I think Kuiper doesn't see very well

[Kassiani]

I've been watching Kuiper very closely since I noticed that he would search for the millet spray before he would actually find it sometimes. I don't think he is completely blind, but he doesn't seem to see as well as he should. When he does launch himself out of the cage, he always crashes into something. I can attribute part of that to his feathers still growing in, but I suspect that it is also partly due to his vision.

It does seem as though he sees movement. And it depends on the lighting. He is more aware of me, I think, when the light is at my back than when it's at his back. When I place the food dishes in the cage, I can't tell whether he sees the dishes or whether it's the movement and sound of Jelly and Juju toward the dishes that lets him know that there is food. I searched the Avenue for the the word 'blind', and he does something that Matto said his blind bird does. He latches onto a perch and flaps his wings with all his might. It's such a fledgling move, but he is probably at least 1 or 2 years old...at least.

I would hate to separate him from Jelly and Juju, but if what I think is true is confirmed by his vet, should he be in his own cage? Would that be safer for him?

 

[Hermesbird]

I’m not sure i can help but I remember @Aves possibly mentioning one of his budgies having a blind budgie.
(Hopefully I got the member correct) sorry if I didn’t. Good luck, and I’m happy that at least he’s making best and still eating always a good sign

I think this is the thread I’m remembering. Video - Potentially Blind Parrotlet?

 

[Kassiani]

Thank you, @Hermesbird. Yes, I did see that parrotlet video and thread. It's one of the ones that came up in my search. I suppose I won't really know until his vet gets a good look at him.

 

[Hermesbird]

Yes that is true, the vet will be able to tell you what to do. Wishing best of luck!! Hopefully the boy is still trying to figure his way around. He eating well though right?

 

[Kassiani]

Yes, thankfully his appetite is good! He eats the chop better than Juju and Jelly

 

[Hermesbird]

He eats the chop better than Juju and Jelly

Now that's amazing!!!

 

[Sparkles99]

Are the others kind to him? If so, I'd leave him. It might be reassuring to have friends.

 

[Aves]

I've been watching Kuiper very closely since I noticed that he would search for the millet spray before he would actually find it sometimes. I don't think he is completely blind, but he doesn't seem to see as well as he should. When he does launch himself out of the cage, he always crashes into something. I can attribute part of that to his feathers still growing in, but I suspect that it is also partly due to his vision.

It does seem as though he sees movement. And it depends on the lighting. He is more aware of me, I think, when the light is at my back than when it's at his back. When I place the food dishes in the cage, I can't tell whether he sees the dishes or whether it's the movement and sound of Jelly and Juju toward the dishes that lets him know that there is food. I searched the Avenue for the the word 'blind', and he does something that Matto said his blind bird does. He latches onto a perch and flaps his wings with all his might. It's such a fledgling move, but he is probably at least 1 or 2 years old...at least.

I would hate to separate him from Jelly and Juju, but if what I think is true is confirmed by his vet, should he be in his own cage? Would that be safer for him?

I don't think you'd have to separate Kuiper from the other budgies, because I think blind birds like a buddy to help them. Like for example I put seeds in my hand and Valkyrie will come and eat and Nebula will hear and then Valkyrie will tell Nebula it's okay to come. If Kuiper is blind you just treat him a little more carefully. Sometimes blindness can be caused by underlying medical issues, and I'm hoping he doesn't have a medical condition.

Yes, thankfully his appetite is good! He eats the chop better than Juju and Jelly

Nebula has a good appetite, too! Nebula loves food!

 

[DesertBird]

I don't know much about blind birds, but I think if Kuiper is using Jelly and Juju to find food, and they are being nice to him, then I would leave them all together.

 

[Kassiani]

Are the others kind to him? If so, I'd leave him. It might be reassuring to have friends.

They are not unkind to him. He is actually a bit food aggressive. But they are all OK!

@Aves I suspect his nutrition has not been the best because of his scramble to survive outdoors. Hopefully his vet can shed some light?

 

[faislaq]

Our green cheek Harley was the same way. She could see light for sure, but not much else. (We thought she was blind until she got mad at a camera flash. ) She was separated from the boys only because she didn't like them very much. She was a grumpy gal.

We would only make small changes to her cage & kept the overall setup the same. We talked when we approached her cage & scraped a nail along our thumbprint when we moved our hands near her so she wouldn't startle. She stepped up easily this way & never panicked when we cleaned her cage or changed her food and water.

She loved her noisy toys, especially cat balls with bells that she could throw around and her "half bell ball" that she would sit under like a chandelier hat.

She was still quite the explorer and learned widening circles around her cage. Hubby and the kids started calling her "Blora". When we got Luv Bug & moved the New World birds to the dining room, she took the move in stride because her cage (home base) was still the same, and simply learned that surrounding area, too.

Even if Kuiper can't see very well, you'll be surprised by what he still can do. Eventually on exploring the dining room, she found her way into our other green cheek Scott's cage. He didn't know what to make of her at first and just stayed back while she helped herself to his food and water. They even became very good friends with Scotty helping to sit on eggs.

Scotty preened Harley!

TL;DR I'd only separate them if he's a grumpy butt who doesn't want anyone else with him or if they're mean to him.

 

[scrape]

I've been watching Kuiper very closely since I noticed that he would search for the millet spray before he would actually find it sometimes. I don't think he is completely blind, but he doesn't seem to see as well as he should. When he does launch himself out of the cage, he always crashes into something. I can attribute part of that to his feathers still growing in, but I suspect that it is also partly due to his vision.

It does seem as though he sees movement. And it depends on the lighting. He is more aware of me, I think, when the light is at my back than when it's at his back. When I place the food dishes in the cage, I can't tell whether he sees the dishes or whether it's the movement and sound of Jelly and Juju toward the dishes that lets him know that there is food. I searched the Avenue for the the word 'blind', and he does something that Matto said his blind bird does. He latches onto a perch and flaps his wings with all his might. It's such a fledgling move, but he is probably at least 1 or 2 years old...at least.

I would hate to separate him from Jelly and Juju, but if what I think is true is confirmed by his vet, should he be in his own cage? Would that be safer for him?

Be ready. Speaking from personal experience, he may need to be separated, even if just for a bit. If he becomes a "weak link" then there is a good chance they will pick on him. And bullying can be dangerous for a disabled bird. Especially if he can't fly. Monitor his weight, if you can.

 

[Kassiani]

So far, they have shared the flight cage for about 1.5 months with no issues. They don’t know each other all that well yet, but there hasn’t been any real aggression. I always keep a close eye!

 

[SumitaSinh]

@Kassiani I would like to congratulate you... You're such an awesome parront... You always take those special needs babies to your warm lap... May God bless you.

 

[Kassiani]

@Kassiani I would like to congratulate you... You're such an awesome parront... You always take those special needs babies to your warm lap... May God bless you.

What a kind thing to say! Thank you!

I'm not feeling very confident as a parront at the moment, but I do always try my best to make the best life for my feathered friends! <3

 

[Kassiani]

Master Kuiper has a drop-off appointment this morning. I'm not sure what the vet will be able to tell me, but it would be nice to have some sort of confirmation or not about his vision. I've begun to think of ways in which I can improve the cage layout for him.

 

[Kassiani]

Vet update: Kuiper is blind in his right eye and has some (?) vision in his left. When the vet looked into Kuiper's eyes, there seemed to be indications of some sort of trauma that *may* have caused some of the fluid in the eyes to leak behind the eyes which can cause inflammation and vision loss. He said that he sees similar damage when a raptor is brought in with a broken wing, and when they look in the eyes there is damage there, too. So what my vet suggested was a course of anti-inflammatory medication as a non-invasive treatment that may provide some improvement to Kuiper's vision. I'm giving him Meloxicam 0.04 ml twice a day for 10 days. He will recheck his eyes at that time.

My vet laughed when he was talking to me about how they check the vision of a bird, because a bird uses other senses like hearing and touch. So to test movement, they have to use something that makes no noise and does not create a breeze. So...they were throwing cotton balls past his head!

Considering that this trauma happened when he was in the wild (I'm guessing), it may be too old to affect any improvement. But, I'm going to see if any non-invasive things will improve his vision and quality of life. In the meantime, I have a lot to think about in terms of cage setup since I have both sighted and mostly non-sighted birds in one cage. I still need the environment to be interesting for Jelly and Juju, but safe for Kuiper.

 

[SumitaSinh]

Hope the medication helps... I think he's having serous retinopathy (dunno if birds have this, though)... But he is in safe hands. How's Opie doing?

 

[Kassiani]

Opie is mad....because he is back in his collar, lol! His little scrape on his tummy is healing, and he should only have a couple of days more in the collar. Then, he can be rid of the collar again

 

[faislaq]

So...they were throwing cotton balls past his head!

Thanks for the visual, Doc!

I have both sighted and mostly non-sighted birds in one cage. I still need the environment to be interesting for Jelly and Juju, but safe for Kuiper.

I'm sure your Blue J's will enjoy whatever Kuiper-safe setup you come up with as much as any other. When I "changed up" Harley's cage, I'd keep toys in the same spot but change out the toy to keep things interesting. Same with perches, except her 2 long rope perches that were her "highways" through the cage & never got moved.