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Video Potentially Blind Parrotlet?

wavywavy

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Rowan
Aww such a cutie sad that she’s probably blind though, but it’s nice to see an energy that is unfazed by such! :hug8:
Thank you!
Honestly, if she went to anyone, I'm glad she came home with me. She was in a shop where anyone could come in and get her (the shop owner would make sure they go to good, responsible homes, but he had no idea she was potentially blind). I dont have experience with special needs birds, besides helping fix young baby's splayed legs, but I am an attentive owner and I am one that is willing to put in the extra effort for a special needs baby.

I am glad however as well that she's still just as happy blind as her sighted cagemate.
I wasn't sure about getting two plets because they aren't recommended to be caged together but having Fable has given her company, and help when it comes to being in the cage while I'm at work. She always gets really happy when she is next to her.
 

TikiMyn

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As of right now, the shop I got her from (a local shop that works with a local breeder and hand-raises the babies), clipped her wings for their safety while being handled by customers in the shop. I planned to let their flights grow out because I've always preferred to allow my birds to be flighted.
She takes a long time to decide if she wants to jump off a perch, and acts like she wants to glide somewhere but when she does she usually glides down to the floor of the cage. Most of the time she resorts to climbing around on the bars and reaching out like in the videos for perches (even if one isn't close enough to touch).

She does have red eyes, as does her cagemate, but her cage mate is a Fallow(which has red eyes naturally), and her eyes are much lighter than Poet.
Poet is thought to be an American Turquoise and doesn't seem to present any sign of being Fallow (and she's not lutino or albino) as well, so her having red eyes is strange.
I appreciate it and thank you! She seems to be fine, and her cage mate is really good about helping her out. It's so cute that Poet will search for her and when she bumps into Fable, she puffs up and makes happy noises!
Oh I understand! I thought I saw Fable fly in the background and I wondered. Xena (my blind lovebird) used to know the room pretty well and when she got scared she would sometimes fly a few circles and land in a place higher up, she knew the room pretty well but rarely flew for fun. She does not know this room as well so no flying here.

Oh they are so cute! I bet you three will be buddies in no time, you are making great progress :D
 

wavywavy

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Rowan
Oh I understand! I thought I saw Fable fly in the background and I wondered. Xena (my blind lovebird) used to know the room pretty well and when she got scared she would sometimes fly a few circles and land in a place higher up, she knew the room pretty well but rarely flew for fun. She does not know this room as well so no flying here.

Oh they are so cute! I bet you three will be buddies in no time, you are making great progress :D
Yeah! Theyre both clipped currently but I'm hoping theyll grow out soon. Poet was clipped a little under two weeks ago, and Fable was clipped a while before.
I'm taking advantage of the clip time however to work on bonding and taming them completely in a safer way. It should be a while before their flights are back in unfortunately. Once they are back, however, I'll have to keep a super close eye on Poet when shes having out time to make sure she doesnt run into anything until she knows the layout of the room.

I really hope they take a liking to me. They seem to get excited when I come home from work and when I talk with them. It's mostly a point of getting Poet to trust me, and Fable to not be as handshy and be a little more trusting of me as well. She's been super brave though for some treats and her progress has been faster than I expected!
 

wavywavy

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I have an update!
Poet is a male turns out! He doesn't have blue flights but trust me, hes a he. :rofl:

As for his blindness, I got it confirmed by my avian vet.
She said his lack of eye pigmentation along with his inability to see (and she couldn't see past his lenses but he doesn't have cataracts per say and she couldn't detect pupil movement), she believes Poet was born with a malformation of part of the internal structures of his eyes that prohibits him from seeing- she thinks it is due to his pale color mutation. He does have dazzle response and will close his eyes with sudden bright light, but other than being able to see some bright light and shadows, he is completely blind in both eyes, one more-so than the other.
Looks like I am indeed a special needs parront ^^
She said the same things y'all said but did recommend I keep him clipped if he is to come out of the cage often in case he does startle. It will make it easier for me to catch him or stop him if he does take off because plets can be little bullets if they are spooked. I am unsure if I want to do that, but I will see when his flights grow in, how he does with coming out while flighted.

As long as I keep bright lights on during the day and keep his perches consistently in the same spots, he should be fine. If he starts to show signs of discomfort, we have an action plan and I have contacts for specialists that can keep an eye on his eye pressure if that ends up being an issue, but for now he is perfectly happy, healthy and getting on fine!
 

Zara

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Interesting update

she believes Poet was born with a malformation of part of the internal structures of his eyes that prohibits him from seeing- she thinks it is due to his pale color mutation
You will want to be careful your birds don´t mate. I wouldn´t risk creating offspring that could potentially have the same issues.
It´s nice he has a friend to keep him company though - I hope she looks after him well :)

As for the clipping, while we all want flighted birds, but when the cons outweigh the pros, an exception can be made. You will have to see how he gets on.

At least you have answers now and can adjust things accordingly.
 

wavywavy

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Interesting update


You will want to be careful your birds don´t mate. I wouldn´t risk creating offspring that could potentially have the same issues.
It´s nice he has a friend to keep him company though - I hope she looks after him well :)

As for the clipping, while we all want flighted birds, but when the cons outweigh the pros, an exception can be made. You will have to see how he gets on.

At least you have answers now and can adjust things accordingly.
Absolutely. I am prepared to prevent nesting and I keep an eye on them to make sure no offspring is created.

So far Fable seems to be really good at helping him find things he needs, but even alone he gets around fine it seems.
I'm just happy to have it on paper confirmed and a game plan for his care. I was worried about health issues that could be causing it because I don't know his history, but with it being just how he has always been, it almost feels like a relief.
 
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