangement she only needs a clip once every year and a half.

Jolly, on the other hand, only has one twisty cement perch and never needs to have his nails trimmed. I think that's because he flies frequently, though, and all those landings probably serve to put some additional wear on those points.

Point is, though, cement perches are great... so long as there are other alternatives in the cage to prevent irritation on the pads of the feet.
 
Great thanks for the info, will def order some for him!

Now for some bad news...I just had to rush home from work. I could see Jasper at his feet non-stop. When I got home he was wing flipping and toe tapping (mild to moderate) and had chewed on his feet a little bit (very minor thankfully). I gave him two doses of calcium an hour apart and it is rapidly improving.

I thought for sure after last night/this morning he was going to be fine after his appointment but nope. So frustrated again.

I might see if I can pay for a phone consult with the vet from Ottawa who had figured out what his problem was. Maybe he needs to be on calcium (orally) for a long while. I had just recently given him 2 doses a day for 2 weeks when he had a bad episode again. He just isn't retaining it for whatever reason.

Big sigh. At least his nails are good :/
 

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