Getting prepared for my special needs budgie

[Zara]

Thanks. I will be going in an hour, fingers crossed

I hope all goes well!

 

[Arin]

Update 2: I went to the vet, I wasn’t allowed to go inside but I got a call while he was in their. The vet said he is slowly getting better and gave me some liquid antibiotic that he needs to take for 10 days. They said that he can’t feed the babies and should be kept separately until the antibiotic is done. So the mother will have to feed the chicks (the eldest has fledged but the others are way behind). They said if the mother doesn’t feed them I should ring them up and I am guessing they will give me some hand feeding formula. He is doing better. I also asked about the splayed leg issue and they said they could put him/her down. I’m against this because most vets do say this but others don’t and actually give proper advice on how to take care so I will be keeping the chick regardless. Fingers crossed he gets better because they said if he stays like this he may be put down aswell.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Glad you got some help for dad. As for euthanizing the baby because he has splayed legs...NO! Birds can adapt and even if you can't get those legs to be perfectly normal he will probably learn to get around just fine.
When I first noticed issues with Spee's legs, a few days after I found him, I brought him into my usual "avian" (not certified) vet and the vet recommended euthanizing. I decided to take him to the holistic vet who was treating one of my dogs. He also treated exotics and birds. He disagreed with that recommendation and splinted the leg that was growing upward to redirect the growth. It helped a bit but leg still grew in the wrong position. However, Spee knows nothing other than how his legs functioned (or didn't function) and he survived and has thrived. I am VERY glad I didn't listen to that first vet.

In fact, I went back to that first vet with some birds for a check up and the vet asked me how the baby was doing. Told her my sparrow was doing just fine. She looked surprised. She wasn't asking about the sparrow but my Dusky Conure.

You probably need to continue to work on taping the legs but even if that doesn't work out the baby can still survive. Sending positive thoughts for the little one as well as for the dad.

 

[Arin]

Glad you got some help for dad. As for euthanizing the baby because he has splayed legs...NO! Birds can adapt and even if you can't get those legs to be perfectly normal he will probably learn to get around just fine.
When I first noticed issues with Spee's legs, a few days after I found him, I brought him into my usual "avian" (not certified) vet and the vet recommended euthanizing. I decided to take him to the holistic vet who was treating one of my dogs. He also treated exotics and birds. He disagreed with that recommendation and splinted the leg that was growing upward to redirect the growth. It helped a bit but leg still grew in the wrong position. However, Spee knows nothing other than how his legs functioned (or didn't function) and he survived and has thrived. I am VERY glad I didn't listen to that first vet.

In fact, I went back to that first vet with some birds for a check up and the vet asked me how the baby was doing. Told her my sparrow was doing just fine. She looked surprised. She wasn't asking about the sparrow but my Dusky Conure.

You probably need to continue to work on taping the legs but even if that doesn't work out the baby can still survive. Sending positive thoughts for the little one as well as for the dad.

Definitely a NO for euthanising. Even my parents said they wouldn’t allow that.

Yeah, instead of taping I used a clean sponge and washed it for good measures. I will show some pictures of him/her without the sponge and with it.

Thanks to everybody in this community for helping me! I couldn’t have done this without this forum

P.S the pictures will be in the next post I upload when I can get this to WORK!!

 

[Arin]

My baby

 

[iamwhoiam]

Here's baby Spee with his leg taped/splinted to redirect growth.

 

[Arin]

Here's baby Spee with his leg taped/splinted to redirect growth.
View attachment 347259

Oh my goodness, he is sooo adorable. I chose the sponge because apparently it was better?

 

[iamwhoiam]

Oh my goodness, he is sooo adorable. I chose the sponge because apparently it was better?

Hard for me to believe that was 12 years ago.

Have never dealt with splaying. Hope that the sponge is effective. Did you look at this website? Splayed Leg Prevention And Treatment They do use taping instead of the sponge.

 

[Arin]

Hard for me to believe that was 12 years ago.

Have never dealt with splaying. Hope that the sponge is effective. Did you look at this website? Splayed Leg Prevention And Treatment They do use taping instead of the sponge.

I looked at many websites and most encouraged sponges. I used taping before when he/she was 1-2 weeks but only her/his right leg corrected itself and she/he was always flat on the ground with her legs behind instead of under, pretty much like the picture of Spee. Yesterday we used the sponge and this time it hurt her less and she could stand properly, with her feet under her.

 

[fashionfobie]

My cockatoo had splay legs. She was tapped and as an adult an average person wouldn't know. She was tapped under a vets care and I was not part of her life yet. When I adopted her she was already recovered but they showed be pictures of her when she was a chick. The tapping started when she was very young. I have no personal experience performing tapping and I am unqualified to offer advice with it. Though there is hope if you start corrective measure when they are still very young.

You can set up a very fun and exciting enclosure that supports her needs.

Is there another vet you can consult who has more experience with splay leg?

 

[fashionfobie]

Taped not tapped. Please excuse that typo oversight

 

[Arin]

My cockatoo had splay legs. She was tapped and as an adult an average person wouldn't know. She was tapped under a vets care and I was not part of her life yet. When I adopted her she was already recovered but they showed be pictures of her when she was a chick. The tapping started when she was very young. I have no personal experience performing tapping and I am unqualified to offer advice with it. Though there is hope if you start corrective measure when they are still very young.

You can set up a very fun and exciting enclosure that supports her needs.

Is there another vet you can consult who has more experience with splay leg?

Aww, your cockatoo sounds so cute! I just love them. I tied them from a young age but that didn’t work so I am now using a sponge. I couldn’t tape mine because I had nothing good like vet wrap because it would hurt a lot when taking it off and I didn’t want that pain for her.
As for the vet, I don’t think any have much experience with splayed legs. I have read many threads where people said that they went to many different vets and most supported euthanising the bird except for one who said you can change a cage setup. The vet used to breed budgies so he knows a lot but I don’t think he ever experienced splayed legs.

Taped not tapped. Please excuse that typo oversight

It’s fine and thanks for the advice.

 

[Arin]

Update 2 (I think): The chick’s father unfortunately passed away, which I made a thread about. Besides that she/he has came out the nest a few days ago and surprisingly on the first day she/he was on the floor most of the time tasting seeds and weeding himself/herself. The second day out of the nest he/she was suprisingly sitting on a PERCH around the middle of the aviary!!! She/he is now weaned, can fly and can perch some times. The most precious thing he/she does is whenever I open the door of the aviary she/he comes flying out and lands in my hands (the aviary is in a shed so don’t worry) What do you think I should do next?

 

[Zara]

What do you think I should do next?

Remove that blue perch.
1. it needs cleaning.
2. it is an abrassive perch. If you want to include a pedi-perch, get a hagen one (they are super cheap, only a couple of quid).

To point out, one of my girls has a close foot, and because the toes all go forwards, the back of her toe/ankles touch the surfaces she sits on. She ended up with red patches, the vet told me it was her weight.
I would seriously consider taking this bird, and maybe a buddy if there is one, and housing them separately in a cage with an adapted environment. Otherwise you will have to adapt the whole aviary.

@Ripshod - any thoughts on gender?

 

[Ripshod]

Looking like a girl to me. I agree with @Zara,get rid of the pedi-perch - it's not going to work with her feet like that and it'll take the skin off her toes.
Great to see her perching though, me and my flock salute you.

 

[Arin]

Remove that blue perch.
1. it needs cleaning.
2. it is an abrassive perch. If you want to include a pedi-perch, get a hagen one (they are super cheap, only a couple of quid).

To point out, one of my girls has a close foot, and because the toes all go forwards, the back of her toe/ankles touch the surfaces she sits on. She ended up with red patches, the vet told me it was her weight.
I would seriously consider taking this bird, and maybe a buddy if there is one, and housing them separately in a cage with an adapted environment. Otherwise you will have to adapt the whole aviary.

@Ripshod - any thoughts on gender?

Okay, I will tell my parents now. I do not think she has any buddies although she does have 2 siblings but I don’t think they are interested in her much since they left the nest.

Looking like a girl to me. I agree with @Zara,get rid of the pedi-perch - it's not going to work with her feet like that and it'll take the skin off her toes.
Great to see her perching though, me and my flock salute you.

Thanks for telling me her gender it was getting pretty repetitive using “he/she“
I will take the pedi-perch out and thanks for the salute