• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Young cockatiel foot won't curl

Zara

♥❀Livin´ in Lovebird Land❀☼
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
1/8/18
Messages
31,364
Location
Reino de España
This way on sunny days I can put him in front of the window and let him get good Vitamin D and natural warmth because it's still chilly outside.
I don´t think sunshine through glass will have the same effect as direct sunshine, but it will keep him nice and warm :)

If the cuddlebones don't do much for birds I don't know why they sell them everywhere,
It is an old school thing that just hasn´t died off yet. I don´t purchase them, but if I find them on the beach, waste not want not, I take them home and clean them and give them to my birds to file their beaks on.

Do you all give calcium supplements to your birds? Or just let the vitamin drops/powder take care of it. Or do you even give vitamins.

Most cockatiels have pellets in their diet as well as vegetables. Between these they should be getting all they need.

To supplement calcium, offer veg like kale, collard greens, bok choy or other dark leafy greens (avoid high quantities of spinach), sprouted lentils, on occasion a boiled egg (smashed) you can grind the shell into a fine powder (in a coffee mill or pestle & mortar) and mix it into the egg for even more calcium.
Remember, direct sunshine will provide vitamin D which will help the bird absorb the calcium :)
 

Kodigirl210

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
10/13/18
Messages
1,403
Location
Cali
I give them mineral blocks. Something that looks and hopefully tastes good. With Vitamins that you add you have to be very careful not to induce Vitamin A poisoning from overdosing. I really prefer supplementing them with fresh fruits and veggies. Carrots, kale, broccoli, green beans, papaya, cantaloupe, blueberries etc. And yes, whether he likes it or not, the travel cage is the best option. He had to stay warm in order to digest his food properly which is why I suggested the heating pad to make sure he’s staying warm enough. Hope you can get him to the vet’s soon. :)
 

Tiel Feathers

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/15/14
Messages
20,193
Location
Quincy,CA
Real Name
Deanna
My tiels eat a mix of pellets, seeds, veggies, sprouts, and grains. I don’t think supplements are necessary if your bird eats a variety. Taking your bird safely outside, even in the shade, is also a great idea in the warmer months.
 

Cockatielier

Meeting neighbors
Joined
4/20/19
Messages
55
Location
New Hampshire
He had to stay warm in order to digest his food properly
Really? Wow. Did not know that.

Yesterday morning I put Bertie on a towel on the floor in my room in the sun with some food and water and a set of baby keys (he shows no interest in toys at this point -- he's still adjusting). Then I sat on my bed with the laptop because I work from home. And before long thump-thump-thump he's dragging himself to come find me. He was not happy until he was in the crook of my elbow all warm and cozy. And then he ground his beak and fell asleep. I tried to put him down on a towel next to me but he would keep crawling up me. We now have kind of a routine worked out -- I put him on the towel on my floor in the morning, then after a couple hours of that he transitions into the travel cage. Yesterday when I put him in the travel cage he ground his beak again and fell asleep. Then early afternoon I put him back in the big cage in his nesting bowl and let him wait for the teen to get home from school and then she puts him next to her while she does her homework, and she had trouble yesterday because the only time he was settled was when she had him on her lap with her hand cupped over him. And then around 6 he's in his cage for the night, which is in her room, and I don't think he's getting his 12 hrs. sleep because she has her light on but his cage is partially covered with a dark towel at night. This morning it is dark and rainy and he still has the towel over his cage. I'm just going to leave him there and not disturb him.

I have to make that vet appt. online. Tonight is prom, the teen is working all weekend, so I'll make the appt. for a day next week after school. She looked at his foot and can't find anything, I guess she had seen a tiny tiny scratch between 2 of his toes but she says that's pretty much gone, so I'm thinking the hock joint in his good leg may be troubling him like in his bad leg. At any rate, he is not showing any interest in perching at all anymore and is very unsteady getting on our fingers, most of the time we have to support him with 2 hands when carrying him. When he steps up he bites whatever he can on us (doesn't hurt) for stability and drag. It's like he's lost the use of one foot and has half use of the other - the toes on the good foot work, but like I said, I suspect the hock may be troubling him. But, he's going to get plenty of sleep therapy this morning, and maybe that will help.
 

Kodigirl210

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
10/13/18
Messages
1,403
Location
Cali
Yes. If you have a heating pad it will also help with keeping his joints warm in his feet so they don’t stiffen up and lock which is probably what happens when he’s in the big cage. If your concerned about it getting dirty -put it in a ziplock and then wrap that ina towel I would really advise against putting him in the big cage until after the vet appointment.

You don’t want to encourage more damage by letting him perch on the bowl.

Also use a flat palm and fingers rather fingers forcing him to perch to lift him up. He’d probably be a lot more stable and comfortable sitting in the flat of your hand than trying to balance with 2 bad legs on a finger. :)
 

Cockatielier

Meeting neighbors
Joined
4/20/19
Messages
55
Location
New Hampshire
Just wanted to check in and tell you all how well Bertie is doing. He walks just fine now, still doesn't grip with the toes on one foot but the vet had said that may come back, may not. For a while there he was basically dragging himself around with his beak but that's over with now. We've adapted his cage pretty well but could still use some more platform perches. But every morning now I put him on the floor in front of my mirror sliding door closets while I putz around, and he spends hours communicating with that handsome bird in the mirror. I put a plate of his food near him and some water, and he loves a thin black shoelace, he plays with that a lot. Sometimes he has hissing fits in the morning, jumps all over the place like he has ants, gets spastic, but in general he is perky, energetic, and walking/hopping on both feet most of the day. He's out of his cage probably 75% of the day, and I think by evening he's kind of glad to go back in and rest. If you disturb him at night when he's tired and cranky he'll hiss at you. LOL.
The teen says he's a cockatiel on the outside, but he's a falcon on the inside. LOL.
 
Last edited:

Kodigirl210

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
10/13/18
Messages
1,403
Location
Cali
@Cockatielier - You might want to be careful with the mirrored doors. Unfortunately it seems that cockatiels (though any bird can really) bond to their images. It may get to the point that he will start refusing to be anywhere but in front of the mirror to the point he won’t interact with much else and will throw everything in his arsenal to get back there and stay there. I would suggest a stuffy that doesn’t have anything he can pluck off as a buddy to sit with, away from the mirror, while you do your thing.

It’s great that he’s walking now and hopefully the more he uses the stronger it gets. Babies are so much fun. They make even the most mundane things interesting. Bertie sounds like he’s a happy boy with some happy parronts!

Thanks for checking back! :heart:
 

Cockatielier

Meeting neighbors
Joined
4/20/19
Messages
55
Location
New Hampshire
Thanks kodi - I had read about the bonding to the mirror and was keeping an eye out to see what was going to happen, but I think your idea of a stuffy is a good one. I wonder if he would like that. I'll have to try some and see what happens. Yesterday I put him in his smaller travel cage and took him outside for a walk in the yard in the sunshine. :) I held him up to the peach tree branches so he could get a feel for what it's like to be surrounded by branches, and this cute little dark bird flew onto a nearby branch and looked at us. Maybe he's already making friends.
 
Top