Akimi (and some GCC behaviour questions)

[Saerphe]

Akimi mostly just grabs the ball (a sisal ball with a rattle inside that I got in the rodent section of a pet store), chews it for a second, and then drops it, but it rolls around a lot and makes plenty of noise, so I think she finds that satisfying. I'm getting better at catching it, but it gets away from me sometimes.

[Saerphe]

Akimi gets a little more fit every day. She flies with confidence between perches spaced around 2 meters apart (and growing), and is starting to get the hang of doing a full flip around her perch. She hops from her perch to my arm, but isn't quite confident enough yet to fly to my hand when I call, as my hand isn't as steady as her training perches. Soon I think we'll work on flying between perches of different heights.

It amazes me to think that when I got her, she hardly flew at all (she wasn't clipped, just rarely used the skill), never hung upside down or did any difficult climbing, and would wobble around if perched on one foot. Now I can flip her upside down on my finger, she plays more energetically, and she even actively requests to do flight and trick training by bobbing her head in the direction of her training perches.

She still wobbles a tiny bit if she takes a nap on one foot, but it's nowhere near as noticeable as it was a few months ago.

[Wolf]

Have you ever taken her to see the vet and had blood work done to see if she has any vitamin/ mineral deficiencies? While it is not unusual for a clipped bird to have some balance issues there should not be any problem in an unclipped bird. A vitamin/ mineral deficiency could result in balance issues, so it would be worth checking this out if it has not already been done.

[Pajarita]

And have you examined her foot closely? Especially the sole?

[Saerphe]

Have you ever taken her to see the vet and had blood work done to see if she has any vitamin/ mineral deficiencies? While it is not unusual for a clipped bird to have some balance issues there should not be any problem in an unclipped bird. A vitamin/ mineral deficiency could result in balance issues, so it would be worth checking this out if it has not already been done.

I haven't yet, Wolf, for a couple of reasons. I only recently was able to find a full-time job, and I don't get my first pay until Friday, so I haven't had the money. Another is that, from what I've heard from other local bird owners, the closest certified avian vet is two or three hours away in Ottawa. There are exotic vets with some bird experience in my area, but none that really specialize. I'm going to double check on that and ask around (I have some friends who are vet techs, and they might have some insider information that others don't). A day trip to Ottawa for a vet visit is going to take some in-advance planning.

And have you examined her foot closely? Especially the sole?

Not recently, Pajarita. It's a little tricky to get her on her back to look. I haven't felt anything unusual, and from other angles they look alright. Is there anything in particular I should look for?

She has slept in a Happy Hut since before I adopted her. Would sleeping with her feet flat instead of locked around a perch possibly have had an effect, as well as having a poor diet and living with dowel perches long-term?

[Wolf]

With the feet you are looking for pressure sores or swellings in the foot and toes as these may be early signs of bumblefoot and yes the poor diet and dowel perches can cause this condition. I don't know about the hut as I have never used them.
My avian vet is a solid 2 hours away from me and I don't have any exotic vet either, wish that I did as I would try to use them for what I could and have them consult with the avian vet.

[Pajarita]

Towel her by wrapping a hand towel around her body and head (very loose around the head, of course, she should not only be able to breathe comfortably, she should be able to turn it and even see a bit of light), turn her upside down and, undoing the towel a bit at the 'bottom', look at the bottom of her feet. If you see discolored, swollen, pink or reddish spots, then that's the problem!

Don't restrict yourself to a certified avian vet, there are exotic ones that are as good or even better than the certified ones... at least, that has been my experience.

[Saerphe]

Thanks, Wolf and Pajarita. I took a look at her feet and there's no visible sign of discolouration, sores or swelling. The soles are smooth and are a uniform pale pink colour while the tops of her feet are scaly and grey. They look pretty normal to me, but if you want me to try and get some pictures of her feet to post here, I'll do what I can. She's pretty squirmy though.

She's been a little cranky recently, but since there's been no difference in her poop, eating habits, sleep schedule, or other behaviours, I've mostly been putting that up to a few recent changes. Mainly the time change, and my dad (who she dislikes intensely) moving back permanently. Now that she's a more active bird with flight and trick training, she also dislikes spending most of the day in her cage more than she used to, especially since she's by herself when I'm at work. I'd love to get her a bigger cage, but until I get a few more paychecks, that's not in the cards yet. Ideally, I would get a flight cage, move a new birdy companion in, and then when they bond enough to live together, move them both in the large cage.

I've even thought about just parrot-proofing my room and letting her have free range since she doesn't tend to wander from her cage and playstand on her own, but I dunno if my parents would approve of that. :\

She was on a solar schedule until fairly recently, but between the shortening days, the time change, and my work schedule, she's only able to come out of the cage for about an hour before it gets completely dark outside. That's just not enough time for her to stretch her wings, get some exercise, and get enough social and cuddle time to be happy (or as happy as she can be under the circumstances). I'm still keeping an eye out for a companion for her, but it's the same deal as getting the new cage - I need to make a bit more money first. I really want to get a companion for her as soon as I can. I can tell being by herself all day is wearing on her.

I'm also looking into getting a different job. The call center job might be paying the bills for now, but I'm still only in training and I find working on the phones for any length of time to be seriously overwhelming and stressful (especially since my first paycheck doesn't come in 'till Friday). There's a couple openings within our local library chain, and even though the hours are few, the pay is twice what I'm getting now, so I'm hoping to get in there. Also, with a ratio of fewer hours to more pay, I won't have to be out of the house all day and will be able to focus on my animals, and on my other projects like my YouTube channels.

[Wolf]

Winter time, especially when you have to put up with time changes, is very difficult for having/ making time for your bird, as well as for arranging time for them to get out to play and exercise. It would be helpful to have some help if you have to work full time. It makes keeping them on a solar light schedule all but impossible, so this is the area that is first bent until it usually goes right out the window so that the bird can have time out of the cage and time for interaction with their human caregiver. It is a difficult time for both the human and the bird.
You have finally gotten yourself a job and although a call center job may not be your dream job you can still make it work for your benefit. Right now you should start looking at whether there is room for advancement in your place of employment or not. If not it is as good of a time as any to figure out what type of employment that you would be happy to spend the rest of your working life doing. And then what it would take to have that form of employment, if you are going to have to spend the next thirty years or so doing something to have an income then it might as well be doing something that you enjoy. In any case a call center job may be able to help you get to the place that you want to be.

[Pajarita]

I hear where Wolf is coming from but, if you ask me, fewer hours for the same or better pay sounds great!

Feet soles that are completely smooth are not good, either. Can you take a picture?