Vannah's feet...

[JennS]

Vannah seems to be a bit off balance or unsure of her footing. We chalked it up tho nervousness, but is not getting better.  When we first met Vannah we noticed her back inner toe on each foot appeared deformed. Her former companion said she had always been like that. The vet made mention of them as if something had happened to her. 

Now that you have background info,  I am wondering how much shorter are her inner toes, compared to normal (see attched pics)? I'm also wondering what, if anything, I can do in and out of her cage to help her. She climbs well, but has a hard time just standing on fingers and people, and she is overly causious about transferring from perch to perch.

[Timbersmom]

If anything could be done, the avian vet would probably have mentioned it. Timber also has a "bad toe" so I don't think it is that uncommon. If I recall, the vet said it could be a birth defect or an injury, hard to tell at this point. No comfort I know, but sometimes it just is what it is...

[JennS]

I have been looking at websites and pictures of feet, and I think those toes are supposed to be shortish anyway. The nails dont grow well on them. I have read about different perches (soft and hard wood, varied dimensions, flat,etc...) and one place says its good for them, then others say its unhealthy... who knows. I read another article about how hard woods like manzanita are slippery for Greys and may result in this problem of uncertainty of footing. All she has (she has refused any new perches) is manzanita in there right now... so I wonder about that now. I'll try on the new perches again and see if she'll accept them. She's been with us 2 weeks today, and has warmed up quite a bit to me. She might be ready.

[Timbersmom]

I know some who wrap their manzanita perches in vet wrap for the very reason. Others sand them to make them less slippery. I've always been told they need a variety of sizes and textures for perches, so I have an assortment.

[JennS]

21 minutes ago, Timbersmom said:

I know some who wrap their manzanita perches in vet wrap for the very reason. Others sand them to make them less slippery. I've always been told they need a variety of sizes and textures for perches, so I have an assortment.

She had 4 in there when she moved in. I tried to put new ones in when we took out the old ones to clean. When she touched them she reacted like someone putting their hand in spaghetti in a haunted house. Haha! Then she refused to go in her cage at all. I'll try the vet wrap if I can't get her to use other perches. 

[Greytness]

 We use a combination of rope and dragon wood perches. The key is to have a variety of surfaces that will place different pressures on their food rather than with, say, a dowel, that only puts pressure on one place. We also have a sold shelf in each cage so they can stand on  a solid surface whenever they choose.