Sunday, August 2, 2009

Can somebody answer a question about cockatiels?

I have a baby cockatiel that was born 2 weeks ago and one of his legs is longer than the other he cannot stand on it. His legs go sideways like if he were doing the split. He has become very special to me and I would like to know from an expert if he's going to walk someday or stay like that and also would like to know if anybody has gone through the same thing as me. I luv my cockatiels alot and never have gone through something like this. I had to take him away from his mom so I could feed him and take care of him. Cause I was afraid that they would not take care of him the right way because of his condition. He looks very healthy and eats very well he's the cutest thing. Please can anybody give me advice I am going to appreciate it. Thankyou friends
Answers:
This sounds to me like a case of splay leg, it is caused by the bird having difficulty gripping the floor. Buy rubber shelf liner asap and it should cure itself. If not then you may have to tie his legs together, search splay leg on google to find out how.
I know what you mean about the cockatiels. They are such sweet birds. I used to own one myself.
As for your problem. I've never seen or heard of anything like that before. My best advise to you would be to call an avian vet (make sure that it's a vet who treats birds) Just going in for a consultation would cost next to nothing. They could at least diagnose so that you know what you're dealing with and possibly how to treat it. Don't worry they won't talk you into doing any procedures you cannot afford. Good Luck.
The first 6-8wks of a bird's life are very delicate. I would wait until 8wks before you make any firm decision about what to do with the bird, because as horrible as it may sound, it might not even live that long. Even perfectly healthy baby birds can die within this period of their life for seemingly no apparent reason. Baby birds start getting active at about 4-5wks old, so wait til then at the very least and see how he is. He will probably work out how to get around, even with his defective leg! He will just accept it as a part of life. I would assume that the most he will need is special platform (flat) perches.
Good luck with the little one!
My cousin had a cockatiel like this one and they called her peg leg(initially they thought it was a boy but she ended up a girl).She ended up being able to walk but they also adapted her cage to make it easier for her to balance.Just wait and see I guess.My cousin also had a very busy house so the bird was never alone.

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