Birds Feet Might be Broken

[AriqThe360th]

A few days ago I got 2 parakeets, a male and a female, male's name is Max and female's name is Skye.
Today I noticed something strange, they both, but especially Max, started acting up.... So I took a closer look and found something interesting... So Parakeets have 4 toes right? 2 facing forward and 2 backward... When I looked at Skye, her feet looked normal, 2 toes on the back of the perch, and 2 forward, but Max... His feet almost seemed.... uhh.... the best way I can describe it is broken...
I took some pictures and it doesn't look good.... It would be amazing if you could take a look at the pictures and tell me what's wrong, Max was a great climber and flyer when I bought him, and now he seems panicked and really stressed. I noticed that 3 of his toes were facing forward and only 1 was facing back.... I'm almost certain that his feet weren't like this when I bought him.... I could really use some help right about now...
~Ariq

 

[LunaLovebird]

I mean, they look fine to me. Is he having trouble using them?

 

[Fergus Mom]

I have no idea what could be wrong, but I just wanted to say welcome, and hope someone here will know what might be the cause.

 

[Jas]

He could just be sat on them wrong, is he moving around okay?

 

[AriqThe360th]

Well that's the problem, I don't know if he's ok or not. I mentioned that he's acting up. He is screeching loud as heck every 2 mins, flying around like a madman and keeps hopping from Perch to right wall to perch to left wall explicitly in that order... normally Max is a very good flyer, and Skye seems fine but seems to be worried about him. I don't know what to do!

 

[Jas]

Some flat perches and some thicker branches to see if his toe has been caught in the wrong way, I notice that my budgies sometimes sit funny, they move and their fine.

Built up energy, will cause them to do that also it's a form of exercise to keep wing muscles strong, does he seem to fly in place almost?

Budgies are noisy, and they will 'scream' a few times a day.

The hopping back and forth could be exercise and being bored.

 

[Lady Jane]

Since you say his feet look different than when you brought him home the best thing is to take him to an avian vet for a check up. New birds should have a wellness check anyway. He could be in some pain.

now he seems panicked and really stressed.

 

[AriqThe360th]

Ok update...
I'm relieved to say that Max has stopped acting up and seems back to normal... Problem is he's feet are still in that weird posture... Gonna take him to the vet in a few days and get him checked up. He also has a bit of a flea problem, gonna see if I can get him treated for that. Thanks anyway guys!
~Ariq

 

[LunaLovebird]

What makes you think fleas? Fleas are super uncommon in pet birds and you should absolutely see an avian vet if you suspect parasites.

Is he sitting with his feet like that all the time? If he is using the foot without issue, I’m not sure there’s much wrong. My birds sometimes sit with their feet like that and it’s never meant anything.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Hi and welcome to Avian Avenue Ariq.

I know it is tougher taking care of your birds in a poor country like Bangladesh, but you are doing a fine job of it. I'm glad you are taking Max to the vet - I hope you have asked if the vet is knowledgeable about birds.

Max's foot looks exactly like my Jasper's (25 year old Greenwing Macaw) foot did when she was purchased. Her toe had been forward in the egg and she was hatched that way. Your Max's toe nor foot look swollen at all, so I would doubt that it is forward due to an injury. A vet broke it and put it backward and cast her foot so it would heal that way. She was having a terrible time walking and would have been Quite handicapped - but Macaws are somewhat ground and floor birds. She eventually had to have two toes, 12 years later, amputaed on that foot because of the pain caused by arthritis - but she gets along fine now.

Be sure to let us know what happens at the vets - ask lots of questions and make sure you get answers.

 

[AriqThe360th]

@LunaLovebird I'm not sure if it's fleas or mites or lice, all I know is that he's constantly scratching himself, so there must be some sort of irritation.
And yes he's always sitting like that, I've had my eye on him the whole day and he doesn't seem to revert back. Are you sure you're birds sit like that sometimes? I just got them and it would be heartbreaking to have them get harmed in any way....

 

[Hankmacaw]

Our birds always give us heart attacks - so don't worry too much.

 

[AriqThe360th]

Glad to hear that Max probably wasn't injured... And terribly sorry for what happened to Jasper, Life is harsh sometimes....
I will be absolutely sure to keep you properly updated about what happens at the vets and the aftermath, I will ask them about anything that comes to mind. And unfortunately I haven't called them yet but a local guide that I asked on google maps said they definitely should be able to treat birds but he still said to call first, definitely gonna do that, it would be stupid not to, but at this point I'm just praying that they can treat birds, but I'm praying more for something a bit more relieving... that there's nothing to treat...(Apart from the fleas/mites/lice/WhatEverIsMakingHimItch of course!)

 

[MommyBird]

It would more likely be mites than fleas I think, but I don't know in your country. If you can hold him and blow on feathers to move them so you can see skin?
Or try covering the cage with a white cloth at night and look at it closely in the morning, they are very small.
Budgies do preen a lot normally.
While you are holding him you can try to gently move his toes and see if they all are working properly.
Often it is good to figure out as much as you can before going to the vet.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I hope your little bird is okay!

 

[Tim]

Parrots scratch themselves a lot anyway! That's not necessarily a sign of a problem--It could just be dry skin ornew feathers coming in!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Welcome to AA. Good that you are taking Max to the vet to have his feet checked.
The scratching could be normal preening, dry skin, or other things besides mites.

 

[karen256]

I have to agree that the funny toe doesn't look like a recent injury or a serious problem of any sort. His toe probably got twisted a little in the egg or when he was tiny baby, and just developed like that. It shouldn't cause him any real problems, except that that claw will probably need to be trimmed now and then or it will overgrow.

The flying around and squawking are probably just from him settling in and just wanting to fly around a bit. Budgies are very high energy. Itchiness can be from mites, but more likely just dry skin or pinfeathers.
You might try offering them a bath. Budgies usually have a hard time resisting leaf bathing in fresh greens - try putting a plate or shallow dish with some wet leafy greens and a little water on the bottom of the cage. A nice bath will help burn off some extra energy and might help with the itchiness as well.

 

[AriqThe360th]

Thanks a lot guys, learnt a lot of new stuff from this post.
@karen256 I might try out the leafy greens bath thing, the only leafy greens I can think of that they would bathe in are spinach or kale... And even lettuce... Are there specific greens they need to bathe in or are the ones I mentioned fine? I have some lettuce at home so it would be great if I could use that...

 

[Hankmacaw]

Lettuce is fine.