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Kelp, a very special budgie

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Sharpie

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
11/5/09
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4,376
Location
Now TN
Kelp is my lovely six year old budgie girl (and Lucy's mom!) I got her over three years ago from some folks who fed and housed her, but didn't really have the inclination to do anything more. When she showed up at my house I asked about the fact that she holds her wing so oddly. I was told that when they picked her out at the store three years earlier, th store attendant had smashed her against the side of the cage to catch her and since then she's been like that and was unable to fly. She falls like an unbalanced feathered rock. It turns out that her humerus was broken and it tried to heal, but rather than the broken ends healing, they slid alongside eachother. That bone is about 30% shorter than on the other side and she cannot extend or flex the elbow joint fully. Luckily she's learned to be good at ladders!



It's also highly unlikely that Jasper will ever fly. Neither I nor his avian vet know why, but the primary flight feather follicles that are supposed to grow some of his middle primaries aren't. It's like they're not even there. We're guessing that either the follicles were deliberately damaged by someone (hopefully unlikely) or he is just a genetically defective bird in the 'growing feathers' department.


Both get around fine and are happy. I just feel badly for them- they're not able to do what birds are, in every way, designed to do. I don't know if they really count as 'handicapped' since so many people purposefully keep their birds non-flighted, but it's sure a whole lot more permanent than a feather trim. :(
 
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