Crooked toe

[beno1609]

My nanday conure is 8 weeks old. I was given it by a friend.
One of his toes is bent under his foot. It's the long back toe. I would say it's just how it's developed. It's not broken as I can bend it, touch it etc. and he doesn't bite nor does he limp or favour it. If I bend it out when he sits on my finger it's fine but as soon as he lifts off it bends back under. He can't grip perches properly or hold food in it correctly. It's doesn't seem to bother him a great deal as he is so young and doesn't know anything different!
A. Should I do anything about it or leave as is?
B. Is it better to do something now or leave it?
C. What should I do if I do something about it? Can I splint it?
Cheers for any help!

[Wolf]

I would think that it might be repairable, so I recommend that you schedule an appointment with an avian vet to find out what can be done to fix this and then fix it, for the well being of your bird. Doing anything less than this would be wrong. Consider this bird as if it were your adopted child, and this child had a physical deformity of its leg rendering that leg unusable. Wouldn't you do all that was in your power to try to fix this? Why would you consider this bird, who is in your care to be any different? To me, I guess it is a moral issue. No, that is wrong. To me there is no issue nor any question of what to do.

[beno1609]

To start with its leg/toe is not useless it can still walk, grip etc fine. It's not deformed, it just obviously never developed its use correctly. I was merely asking if they was anything I could at home... If anyone else had tried splinting a parrots toe. I never asked for a lecture on morals.

[Wolf]

Excuse me but in your original post you stated that the bird could not grip a perch properly nor could it grip its food correctly. To me that means simply that it needs repair if at all possible. Also I did not lecture you on anything at all, although I did state that for me[u][b] to question the need to fix or not fix such a thing is a moral issue.[/u][/b]
I am sorry if that was not clear to you, but if it sparks such a response then clearly you knew the correct course of action to take in this matter to begin with. To be honest, I am here on the forum because I care deeply about not just my birds but yours as well. We are in a position that we can speak for ourselves and take care of ourselves as well ,but the bird does not have the luxury of being in that position. I am sorry that you choose to be offended when you ask a question and the answer that I give benefits the bird and only the bird, but that is why I am here, for the birds, only for the birds, that is what this is about, the birds.

[Pajarita]

If you can move it back to what should be its correct position without difficulty or the bird showing any sign of pain, but it just doesn't stay there, it's not a bone problem but a torn tendon and it would necessitate special surgery to repair it and then and only then a splint (the splint without the surgery is not going to accomplish anything) and a 'regular' avian vet might not even be able to do it. If you leave it like that, it will make things a bit difficult to him but he will adjust, just provide him with a couple of flat perches in his cage so he can use this foot to hold his weight and the other to grab his food with.

As to 'lecturing', we all do it and we all don't do it. It depends on the OP's individual perception. I am often told I am mean to people but I am not here to help people, I am here to help their birds, if I can.