Adoption Health Concerns

[BirdLady13]

I have good news and "bad" news!
The good news: I'm adopting a lovebird on Friday. I wasn't looking for another bird so soon, but it's happening and I couldn't be happier.
The bad news: He has a problem with his feet. This seems like a similar case: Pictures - Do I have a foot problem? @Zara.
I was told that he's around a year old, and whoever surrendered him never provided him with a perch. Supposedly he was seen by a vet and given the all-clear. He can definitely get around, but I noticed he has some trouble with keeping a grip (thankfully he is fully flighted). He doesn't like fingers/hands, but he's more than happy to hang out on your arm and shoulder. Some training (and lots of love) is definitely in order since he also refuses to willingly get back in his cage. Apparently he won't eat pellets, veggies, or fruit so he's been on an all-seed diet, which means I have an even longer road ahead of me .
I ordered some corner perches. How else can I help him?

 

[Ripshod]

It definitely looks as if the inner rear toes on both feet are displaced forward. This, and the fact he never had a perch, means his grip is weak. But it will get stronger as he learns and practices. A vet consultation may be worth while. A problem like this would likely need surgery to correct, but it's up to the vet whether their willing to do this for a one year old.
Even without a vet's intervention, his grip will get stronger and he should be able to compensate with practice.
Add some platform perches to his cage too, so he can rest his feet when he needs.

 

[Ripshod]

@Zara ?

 

[BirdLady13]

It definitely looks as if the inner rear toes on both feet are displaced forward. This, and the fact he never had a perch, means his grip is weak. But it will get stronger as he learns and practices. A vet consultation may be worth while. A problem like this would likely need surgery to correct, but it's up to the vet whether their willing to do this for a one year old.
Even without a vet's intervention, his grip will get stronger and he should be able to compensate with practice.
Add some platform perches to his cage too, so he can rest his feet when he needs.

The corner perches are platforms.

 

[Zara]

A problem like this would likely need surgery to correct,

Surgery was never mentioned to me by my (now previous) vet.
Once our efforts failed, he basically closed the book on her and that was the end

I was going to say, oh yes, just like my Adelie, but on closer inspection I see this is both feet.

Adelie was hatched like this, she was the youngest of her clutch. With her slow weaning, I thought that her foot staying closed was due to that. But once her feathers were coming in and the foot remained closed I took her to the vet.
He told me these things can just happen in egg, and are not always due to incorrect bedding and perches.
He showed me how to stretch her toes out, and told me to do it often. And I did. Every hour or two I would towel her with a tee shirt (our bond was tight so it wasn´t an issues for her) and stretch her toes.
I went back for a check up, there was good progress. He taped up her foot, so it has a cotton holding the foot open.
Unfortunately when it was removed, the foot went back to how it was before.
She was just unlucky. Sometimes stretching the foot can correct it, but not always. In her case it was not meant to be.

Something I don´t know if I said on the thread you linked, during a check up, her ¨ankle¨ (where her weight sits on) was quite pinky/red. Vet said to monitor closely to be sure no sores are caused.

At the time, her house was set up with her foot in mind. I made her platform perches out of cardboard (as it´s softed than wood), and no cotton perches - I was terrified that her nail (the one that points up) would get caught in the threads. She has no grate in her cage, and thinner perches because sometimes she could get her toes around them.

She is a fully flighted, never clipped bird, and now lives a ¨normal¨ bird life. She has a mate. And they live in a flight cage. At first I lined the top of the grate with thick card, but she would just shred it to try nest. I now know she is fine with a grate, probably better because the bars go into her closed foot rather than her ¨ankle¨ step on top of the bars.
She even has a cotton boing in her cage now.

Her cage set up story; (I need to update it with a picture of her flight cage!)

Pictures - Adélies house set up

So for a long time, Adélie was living in an 18x16x18 (the nursery/travel cage) while I observed her to figure out what she can and can't do with her closed foot. I originally was going to wait until weaned before making a purchase because I wasn't even sure on what cage to get. But Adélie is...

forums.avianavenue.com

Another thing I did which she seemed to enjoy, was make perches from small stuffed toys. This one is one she used a lot, I think your lovebird would benefit from something like this, but you will have to monitor to be sure it doesn´t get chewed;

Pictures - DIY plushie perch idea

Inspired by the dragon perch, i have made a new perch today. I thought I'd share the idea in case it can help anyone else. Could be good for little birds with sore feet, missing feet/legs, missing toes etc Need, -plastic perch (those cheap rubbish ones that come free with small cages) -new...

forums.avianavenue.com

Adelies roost was either on top of the dragon, or snuggled up to it on the cardboard. She now sleeps on the cotton boing.

 

[Zara]

Something I don´t know if I said on the thread you linked, during a check up, her ¨ankle¨ (where her weight sits on) was quite pinky/red. Vet said to monitor closely to be sure no sores are caused.

Here she is in the tee-shirt after her stretches,


Given the birds age, I don't know if it is worth doing the stretches or not. Especially if they are scared of hands, plus coming into a new home. It may not be worth it, for the minor result you may or may not achieve.

I would just focus on a softer cage setup
And I recommend that 18x18x30 finch breeder cage I had. It was perfect.

 

[BirdLady13]

Thank you @Zara! Adelie's cage set up was super cute

 

[Zara]

It took time figuring out what worked and what didn´t, I should imagine it will be the same for you as time goes on. I´m lucky Adelie has good grip in one foot and does really well in her larger cage, though she does fall from time to time so I try not to overcrowd the cage so she can break her fall by flapping her wings with no obstructions.
She has the lowered swing in her cage too, but I have only seen her on it once or twice. It must not be comfortable for her or she falls too often, I´m not sure.
Her favourite toy is a small plastic ball (cat toys) with a bell in. She loves to play football on the cage floor.

Another idea I had had for her, which I never got around to, was to buy a platform perch, then sew a padded cover out of non pilling fleece that I would be able to slide on (think, like putting a pillowcase cover on a pillow), to offer padding to the hard wood. It would also make for easier cleaning.

Please do keep me updated on your journey, and what works/doesn´t work - I´m always looking for ideas for Adelie

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Congratulations on your sweet little lovie! Thank you for giving him a home.

I also have a lovie with (different) foot issues. I put padding on the bottom of her cage until her grip got stronger and her wings grew out. She has several platform perches in her cage as well. @Zara is full of excellent suggestions!

 

[Zara]

I also have a lovie with (different) foot issues.

What are the issues? Would love to see her setup

 

[fluffypoptarts]

What are the issues? Would love to see her setup

Her feet are turned a bit inward, making it hard for her to grasp things. She doesn’t like to step up on a finger because of this and needs to be offered a cupped hand, or to be scooped. She was already an adult when I adopted her and the vet said there was nothing to be done about her feet. Despite that, her grip is strong enough now that she can hang upside down and climb (albeit a little awkwardly) like an adorable little bat from the top of her cage.

This was her initial setup when I first brought her home - when she had only the one corner perch as I had to order more/better ones (I didn’t like that one and got rid of it). I also switched out her cage for one with horizontal bars.



Partial pics that show some of the other platforms:





A picture that kind of shows her little feet:

 

[BirdLady13]

I'm beginning to think foot problems are more common in lovebirds than other species.

 

[BirdLady13]

@Zara could you provide me with a link or at least the make/model of the flight cage you recommended?

 

[Zara]

Thanks for sharing!!
I would love to try those seagrass cargo net things, but always worried over them. I don´t think they would work for my little girl but I´m glad they were good for you.

I should have said before, Adelies flight cage looks like that, but it all horizontal bars

I'm beginning to think foot problems are more common in lovebirds than other species.

I don´t think so. Feet problems are just one of those things. I think it is just coincidence that we all bumped into each other here
It certainly is helpful to know other people in similar boats though!!

 

[Zara]

@Zara could you provide me with a link or at least the make/model of the flight cage you recommended?

The one Adelie had was 18x18x30.
I believe they call them ¨finch breeder cages¨

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These ones seem to have a grate in, but I´m sure you could remove it, or you could lay paper on top of the grate.

 

[Zara]

When I first moved her in with her cage mate into the flight cage, he had been spending caged day time in her cage, but sleeping in his.,
(the box was Sydneys bed and quickly got removed),
That is thick card lining the bars,

It worked really well but eventually she would just shred it all the time so I stopped putting it in,


Napping on the boing,

 

[Zara]

Recent video of her up on the Y perch,

older vid of her playing football, her fave;

this was her favourite ball, I always buy these ones if I spot them for backups, I also have to remove it at night from the cage or she´ll be playing with it first thing in the morning maknig a lot of noise and waking everyone up;

 

[BirdLady13]

I love these nearly identical cages. Do you guys know where I can get one with the horizontal bars as opposed to vertical? The little guys feet don’t seem to stop him from running around on the bottom of the cage, but I want to make climbing as easy as possible for him.

 

[Zara]

@Dona and @Leih have the same cage as mine but it´s a differente brand. I think one is Kings, and the other may be HQ but I can´t remember.
Mine is a European brand but they use the same design, so you won´t get my brand in the US.

 

[Leih]

@Dona and @Leih have the same cage as mine but it´s a differente brand. I think one is Kings, and the other may be HQ but I can´t remember.
Mine is a European brand but they use the same design, so you won´t get my brand in the US.

Yes, Dona's is Kings and mine is HQ.