BFA help

[U2~mommy]

I got a baby Blue Front last month she is almost 4 months old her hatch date was January the 14th. She is missing flight feathers on the right side and my question is will she have balance issuses? My other questions is she was born with out toes. She has 1 toenail or each foot but the toe is all bent inward. I have bought special perches for her so she won't fall and that is working out just fine. She no longer falls from the perches and is perching fine now. My question is have you or anyone heard of birds being born like this? If so what should I do? Thank you very much

[jamieo]

I don't have any experience with toeless birds, but there is a lady on another bird forum who has a toeless cockatoo that might be able to give you some more information. I'll find the link and send you a private message.

Many birds are born with birth defects of one type or another- just like other animals as well as humans. Some of them have an identifiable cause while others are more difficult or impossible to explain. With parrots, many breeders are not careful with choosing breeding stock and some will routinely breed closely-related birds. This can lead to an increase in birth defects and health problems in the chicks. Unfortunately, there's probably no way to know what might have caused your bird to be born toeless, but it's highly probable that she will live a long happy life as long as you can take care of her.

[U2~mommy]

Thank you so much, I called the vet and they told me that it was most likely to be a birth defect. I'm ok with it I wanted her anyways cause I watched her grow from the day she hatched. No matter what is wrong or how she looks I'll love her anyways. Again thank you for the link

[birdscomefirst]

Hi,
I have a conure with one leg,(the bird was rescued from a breeder that let the parents eat the young, it's a long story but I nursed him back to health after we and the humane society confiscated his birds) and a budgie with deformed feet (birth defect).

Both birds are doing very well and they get around just fine. After awhile, they don't realize they are any different than any other bird :-)

When the conure was younger, I had a grating that fit into the corner of his cage that acted like a ledge for him to hang out on. Once he started exploring and I saw that he could get around great, that corner shelf came out of his cage.

The budgie although a little lopsided in appearance gets around great even on his deformed feet. He has toes that go the wrong way too. He learned how to balance himself pretty well. Your baby will do very well!

Bill

[Winged_Victory]

Thank you guys for taking a less than perfect bird in! I can tell you are going to give these birds as much love as the rest of the flock. We have several birds missing toes and and it does not hinder them one bit, they adapt to just about anything.

[Joanie Doss]

I am always surprised at how many birds adapt to a handicap. Your bird will learn to compensate for the lack of feathers and toes. They used to clip birds this way when they were imported. They can still fly but have no control. For this reason I would clip the other wing as flying could be dangerous for the bird since it will have problems turning and navigating.

The reason for the one wing clip was that the bird becamed discouraged when it hit walls or objects because it was unable to direct its flight. If a bird is to be clipped, both wings should be done to avoid accidents.

Joanie Doss
The Amazing Amazons
http://www.parrothouse.com/jdoss.html