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Splayed legs

Crazy4parrots

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I Think there should be a sticky about do's & donts with splayed birds.
Certainly Kiwi's story thaught me that Birds arent made to be laying down all the time!

With Zazu CAG his story was a reminder! Kiwi's vet told me after she saw Kiwi had improved a lot... That bird's arent made to be laying down. For a splayed Bird laying down permanently means lack of muscle tone, respiratory problems and eventually kidney problems and then death.
My vet told me that info when Kiwi was around 8 weeks old she saw her and told me You got to Take out the towells because laying down constantly means a short life span (less than 4 years In birds with splayed legs) she said You got to make her be active and move around. She was extremely pleased a year later when she saw Kiwi again and had no towells and she was climbing on the roof and everything in her cage! And even saw her standing on a perch!

(Mind You her vet was one of the 3 vets that suggested to put her to sleep) after she saw her progress she told im glad You followed Your instincts and didnt paíd attention to what i suggested, she said this is something i'll take for other splayed birds i have seen quite a few and she told me she had put to sleep one before meeting Kiwi. This thaught her that they can adapt and be happy in their own way. At first i didnt did what she said of taking out the towells it took me 4 weeks. After i saw Kiwi making holes to the towells then i took them out. At the age of 12 weeks.

No happy hut for splayed birds because it promotes laying down. They got to be active and moving. I had the experience with Kiwi she had one, and she spent most of the day laying down in it until i told the vet and she said take the happy hut out! & out it went.
We should help them to adapt better to their lives instead having them all confy Sitting down and carrying them around, Thats Bad even for kids or people! What happens when a person lays down constantly without any actívity at all? Muscle athrophy, respiratory problems (this 1st two can take a year Or two years) and then comes Kidney problems leading to Kidney failure in Humans this can be reversed Sometimes. In birds it can't be reversed. In birds this eventually leads to death.
I think we parronts should treat them like If they were 'normal' even If they arent. This gives them the tools to act like If they were normal, this is what Kiwi DOES because i raised her like If she Was a normal bird but i gave her the platform perch because of her legs. And adjusted My way of handling her so she could adapt with her legs.
Another thing i did with Kiwi was daily Feet massages, with hydro Feet therapy and the sponge splint for 8 weeks everyday. Grabbing her toes everyday to make them grab My fingers!
By watching Baylee she learned to stand more normally.
Kiwi when i got her
image.jpg
image.jpg

Picture of her todAy You barely notice her leg is splayed! Almost 2 years later!
image.jpg
 
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Mockinbirdiva

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I love happy stories….. she is quite the beautiful little lovie!!!!
 

Crazy4parrots

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Because of stories like Zazu CAG i think there should be in this part of the forum something that is a sticky that suggests what to do & Dont do in case of getting a splayed leg bird!
Also something i thought about when Kiwi was a baby was to not LET her climb too much because of her legs but i asked the vet and she said "If You do that she wont have confidence in herself and Parrots needs to have self confidence otherwise they become Wild, nervous and wont trust anyone and Sometimes can turn into pluckers."
So i thought about it and always let her climb and when i take her out she flies short distances.
@SandraK @Birdiemarie @Birdbabe @cupoftea @Bokkapooh @melissasparrots @fluffypoptarts @mythic55 @macawpower58 @Holiday @Macawnutz

I think that part of the success that i had with Kiwi was the suggestions i got here in AA. Plus My instincts plus what the vet said, i followed the therapies to the letter and consulted 4 VETS in total 2 avians & 2 experts in exotic Wild life. Went to parts of My city that were VERY far for me (i dont have a car so) but Kiwi's well being was first than anything. Even If i went poor but she was fine i dont care been poor then cause Baylee and her are doing great!
 
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cupoftea

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Kiwi is so adorable. She looks just like my Zazu. I remember before I got Zazu I almost bought a lovebird with a splayed leg instead because she was being offered at a reduced price. I didn't know what a splayed leg was so I Googled it and decided to look for a different bird. Of course now I have Zazu who has an entire list of other problems!
 

slinky-kitty

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Dear Crazy for Parrots,

After reading this I am wondering if I should actually make a flat perch for my baby at all. He has had the whole kit a kaboodle at vet last week an he too said he would have recommended he be put down to any other owner. But he knew there was no point in saying this to me. Timmy is 14 or so weeks and the pet shop gave him to me last week when I noticed he was deformed. It was clear they were going to euthanase him. At the same time I purchased another younger little boy and they are best mates. It is so gorgeous to watch. Timmy has severe calcium deficiency and healing femur fractures bilaterally probably from either falling out of nest box ormum sitting on him. We will never know. His hip juts out significantly and his legs are uneven in that one is more forward than the other. He lopps around on the cage floor and actually that is when he seems at his worst. Although significntly weaker on his bad leg he can grab a perch. I was going to make him a flat perch but now I think I should be doing as much as possible to encourage movement and muscle development as you mention. His body is more tilted anteriorly and he may have a slightly enlarged liver. He had mites as he was unable to preen properly. These are being treated. The main concern re preening is his ability to do so around his vent. There is no significant build up atm and I will just watch this. I think he is constantly learning from Louis though and just desperately want to make the best enclosure possible for him. He is not in pain in fact I don't think he thinks there's a thing wrong with him!!!!
 

Crazy4parrots

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Slinky-Kitty Please PM me. :) i do Think You should put a platform perch for HIM! This IS the one i got http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/311eDpsliKL.jpg even tho Kiwi died on march 31st Of this year Because a dog killed him. He Was STRONG until the end. I do think To Get another special need bird.
Kiwi was special.. He did things That due to his splayed legs never thought he could do like flying...
 

Birdy_in_VT

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Thank you for making this a sticky. Things may have been different if we knew this ahead of time. I am hopeful that this helps someone in the future.
 

MzAnneThrope

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...it's NOT Anne ;)
Kiwi was very lucky to have had you for a mom, Maria, with all the TLC and devotion you showed for him. That is a very touching story, and will hopefully help other little splay-legged fids and their 'parronts'.
 

Crazy4parrots

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Dear Crazy for Parrots,

After reading this I am wondering if I should actually make a flat perch for my baby at all. He has had the whole kit a kaboodle at vet last week an he too said he would have recommended he be put down to any other owner. But he knew there was no point in saying this to me. Timmy is 14 or so weeks and the pet shop gave him to me last week when I noticed he was deformed. It was clear they were going to euthanase him. At the same time I purchased another younger little boy and they are best mates. It is so gorgeous to watch. Timmy has severe calcium deficiency and healing femur fractures bilaterally probably from either falling out of nest box ormum sitting on him. We will never know. His hip juts out significantly and his legs are uneven in that one is more forward than the other. He lopps around on the cage floor and actually that is when he seems at his worst. Although significntly weaker on his bad leg he can grab a perch. I was going to make him a flat perch but now I think I should be doing as much as possible to encourage movement and muscle development as you mention. His body is more tilted anteriorly and he may have a slightly enlarged liver. He had mites as he was unable to preen properly. These are being treated. The main concern re preening is his ability to do so around his vent. There is no significant build up atm and I will just watch this. I think he is constantly learning from Louis though and just desperately want to make the best enclosure possible for him. He is not in pain in fact I don't think he thinks there's a thing wrong with him!!!!
Kiwi was the same! He didnt thought there was something wrong with him! LOL he was a clown he used to sleep like a bat as a baby he did this o_O then he grew out of it and decided that is was much more fun to chase my fingers...push the tray out of the cage (never knew how he did this) turn the water bowl over, escape to see Baylee and return before i noticed. o_O
i miss him so much! :(
 
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Raa

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Its a shame it wasnt caught earlier, poor little love, if you catch it straight away its repairable in the nest with splinting (makeup sponges or bandaids do the trick). I've seen it work in parrots and done it for our chooks when we had babies born a little special. They all grew up normal, you'd never know there was ever anything wrong.
 

Crazy4parrots

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Its a shame it wasnt caught earlier, poor little love, if you catch it straight away its repairable in the nest with splinting (makeup sponges or bandaids do the trick). I've seen it work in parrots and done it for our chooks when we had babies born a little special. They all grew up normal, you'd never know there was ever anything wrong.
Good to know!
 
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Crazy4parrots

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Its a shame it wasnt caught earlier, poor little love, if you catch it straight away its repairable in the nest with splinting (makeup sponges or bandaids do the trick). I've seen it work in parrots and done it for our chooks when we had babies born a little special. They all grew up normal, you'd never know there was ever anything wrong.
I did the splints from 4 weeks of age to 8 weeks and it wasnt that bad... His mom didnt let breeder to check on eggs or chicks but when he turned 2 weeks she begun noticing his legs and begun refusing to feed him! Begun shoving him around and at 3 weeks kicked him out of the nest.
 

Raa

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With the chooks its always caught at hatch and treated from dat one. With the parrots it was always caught and treated within the first 10 days.
 
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