dangotiel
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 1/17/24
- Messages
- 1
I'm completely brand new to this form (I've been lurking for a bit but I'm yet to make an intro post- I'll get round to it), so I'm not fully sure if this is better suited to go in Health or Toys & Cages, let me know if it should be moved! Onto the actual issue- my cockatiel is being a bit strange about using her perches? She was recently moved to a new cage, albeit with all her old perches, and in the past couple days I've noticed her refusing to sleep on any of the perches, instead preferring to sleep on the completely flat cover over her food dish. I'm not sure if this is a comfort thing because this spot is so close to her favorite toy, or if its an issue with her feet- There's a small patch on one of her feet that may be a healed cut (I haven't noticed any blood, so it might just be discoloration.) and the skin on the plantar surface seems shinier than usual so maybe the very early stages of bumblefoot? During the day she doesn't seem reluctant to perch and she seems completely confident using both her feet to get around, it's really just an issue when she's sleeping. Mostly I'm just worried about this becoming an issue in the future, as obviously the flat plastic isn't great for her feet long term. There are plenty of perches with varied texture and diameter in her cage- natural wood, rope, cement, and a swinging ladder, and yet her favorite among all of them seems to be entirely smooth plastic.
If this is just a behavioral issue, I think I can curb it by either moving the toy she sleeps next to or just taking the cover off the food dish entirely, but if it's a health concern I'd want to get it looked into by a veterinarian.
Thank you!
If this is just a behavioral issue, I think I can curb it by either moving the toy she sleeps next to or just taking the cover off the food dish entirely, but if it's a health concern I'd want to get it looked into by a veterinarian.
Thank you!
