parrotlet with spraddled legs

[susanne42]

hello everybody,
i just joined this community when i found this place during my search how to help two young (five month) parrotlets with spraddled legs.
i have not seen them yet but might pick them up this coming saturday. the breeder is giving them to me just to provide them a good home.
my understanding is that with five month, they are already to old for correction? is there anything i have to think of to make their live easy and joyful? they are two males if this matters. cage arrived today and is 21X12X35. i was a bit disappointed about the size as the ad said 25X15.
the base is big and they counted the outside. well, looks like it will still be big enough as the breeder said the birdies are about 2" in size. are there different size parrotlets out there?
thank you all

 

[allison]

I would watch them to see if the splayed legs bother them at all and if they get around ok. If not, you can try correction but it might be difficult at their age. Parrotlets are very active and can be feisty and it's best to have a very large flight cage so they can get away from each other if they want to. I would say at least 30x18" wide and deep. Height isn't as important as width.
There are cages that come with ramps too which might be a good choice for them.
Here's one that would be almost perfect.
Parrot Bird Ferret chinchilla sugar glider cage cages on eBay!
Or if you can do a double flight that would be even better.
LARGE Double Bird Cage Cockatiel Ferret Sugar Glider B on eBay!

 

[Anne & Gang]

yes, it might be difficult at their age..bless you for taking them in...I had flat perches for my crippled finch...just flat pieces of plywood approx 4 inches across..yo can see part of it in my signature...length of the cage.he loved them....you can also buy flat perches in the reptile section of any pet store or on line....also vet wrap the other perches you have and also put some low down in the cage..food dishes and bowls low down and also a set high up...

 

[rikkitikki]

And this is probably obvious, but make sure their food and water is where they can get to it. Not just where you think they'll be able to get to it, but physically watch to make sure both are getting food and water.

I've seen intelligent people dehydrate their pets to death, honest. A good friend even, I don't think she'll admit it to herself - it was a malfunctioning water bottle for her hamsters, she didn't even think to check to make sure they were actually drinking, cleaned out and refilled the water every day so it was fresh. Problem was it wasn't able to make it through the spout... How do I know? When she said they mysteriously died, I helped her clean out the cage and found the malfunction.

 

[susanne42]

thanks y'all.
i was thinking to put fake plastic grass on the bottom. would this be a good idea? i have no idea if they can pearch at all

 

[allison]

No I would use fleece not fake grass. You can get very shallow bowls and put them on the bottom of the cage.

 

[Merlie]

If the cage is only 21" x 12" .. that is WAY too small for two Parrotlets, it's too small for a budgie in my opinion. Return it if you can .. or use it as a travel/transport cage. Even if they are handicapped, they still need space and room to move. The bare minimum I would have is 24" wide by 18" deep ... and even then .. not what I'd want my birds to deal with.

 

[allison]

Found another cage for you that might work better if they can't climb or perch well.
Prevue Bird Flight Cage 30"L x 18"W x 18"H - FO610 - eBay (item 330368577084 end time Feb-06-11 17:32:55 PST)
Also, if you leave them fully flighted they will be able to get around much better.

 

[susanne42]

that sounds like a nice sized cage, just not very high?????
good price too

 

[rikkitikki]

that sounds like a nice sized cage, just not very high?????
good price too

Depending on their abilities it may be just perfect Their splayed legs might prevent them from climbing much which would make any height a moot point.

 

[birdlover82]

I have a cockatiel with splayed legs and she stays on the bottom of the cage which she is in a flight cage like Allison posted. So I'd probably look at getting a cage for it's depth and width not it's height.
Make sure to give them thick perches as well.
You can always make changes along the way as you see how active they are and how well they can get around.
Like for my cockatiel I gave her a padded bed that she never once used. She'd rather perch on the food dish. So I had to switch to smaller food dishes and have supplied her with a plastic nest for her to perch on instead. Another thing with her is I have to have all the toys attached to the side of the cage or ones that hang really low.
Good luck.

 

[susanne42]

thanks again for the tip with the cage size. i send it back and ordered a cage
here Prevue Hendryx Large Black Flight Bird Cage - Outdoor Aviary Cages and Parakeet Flight Cages from PETCO.com
this will be a good size and also better height.

now i still would like to learn how to handle these birds. of course they will not be able to sit on my hand. do i still pick them up or will this be too uncomfortable? if i put fleece on the bottom, how often do i change/clean? is there a good supplier where i can get it without loosing my shirt?
anything i have to pay special attention to?
this might be a silly question but can they get sores on their belly?

 

[Daisy's Mom]

What you can also do to help the little ones is to get them a Happy Hut so they can rest on their little bellies.... My Mikey (he is missing his left toes) was very perch picky so I had a homemade platform perch made by Chopper Toys that extended the length of his cage. And what I do is wrap a sherpa fur cover around it (can buy it at your local fabric store) or as others have said you could also use a piece of fleece as a padding... I just tape it underneath being my little guy isn't a chewer.. He loves it because it soo soft for his little nub.. Or another idea is you can use some moleskin padding.. Dr. Scholl's - Product Detail.. And also Mikey likes to hang out on top of his cage so I put a bathmatt there so its easier for him to move around...

 

[susanne42]

do i put the moleskin padding on the belly from the bird????? wouldn't they chew on it?
looked at bird huts and i think this could be a great idea.

 

[Lovebird]

I've got two splayed lovebirds. One lives alone and sleeps in her happy hut. The other is in with her brother, so I can't allow them to sleep in a hut (no breeding allowed).

They both do amazingly well and use their beaks when necessary in place of their legs. I placed the food and water low and they perch on perches that have a sand finish providing a better grip. Although both were handled from hatch they are no longer hand friendly and would rather interact from their cages.

 

[Daisy's Mom]

do i put the moleskin padding on the belly from the bird????? wouldn't they chew on it?
looked at bird huts and i think this could be a great idea.

You put the moleskin padding on the flat/platform perch... Mine didn't chew on it so maybe your won't either.. And I'm soooo glad you like the birdie hut idea..

 

[susanne42]

the new cage came today, much faster then i thought it would be. i'm so glad i ordered this one as it is really big and i would say close to ideal for two little birds. just need to put some toys in there and it wil be ready for the new arival. cage is so big, they can actually fly in it.
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[Birdiemarie]

It warms my heart to read this thread. I am so looking forward to see pics of your special fids.