Hannah's having perching problems

[masklovies]

My nearly 6 year old Mask lovebird Hannah is having problems perching. About three weeks ago I noticed that she seemed very doddery when she was walking back into her cage via the platform. She now is sleepy a lot more but does still play a little and preen her mate but is not gripping perches as well and slips a lot. When she sleeps she lays down on the vine platform perch and is curled up almost like a cat. When she perches her legs seem a lot wider apart like they're splayed a bit and she's more slumped than normal. She's still eating and I changed to a bigger feeder but her poops are a lot smaller.

Just over a year ago she had a bad leg injury from being bitten by another hen but she rallied and recovered from it. She's also had a voice change a bit before but didn't lose it like the 2 birds I lost to Aspergillosis. She's been nebulised since then and it seems OK now so I stopped this week.

Have rearranged the cage and perches and given her more calcium but I'm worried about her still. I don't have very good vets here in the UK and had bad advice from them with the other birds so can't really get help there. Is there anything else I can do to help her? She's not crying out at all and still comes out of the cage daily at playtime but I'm worried she might be in pain. How can I tell?

 

[suncoast]

She needs to get to an avian vet ASAP. Do you have one or can we help you find one. If she is showing symptons of illness, she needs to get in right away.

Ginger

 

[Anne & Gang]

honey, I think you need to get her to an avian vet asap....it sounds like she developed something else from the injury....it just is not normal..not at all

 

[masklovies]

The only vet anywhere near me has not been very helpful and if I ring them they always say I'm already doing what they would advise or say its probably the Aspergillosis which all my flock were probably exposed to when the 2 died 2 years ago. They may all have the chronic form so I nebulised the whole flock for over a year and apart from one who died from a stroke in October last year they all seem OK. They say there is no way of testing them as they are too small. Their advice when the first 2 got ill killed them quicker than if |'d done nothing.

I will take her in though if Hannah gets any worse. They won't do x-ray or bloods without anaesthetic so as before probably will advise against it. I think it is likely it may be arthritis where the injury was last year. She can still fly normally and lands OK its more getting from one perch to another thats hard. She's using her beak a lot more and the bars. She's not lost weight as of a couple of days ago, she's 58g and I listened to her breathing with stethoscope and can't hear anything unusual. It does say that Asp can cause muscle weakness but so can arthritis or calcium deficiency. In case it is the latter I gave her some oral calcium yesterday.

Have moved their feeder next to her platform and given extra millet so she can get to it easier. If it is arthritis I read Apple cider vinegar might help so I'll try that too. I'm going to take out the grate so she can walk on the acrylic sheet I line the cage bottom with. It shouldn't get too messy as they are quite a tidy pair.

If she stops trying to bite me then I'll definitely take her in as she is really feisty and queen of the flock so she would be very bad if she stops.

 

[Billie Faye]

Cayenne pepper can help her also:
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds
This also might be of some help to you:
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds

 

[masklovies]

Thanks I'll see if I can get some asap

 

[masklovies]

Managed to get a couple of videos of Hannah last night to show what I mean. They're not very good from my camera but I think you can see her problem. The 2 birds at the end are Hannah's son and Danny her mate's daugther.

The second one shows her walking. She's the last one left but here's a picture of her to show what she looks like (password is lovies)

Here's her lying down on the platform

1st video
Hannah :: FlockHannahFeb11017.mp4 video by beakbird77 - Photobucket

2nd video
Hannah :: FlockHannahFeb11015.mp4 video by beakbird77 - Photobucket

 

[masklovies]

Just to give an update on Hannah. I took her to the vet today as after initially seeming better she started to worsen. He checked her over and couldn't find any injuries or signs of arthritis. Her joints move OK and she can still grip. He could only suggest to keep on with the calcium as it appears to just be weakness. So I'm still no wiser really. If it is Asp then the calcium won't help but if its just deficiency then it will but might take up to a month to show improvement. At least I know I didn't miss something but I hate it that they say there aren't any tests to do that don't risk her life. Your prayers for her would be much appreciated.

 

[masklovies]

Still not sure if the calcium is helping. Hannah still wants to come out at playtime and flies OK. The birdroom has a flat shelf along 2 walls so she can get around up there quite well, just a bit shaky. In the cage though she's struggling to get around even more. I've changed some perches to try to help but she sleeps most of the time. She'll get up to eat a bit then sleep then preen herself and her mate then sleep again. She's going in the hut but lies down sort of to one side.

Does anyone have any experience of a bird with Aspergillosis that has central nervous system involvement? It could still be calcium deficiency but I'm really worried for her if it isn't.

 

[WingedVictory]

Hi, you may want to ask your vet about DMG. Here are a couple of links:

DMG: A Nutrient for the New Millennium

Vetri-DMG: Antioxidant Supplement for Pets (Dogs & Cats) - 1800PetMeds

Gary