Conire not using his feet.

[turnipsmom]

my little green cheek conure Turnip is just about 8 months old now but when he was between 5 and 7 months he had hurt his leg and could not grip for a while, but now he is fully healed. Even though he is healed I have yet to see him use his feet for anything. He does not play with toys or hold food with them. Is there any way I can teach him to use his feet or will it eventually just happen? He is my very first bird ever so im still new to some of there behaviors plus ive only had him home for 2 weeks now but I have been taking care of him where I work since june. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just want to make sure that my new feathered child has a long happy and healthy life.

[Cedardave]

Hello,
Does he use his feet to climb his cage or perch.I assume he does stand on them.

[Pajarita]

Let him heal on his own. Tendons take a looooooooong time to heal completely but, even if he never holds food with his foot, he can eat perfectly well without doing this so it's OK. And, BTW, my GCCs play only with their beak, they never use their feet.

[turnipsmom]

He does climb but he goes back and forth between which foot he mainly uses to grip the bars. Somedays both grip and he climbs like a camp other days he doesnt want to grip with one foot or thhe other. He is schedueled for another recheck next week to make sure he is gaining muscle back in his healing leg. But he is my first bird and so im paranoid that he is going to have a cronic problem even thought the vet says not to worry but I found it odd that when I brought him home his foot / leg was all better he was gripping with both feet and then a few days ago he wasnt with his right foot but then yesterday and today he is gripping great with his right foot and now he does not want to grip with his left. I think he enjoys watching me squirm.

[Pajarita]

LOL - I think you are worrying unnecessarily. But I understand you because I do the same with mine.

[Cedardave]

I think he will be fine.He just needs more time to heal.good news.

[Wolf]

Just a thought -- When one has a severe injury to one arm or leg it does take a bit longer for tendon and other connective tissues to heal than just muscle. Also it puts additional strain on the uninjured leg or arm until the injured one is able to resume full activity. At this point, I don't think you have cause for alarm, but that will not keep a good parrant from worrying.