JoeGrey Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Well, I had no plans to get a second grey, we have only had Europa a short time (she is doing great by the way). But, this little guy needed someone. A friend told me about him, and I won't go into why the breeder wasn't going to finish raising him up, but he ended up with us. So here is Ajahni, which means one who overcomes. His father decided to chew off his feet while in the nest, so he has no toes and barely any feet. That's why I chose the name. So far he has been great, acts like every other bird I ever hand raised, doesn't seem to notice he is different. He's still working on his walking and balance, but he's doing good, walks around the couch and lays on my chest. Loves to cuddle, get neck rubs, belly rubs and being held. So here are some pics of him over the last two weeks, and one of Europa, because she loves taking pics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robopetz Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 What a special lovely baby! Love the name too. I have a cockatiel that has like only one toe on each foot and is doing great, no issues at all. They do manage to get by all on their own some how. Keep us posted on Ajahni =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 A friend of mine accepted two like that from a breeder and she made a chinchilla cage over for them. Wrapped the wire ramps in Vetwrap to pad them preventing pressure injuries to those stubs. Added a corner shelf for them to rest on as well and they thrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brat Birds Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Love the name. Welcome Ajahni! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeGrey Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 (edited) Greywings, thanks for the info, I'd love to see more pics of her setup if possible. I was planning on a ferret/chinchilla cage, as I heard it works better since they are longer and the bars are horizontal. Today I placed a small toy in with him, took about 30 seconds and he was playing with it. He's also interested in playing with some pellets from the dish, so looks like things are going good. Here's some pics for anyone who likes pics. Playing... Busted. Caught me taking a pic. Checking out the phone, he's very curious. Getting some love Edited November 25, 2014 by JoeGrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I love baby pictures! What a sweetheart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeGrey Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 Just wanted to post another pic of Ajahni, he's doing good. Working on setting up his cage. So here he is chilling on the couch, walking around a bit. He still loses his balance once in a while when walking, but getting better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 From Macaw and Cockatoo Rescue of New Mexico: To most people it makes sense that a parrot hatched with a deformity would be better able to learn to get by. After all, it has never known any other way. But how could a parrot that lost a foot in an injury learn to adapt when everything a parrot does involves its feet? How could a blind parrot learn to navigate it’s cage without hands to guide him in the darkness? The answer to these questions is quite simple: a parrot makes the difficult adjustment because it must in order to survive. And frankly, it is a lot easier for a parrot to adapt because they don’t suffer from bouts of self pity the way humans do. They don’t waste time or energy thinking “Why me?”, or considering “If only…” They see a task ahead of them and they get to it. The footless parrot plots out another means of getting from point A to B. The blind parrot learns to rely more heavily on its other senses. This is not to say that we shouldn’t do everything we can to make the cage more practical for our special needs parrots. Our highest priority should be in the matter of safety. Until which time the bird recovers or has adapted to its infirmity, we must be certain they are not in danger when perching or moving around the cage. Footless african grey photo by Anna Sloan A few years ago, a friend took in two handicapped african greys. Shortly after hatching, their parents bit off their feet, for reasons no one will ever know. If I remember correctly, the breeder’s solution to the problem was a river and a bag of rocks, but fortunately someone stepped in and they wound up in the care of my friend. Each bird had a different degree of “disability”. One had remnants of feet, one had only stumps. They both needed special considerations for their care. Obviously, the biggest obstacle was finding a way to offer comfort and stability in perching. Below is a photo of a starter cage that my friend modified to suit the needs of one of the birds. The cage is large enough to encourage active play, but small enough to prevent injury during a fall from any real height. Everything is padded for comfort, while offering help with balance. The climbing ramp is wound with rope to add traction for footless-ness. Aside from the obvious special caging and perching needs of the greys, some unanticipated problems arose, such as how to confidently step up a footless bird. It is difficult for a human to be a stable perch for a bird with no toes to grasp fingers or wrists. This resulted in some trust issues as the birds struggled to feel secure when being held by humans, but it was sorted out with patience and diligence. There is more to tending to special needs than meets the eye but the birds did remarkably well and have since gone on to new homes. Photo and cage modification by Anna Sloan Recently, someone contacted me because her bird was going blind. She was very upset, but I explained to her that this was not the end of the world – for her or her bird. She sent me some video footage of her bird’s cage and in the end we decided to change nothing. Her bird had been in that cage for its entire life and was quite aware of where the food bowls were and how the perching was laid out. As its vision declined, the bird was showing that it was quite capable of navigating the cage without any problems. I think one of the biggest challenges with having a special needs parrot comes from within ourselves. Very often, their physical shortcomings are a bigger deal to us than it is to them. Birds are very reactive to the stress levels of their people, and wouldn’t it be ironic that while we fret over making their lives livable in the face of their handicap, that we are actually making it more tense with our own stress? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Excellent post. Thanks greywings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I can't even imagine! I am ashamed, that I complain about Sophie's behavior. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeGrey Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 Greywings, thanks for the pic, exactly what I was looking for. Ajahni amazes me everyday, he keeps walking better, loves new toys, and enjoys playing with pellets, fruits and veggies. Today while sitting on my chest watching tv, he began to climb around and made his way up towards my shoulder. His one leg still slips every so often, but definitely keeps doing better. I am sure when he learns to fly that it will greatly improve his balance and just add to his confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeGrey Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 Just took a few more pics of Ajahni. He's getting so big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 What a cutie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 The writings were from my friend Anna in New Mexico, she is very special in her work to provide the best lives for all the birds she comes in contact with. No credit to me other than having some wonderful friends and contacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robopetz Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 They grow too quick... Thanks for keeping us updated =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 What great pics! Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 This is a great thread. I so enjoy those baby pictures. Ajahni is a good name for your baby. They do grow so quickly. Love the cage layout for easy access and I so look forward to watching how you set up a cage and habitat for Ajahni to be a fully able mischief maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Ajahni.... Is going to be amazing! Please keep us updated on your baby's progress! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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