Now my tiel is limping...

[J*M*L]

I don't think this injury is from her night fright, though. I played with her this morning and didn't notice anything. Now I see she's favoring her left foot and limping when she walks. I can't see an injury. It isn't red or swollen. However, when I turned her upside down to check it out, I noticed that she couldn't grip my finger with her right foot like she could with her left. Also, she's acting like her wing is bothering her on the same side as her hurt foot. She still wants to play and walk around, though. Other than her limp, her behavior is the same.
So, my question is this- Do I need to take her to the vet right away or wait a few days and see if this passes? His office is open tomorrow morning.

 

[Alex]

I would give the vet a call and see what they suggest. I would probably make the next available appt to get her in to get check out.

 

[Danita]

So it is getting worse as the day goes on?
Is she a young bird?

 

[J*M*L]

She's only about 6 or 7 months old. I just noticed about 30 minutes ago, after the vet office is closed, of course. I'm looking at her now, and I don't think her wing is bothering her. I think she's sticking it out a little bit for balance.

 

[J*M*L]

This has to have happened this afternoon. I would definitely have noticed this morning. I can't imagine what happened, though. She's in her cage by herself.

 

[Danita]

When my tiel was young, she used to get pin feathers sticking into her side and it would make her wing stick out and she would cry.
Now limping, she didn't have that.

 

[Anne & Gang]

if she is limping then she is probably in pain..it wont hurt to give the office a call at least...

 

[WingedVictory]

Relax, you are doing the right thing by asking questions.

If the bird were one of mine I would keep an eye on her and look for improvement by tomorrow. What you are seeing is not life threatening and may pass after a good nights sleep. What you are describing looks like the bird may have fell from the water dish or perch and may have tried to catch herself wit and out stretched wing. Keep the bird warmer than usual and make sure she is eating and drinking. Come back and let us know how she is doing.

gary

 

[J*M*L]

Thanks, Gary. I'm definitely not freaking out like I was earlier this week! She's happily eating her millet right now. Maybe I'll let her sleep on her playtop with some towels tonight.

 

[Birdiemarie]

I've seen young birds loose their balance and actually catch themselves from falling off their perch but kind of swing partially around the perch as they struggle to regain their footing and cause a slight sprain. That may be a possibility also. I agree it's a good thing to touch base with your avian vet by phone for his suggestions. Then if later on you decide to bring her in the vet will be familiar with the situation.

 

[J*M*L]

I left a message asking someone to call me in the morning. I'm really impressed with Dr. Campbell. After I took Dolce in on Monday, he called me personally on Wednesday to see how she was doing. Wow. I wish people doctors were that considerate! (This was my first visit with him. My dog's vet doesn't usually deal with birds, so I decided to go to Dr. Campbell for the fids)

 

[Birdiemarie]

Checking in for an update. How's your tiel today?

 

[Billie Faye]

Hoping he is better this AM....Check in when you can and Please let us know!

 

[J*M*L]

Thanks, Everyone. She is still limping. But she is eating, drinking, preening, and playing so she can't be in too much pain. The vet took the weekend off (how dare he! ) so we'll have to wait till Monday to see what the real deal is. I'm going to move her into a smaller cage for now.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Sorry to hear she's still limping but glad it's not holding her back. Will be interested to hear what the vet finds.

 

[J*M*L]

Thanks, Marie. Conditions are the still the same. She's been so spoiled this week. I'm afraid she's going to keep limping for the attention even when her foot gets better! She didn't even want to sleep in her cage last night, she had to sleep on my shoulder. All night! And I got in big trouble when I tried to move her!

 

[Billie Faye]

Can you handle her and blow the feathers to see if there is any bruising on the upper part of the leg next to the body?

 

[J*M*L]

She's sleeping under my covers right now (without me, finally!). I will check when she wakes up. Giving some much needed attention to my lovie right now who's been screaming for 2 days out of jealousy!

 

[Billie Faye]

Just look to see if you can see any bruising of the skin...sometimes they can "twist" the leg joint in the hip sock and this will cause limping and bruising if bad....

 

[J*M*L]

Will this heal in time?