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Experience with Wing Injuries?

juliashmulia

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Finally got a pic of Eliot’s “lucky” wing (like Nemo’s lucky fin). It just breaks my heart and I’m worried he’s chewing on it—I see him pick at it now and then. For anyone who didn’t read his story, we think an African Grey he lived with in his first home did this to him when they fought. He took one of her toes, she took half his wing. Does it looked basically pinioned to you guys? I don’t know what a pinioned wing looks like. I really want to find a way to help him fly, even though I know it’s unlikely I can. Does anyone have experience with an injury like this? It really disables him as he’s off balance and drops like a rock :( Three avian vets looked at it before he came to me, but I was wondering if there are vets who specialize in wing injuries and helping birds fly again. Are prosthetic flight feathers a thing?

35555EAA-7DB0-460C-9C2E-A58F27E21908.jpeg
 

MommyBird

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juliashmulia

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I don't know what a pinioned wing looks like either. or prostetics.
The only thing I know of that comes close is feather imping.
At first it sounds like and easy thing but after reading this article , I see it is a tricky thing
https://www.awrc.org.au/uploads/5/8...e_barsony_the_art_of_imping_melanie_final.pdf
I know about imping, unfortunately I don’t think it would work here, because there are no feather shafts. Just the total absence of flight feathers :(
 

Hankmacaw

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I'm quite familiar with pinioned wings. The sanctuary that I volunteered at had several CAGs who were wild caughts that had been pinioned. That was quite common years ago. All of these CAGs
were totally insane and lived in terror. ALL of the time. They had to be kept covered so they could never see people and only had one open side against a wall.

The sanctuary only took in the worst of the worst birds - ones who had no hope of ever living in a home. I saw lots of horrible results of human stupidity there .
 

Birdbabe

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I'm quite familiar with pinioned wings. The sanctuary that I volunteered at had several CAGs who were wild caughts that had been pinioned. That was quite common years ago. All of these CAGs
were totally insane and lived in terror. ALL of the time. They had to be kept covered so they could never see people and only had one open side against a wall.

The sanctuary only took in the worst of the worst birds - ones who had no hope of ever living in a home. I saw lots of horrible results of human stupidity there .
:sad1::sad10::sad3:
 

juliashmulia

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I'm quite familiar with pinioned wings. The sanctuary that I volunteered at had several CAGs who were wild caughts that had been pinioned. That was quite common years ago. All of these CAGs
were totally insane and lived in terror. ALL of the time. They had to be kept covered so they could never see people and only had one open side against a wall.

The sanctuary only took in the worst of the worst birds - ones who had no hope of ever living in a home. I saw lots of horrible results of human stupidity there .
Omg, how absolutely awful. It’s such a cruel thing to do to a bird, and it makes me sick. I was trying to look up pictures of it and it was too upsetting to me so I had to stop. I read recently that Senegals and Greys are the two most widely traded birds on the black market, and the ones that aren’t wanted are manhandled and shoved into tiny, rusty, round cages and sold on the street for next to nothing by desperate villagers. Part of me would so love to visit West Africa and see wild Pois, but I think seeing that in person would traumatize me for life.

I would so love to find a way to make it so that even if he can’t fly, Eliot has more confidence and better balance. A friend was suggesting teaching him to “fly”, even though he can’t, just so he learns to use his wings more and builds up muscle strength and confidence. Right now he’s so physically timid, he won’t even climb downwards on his cage. I know he’s afraid of falling.
 

MommyBird

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Julia, I have a BFA from a rescue who is also physically timid because of mobility/balance. Her ankles are locked and she probably has never flown because her chest muscles are really underdeveloped. I have a feeling she spent many years in a tiny cage.
She is really afraid of falling, to the point that she would lash out and make really aggressive growl/bite-you sounds if you wanted her to step up. It has gotten a lot better as she learns to trust me and I learn how to move her around. I'm trying to get her to the point of letting me touch her feet so maybe I could move a bit for therapy, but flapping exercise is out of the question as her grip is too weak and she can't fly, so is too scared. Walking looks painful and awkward but we try to do a bit. For some reason, hanging upside-down in her cage seems a favorite and comfortable position.

She will now quietly walk a short distance from anywhere to stepup for me every time, and we can walk around without me getting whapped by wings keeping balance. She has developed a great enjoyment of chewing boxes and hard woods. It has taken a few years.

Anyway, as you and Eliot learn each other I am sure his confidence will improve and you will naturally see ways you can help him. You are obviously great at reading body language. If he will do flapping without you making him feel unstable by moving your hand that would be nice, but don't make him worry you will make him unstable. That is very important that he always trust you. Put it on a cue on the cage or something.
Just trusting you and going for walks around the house will help his balance more than you might think. Our bodies are not all that stable a perch. It is really amazing to think of how complicated balancing while perched on a moving human is, but it is truly a big accomplishment! Starting with that is a great thing!
If he will use a boing or swing that might help too but I don't know if that is in his comfort zone yet.
 

Hankmacaw

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Jasper has almost no grip in her feet (very bad arthritis) and I can't hold her on my arm and do the up and down flapping exercise with her. A little over a year ago Dr. told me that she had to get more exercise and had to fly to get enough, or she was going to die much sooner than later. So we exercised her muscles by tossing her on the bed and then across a room and when she had muscles developed we finally went outside on a line and flew.

It has been pretty successful. Too cold most of the time now and she has lost some, but not all of the gains we made. She has severe atherosclerosis and her circulation is terrible. She had gotten so bad that her digestion had been effected and she was steadily losing weight. She is holding steady at her preferred weight now and looks and acts better.

It takes lots and lots of time, but every step forward is a step forward.
 
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