Need advice for my handicapped cockatiel

[ZivaDiva]

I have a female cockatiel that is under a year old. She's a handfed sweetie but is handicapped. She's my special bird that I call my "spird." Her right leg is bent at the knee and her leg is twisted and her foot points towards the sky.

 

I originally had her in a smaller size cage by herself and she would climb the bars, put her foot outside of the bars and it would twist backwards/up and then she'd get stuck and not be able to pull it back in. That created a lot of panic and her hanging by her foot. I have a pair of cockatiels in a larger cage and I moved her in with them. She loves it but they don't like her and are now being mean to her. I think she likes it because the cage is bigger and I was able to make it an adaptive cage with a hammock like thing, ladders, shelves and thick, big perches that she can use. She does fall at times and I have thick towels on the bottom.

 

The problem is that she is still getting her foot stuck outside the cage and hanging by her ankle. Last weekend, I noticed blood on her wing, took her in and she had broken some feathers.

 

I also have one of those black wire shelves you can add to the cage and she really likes sitting on it. Last night, I heard her screaming and she'd fallen off the side of it and had somehow gotten her wing stuck down into between the wires on that shelf. Her wing was down in it and the rest of her body was twisted and hanging over the side. I had to take the shelf out to be able to untangle her from it. Now both of her wings are sore.

 

I am going to take her out of that cage since the other 2 birds don't like her and will set up her original cage again. The black wire shelf won't be in there but I don't know what to do about the cage bars. I had fostered some injured cockatiels before and set them up in a huge clear plastic storage tub with towels on the bottom, thick perches, etc. It worked really well but I felt bad that they were in a "box" when I wasn't home, even though it was a clear tub.

 

Any suggestions on what to do to keep her safe? I'm out of cage ideas. I don't know what kind to put her in that would be solid. She loves climbing the bars and sliding down and that's where most of the problem is since she gets stuck and I'm so afraid I won't be home or she'll snap her leg off.

[Luvparrots]

How about a glass aquarium. They make them in all sizes now. That way your sweet cockatiel can see out all around. Just be careful not to place it in the sun or it could be very hot.

[ZivaDiva]

Thanks. That's kind of what I'm leaning towards. That or an acrylic cage. She's inside and I keep the temp correct so she wouldn't overheat. Just not sure how to set up perches and shelves for her in an aquarium. Holes can be drilled in acrylic which is what I did with the big plastic tub so I could put in perches. I wish I still had my 100 gallon acrylic aquarium. She could have her own playground.

[katana600]

I am wondering if you could wrap the wire "porch shelves" with vet wrap so she could climb on them yet not get her little foot caught or fall over and get a wing stuck. This really takes some thinking, it is one of those unique things that need engineered just for her situation. On the twisted leg, is she able to grab and use that foot? Some cages have horizontal bars and some have vertical bars. The horizontal bars are usually best for a healthy bird to climb. If that is the kind she gets stuck in though, you might just be able to find one that the wires go the other way. Our cage has both. In that case, maybe you could get a piece of plexiglass cut for two sides and she could still safely climb on the others if that is an option. Otherwise, I am not sure if there is bird safe wire that would have squares or mesh to line her cage so her deformed leg couldnt fit through the mesh, but she could still use her beak and good leg to propel her from one position to another. I am not sure if I am just out in left field without seeing her. I wish I could watch her and help you invent a happy safe place for her to do all she can do and still be safe. I am happy that you are being her guardian angel. Good luck.

[birdhouse]

There are a number of acrylic cage designs on the market these days. Some are a combination of acrylic & bars like this one

 

 

Some are fully acrylic like these.

 

 

Maybe you can find a good size & design for your special needs.

[ZivaDiva]

Thanks so much for the reply. She can use her messed up foot and will often sit on a huge perch with her good foot and then uses the other one to grip onto the cage bars. The cage she's in has bars going both ways. She manages to get her foot stuck in both of them but most often in vertical bars when she hits a cross bar. The vet wrap is a good idea, thanks. I think I will wrap the entire thing and make it solid. Or, maybe just wrap the individual bars and make them so thick that she can't slip thru. What do you think? I do have some shelves that are solid wood for her but she likes the wire one. I think it's because she can grip the wire but it's obviously not safe for her that way. I'm trying to figure out if I put her in some kind of solid cage - aquarium, acrylic, etc. how she would get around. She sleeps in her hammock and uses the bars to move around and position herself on perches, food dishes, etc.

 

I'm honestly contemplating having the leg amputated. I have a 1 legged conure and he's just fine. He had an injured foot that was removed and then got his leg caught in the bars and snapped his leg and that led to the amputation. He went thru drama and almost died from the blood loss and shock of the snapped leg. I'm afraid of that happening to her and I know it would happen on a 3 day weekend when I can't find an avian vet. But, I'm also afraid of her having surgery and the outside chance that something else happens to her other leg, she'd be out of options. So, I just am not sure.

 

She's the friendliest little girl ever. She demands to be held and have her head scratched. I just want to do what's best for her. I also wish you could see her and help figure out what she needs. I'm at a loss. Thanks again.

[ZivaDiva]

Birdhouse - thanks so much! I've looked at the 1st one and they are really small plus she'd get her foot stuck in the bars on the side. Where'd you find the second one? It's acrylic with plastic (?) grating on the sides. That would probably be doable for her. I wish I would handy so I could build something.

[katana600]

No wonder it scares you, you have been through a lot with your little birds. If she can use her leg, it would take a vet to determine if it could be reset "straight" but if can't use it afterward, it would still be an issue maybe if she doesn't have the ability to use it or to have sensation to know where she is putting it. While amputation seems drastic, the alternative of this limb being a liability to her, it might be slowing her down and certainly puts her in danger if you are not there when she gets it caught. What about a larger flight cage with narrow, lightweight bars closer together for finches and the like? If her foot is splayed, like her toes spread apart, it might not fit through. In a larger cage, it may be possible to put rope perches and boings in there so she could propel herself with her beak and good leg and it might create less of a desire for her to climb on the side bars. Also in a larger flight cage, square panels of lightweight acrylic may be easier to cut and line the inside of two or three sides. A hardware store would have someone available to cut the acrylic sheets to size. Another thought would be to contact a parrot rescue, chances are they have had similar issues and someone there might be able to help modify a safe environment for her. My stomach has a little knot and my heart goes out to you as you strive to keep her safe and active. I have known other people that have one legged birds and they do very well. One of the birds was named "Skippy", what is yours named?

[ZivaDiva]

Thanks for the reply (again!) Her name is Stevie. My daughter named her after Stevie Nicks. I pulled her from the larger cage with the other pair and put her in a finch flight cage with the smaller bar spacing. That's what I originally had her in and she continues to get her leg caught. She curls up her foot when climbing so she can grab the bars and then it slips thru the bars and when she freaks out, she spreads apart her toes. Plus, the leg is curled inward so it just hooks onto the outside of the bars. She has a hammock, rope perches, branch perches and dowel perches in there but her favorite thing to do in the cage is climb on the bars. Mostly it's begging to come out but she also just loves going all around the cage. Over and over again. She does that plus sits on the highest perch (like most birds) and we say she's being a big girl. She was originally in a cage without perches higher than a few inches because she had problems perching and was very happy when she learned to perch. I am concerned about her perching on the wood because she often puts down the bad foot and rests on the ankle. I'm so afraid she'll end up with sores so I frequently check it.

 

I am going to make an appt. with the same vet who did the amputation on my conure and see what he recommends. I'm really leaning towards amputation at this point but will keep an open mind in case he has other suggestions. I don't think the leg can be fixed and either did the breeder who she came from but I'm willing to listen to what the vet says. I'm already worrying about her recovery from surgery, etc. and am trying to just take it one step at a time. She's such a sweetheart and I want her to be free of pain and be able to cruise all around in a cage and not get injured. (I also want to be able to sleep and not constantly listening for her.)