Lovebird without toes

[Ryanne]

yes, unfortunately you read that correctly.
My brother in law brought me 3 lovebirds to take care of (they are outside at the moment, I think you call this an Aviary in English). He is a bird breeder on a small scale, and someone asked him to take over a large group of lovebirds. I think about 12 in total. He brought 3 lovebirds to me, since my husband and I have an empty aviary at home.

He brought one disabled lovebird. He does not have any toes. Not one. I do not know a lot about lovebirds specifically, and I do not know anything about the background of this particular bird either, but I do know he (or she) gets around. I call him/her Pinky. Pinky can't fly very well, and mainly sits on the bottom of the aviary. He particularly likes to sit in the food basket, but only if there is food inside (I tried hay also). Sometimes Pinky "hangs" around on the side of the aviary, by grabbing the bars with his beak.

I really want to help him, and make his life more comfortable, so I am looking for any suggestions that might make his life a little better. I already looked around on the forum, but couldn't find any specific info on a bird with two disabled legs, which makes his case a bit special..... If anyone has any ideas for us, please share. My gratitude is big!

 

[Zara]

Poor little guy. Thankyou for taking him in!!

How come he can´t fly well? Is there something wrong with the wing? What has the vet said about that?

As for the feet, Lining the cage with non-pill fleece will make it nice and soft, you can also wrap perches in fleece (secure with vet tape)to soften them, use cotton rope perches. My little lovie likes to sleep on top of a small stuffed dragon toy that is secured in her cage.
You could get a spare food bowl and fill it with something to sleep in, wood shavings or crinkle paper.

If you could post a picture of his set-up, maybe we can make additional pointers

@iamwhoiam has a little bird who has mobility issues, not a lovebird but still a small bird.

 

[Ryanne]

Thank you Zara, for your helpful reply! I will try answer as well as possible.

So I might not have said it right: he can fly but his landings are awful. He always stumbles and falls, almost as an airplane without landing gear... I think maybe that's why doesn't fly too high.

We do not have a vet anywhere nearby, let alone a vet that has knowledge of birds (we live rural, mainly livestock around). I do not think he is unhealthy, he eats and poos just like the others.

Their cage right now is still as plain as can be. I want to know what I can buy specifically for Pinky before adjusting anything. Your tips are very helpful! I tried a second feeder, but he prefers the one with food :/

Maybe I should try some different settings? I will try post some pictures later!

 

[Zara]

Ah I see. If he is falling, then for sure line the cage with something soft, even a cotton sheet or something, just to add padding.

That is unfortunate, still try to locate a vet, you never know when you will need one.

Look for soft items for your bird, no wooden perches, java perches, pediperches. Stick to cotton perches, like these: Trixie Cotton Perch | Great deals at zooplus!
Even ramps that you can wrap with non-pill fleece or cotton
Maybe my DIY will help you: Pictures - DIY plushie perch idea | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

I tried a second feeder, but he prefers the one with food :/

Move the food? Put the food in a new feeder and something soft in the dish he likes. Worth a try

Here is my birds setup if you want to read, I learned a lot on the way, what worked and what didn´t. My bird has one foot that doesn´t open well: Pictures - Adélies house set up | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Thanks for taking in these birds and helping Pinky as much as you can. In addition to making things soft and as suggested, you might also look into some platform perches that you can attach fleece to.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Make food and water easily accessible. Near a platform or towards/on the bottom of the aviary. Get some flattish perches and platforms. Wrap with non-pilling fleece. You can also wrap with vet wrap but the fleece is much softer. Pad bottom of cage with layers of paper towels or non-pilling fleece. You can also try soft towels that don't get stringy. Make sure that Pinky does not chew on the towels or fleece.
If Pinky likes to go in the food basket then offer a basket without food and pad that with the fleece, paper towels or non-stringy toweling. Spee has a bowl that I've lined with paper towels and he can rest in that. His food and water dish are adjacent and he can easily reach into those from his resting bowl. You can also create ramps that he might be able to hop up on or a ladder that has thick rungs. I have something similar to this: Natural Wood Flexi Bird Walk | Petsfella.com but I don't like this for your little guy because he might get stuck between the rungs and not be able to get out.
Also try to keep placement of things in the aviary consistent. Spee can fly but not land because of his legs which do not function due to breakage when he fell from or was pushed out of his nest. However by keeping things consistent he can what I call pre-plan how to get from one place to another via flying and land without hurting himself. For example, he has learned how to direct himself to fly from one part of the cage to his bowl. The bowl has always been in the same location.

Thanks for taking Pinky and the other lovebirds into your home. Can you take a photo of Pinky when you get a chance so we can see his feet and legs?


Spee in his bowl.

 

[iamwhoiam]

BTW, if things don't work out for him in the aviary you may want to consider moving him into a separate cage and set it up for his needs.

 

[Ryanne]

Thank you for all your helpful answers! I will try put the food in a different bowl and use the food bowl as a bed.

Right now the waterbowl and food bowl are on the bottom, there are no perches yet. This means they get dirty easily. I also saw Pinky is getting pooped on by the other 2..

Iamwhoiam: I think it might be best to move Pinky to another cage. I only have them for a couple of days now but he doesn't seem to interact with the other two at all. They are usually high up in the aviary on a stick, but Pinky doesn't dare to fly there + can't keep his balance.

What do you guys think about this? And how should I do that? I read somewhere that moving can be very stressful.

If I move him to another (smaller) cage, it would be easier to adapt the cage. I can also take his picture more easily because he gets scared quickly.

 

[Zara]

Iamwhoiam: I think it might be best to move Pinky to another cage. I only have them for a couple of days now but he doesn't seem to interact with the other two at all. They are usually high up in the aviary on a stick, but Pinky doesn't dare to fly there + can't keep his balance.

Ah, I didn´t realise they were all housed together.
Yes, the little one will do best on his own in his own cage Lovebirds are best housed alone or with a bonded mate.

What do you guys think about this? And how should I do that? I read somewhere that moving can be very stressful.

He will be fine. Get his cage ready, take the bed bowl that he likes and put it in there, then put him in.

If I move him to another (smaller) cage, it would be easier to adapt the cage.

I have a 30x18x18 for my lovie. I´d recommend it for yours. If you want something a little more heavy duty, a critter nation single cage will work well too.

 

[Ryanne]

OK so I moved HER (I think it's a female) because she had pooped on her own tail and could barely move.

I moved her into my small canary cage (I kept it after he died), and I will keep her in there until I bought her a big cage, I love yours Zara!

I tried to upload a picture but I am not sure it worked.

 

[Ryanne]

 

[Zara]

Maybe offer a shallow dish of water (about a centimetre) so she can wash her tail. My lovie doesn´t have a grate in her cage so she walks through poops sometimes and gets it in her tail too

HER (I think it's a female)

You can call her either until you know for sure I usually go for ¨he¨ but I have had two hens that I called ´he¨when they were little It´s not that important what you prefer to call them, as long as you treat them as they could be either.

She will be fine in a small cage for a short time while you figure out a new cage for her.

 

[Zara]

View attachment 318568

Oh.
She´s not a lovebird, she is a Linnie

Her tail is looking awfully scraggly. Do offer the bath and see if she dips in, you could also try to clean her with a damp cloth (only water) if she will let you handle her, to get the poop off her.

@Dona @Leih @Lady Jane

edit; to be clear, all of the advice about cage adjustment etc are still valid

 

[Ryanne]

Oh my lord, I thought they were abit odd considering other lovebirds I saw. How stupid of me!

So what do I need to know about Linnies?

She is very scared of me, I don't think I should handle her if I don't necessarily have to, for now.

How warm does the water need to be?

 

[Zara]

Don´t feel bad, you were just going on what you were told

So what do I need to know about Linnies?

Have a read around Linnie Landing | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum especially the green thread at the top. If you have any questions you can post threads over there. I did tag a few linnie owners above.

She is very scared of me, I don't think I should handle her if I don't necessarily have to, for now.

Best just leave the dish in and hope she cleans herself then.
Room temperature water is ok (just water, no soap, only water)

 

[Leih]

Aww, she looks like a sweet girl. I have a pair of linnies housed together in a 18x21x30-something, but it's been perfect for them. I think @Dona has her Gigi in something a bit bigger. If she hangs out on the bottom a lot, you may want to consider something longer rather than taller.

 

[Ryanne]

Thank you both! I will definitely check it out. good thing I joined the forum!

Would it be better to buy a rodent cage rather than a bird cage considering she can't fly so high?

 

[Zara]

a rodent cage

Check the spaces between bars. Max is 5/8inch. A lot of rodent cages have wide spaces. Also her wings are one of her few ways to excersize so it is important she can stretch them and flutter around without obstruction

 

[Ryanne]

Check the spaces between bars. Max is 5/8inch. A lot of rodent cages have wide spaces. Also her wings are one of her few ways to excersize so it is important she can stretch them and flutter around without obstruction

Thank you I will keep it in mind, I tried to look around online for a cage like Adelie's but it's not such a common size here in Belgium. I will look in stores during the week.

 

[Zara]

The site I linked is where I got hers from. They have an online store in Belgium. The shipping is quick, less than a week to arrive.

30x18x18