Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 10/25/2006

Question
Winslow is our 10-year old green-rump parrotlet.

He recently hurt his leg or foot (we don’t know how).

The foot/leg is not swollen or red. He is able to open and close his foot and bear weight on it – but clearly limps. He is not fussing with his band – so don’t think that is an issue. He has difficulty getting around. He is spending a lot of time sitting on one foot and sleeping.

He is eating and drinking and is still interested in playing – and playing as aggressively as ever when he came out last night.

We don’t want to put him under the stress of going to the vet if we don’t have to. He’d have tough time standing in the car and he tends to get car sick.

Have you ever had any experience with a bird who hurt his foot/leg? Any ideas how long it would take to get better?

Before this happened – he started eating more vegetables than he used to and seemed less interested in regular seed mix – still like the “treat” type of seeds.

Thanks for any help.

PS - I'm looking for any ideas on the recovery timeframe? He's such a small guy - it's not like he could get a cast or a Ace bandage to help heal.  

Answer
Hi, Denise.  Thanks for posting!

Actually, parrots injure their legs/feet/toes a lot...we just don't notice sometimes.  Yes, I've had much exposure to bird leg/foot/toe injuries.  I also raise racing homing pigeons and they are afflicted a lot with leg/foot/toe problems.  

This could be an injury to the birds shoulder and not necessarily a leg/foot, since you don't seem to see any swelling or redness in these locations.  Hopefully you're aware that birds stand on one foot most of the time when they are sleeping on a perch, so I'm not sure this plays into this situation.

I have no idea how long it will take for your parrotlet to get better since I don't know what the specific problem is.  If you want more specific information, you'll have to take him to an avian veterinarian for a medical evaluation.  Your bird would do just fine being transported in a small transport cage.  As far as getting car sick, well, if he needs to go to the vet, he needs to go!  

It's GREAT he is eating more veggies, as seed is high in fat and low in nutrition.  This is a prime time to switch your parrotlet over to a healthier diet.  An all-seed diet will cause your bird health problems in the long run; problems that can't be fixed.

Your parrotlet may have a minor injury (such as soreness from getting his leg/nail caught in something, a pulled muscle, or the like) that will heal on it's own in a short period of time.  However, keep a close eye on him for any changes, and get him to an avian vet if he gets any worse (due to his age).  With any kind of injury or illness, birds get stressed out.  Stress can result in immune system compromise, then illness.  Therefore, watch him closely and take action quickly if things get worse.

Sorry I can't help more, but without more knowledge of the specific problem, I can't help much.

Chrys