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I have a male Cockatiel almost 27 years old who has a problem with his feet. The bird can no longer wrap his feet completely around the perch. The bird appears to be healthy and is not in pain that can be noticed.

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Male; Breed: Cockatiel

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $15

Hello. Are you saying his toes will not flex enough to wrap around the perch? Is he hand tame and if so, can he perch on your hand or finger? Please tell me exactly what type of perches he has available; what material, what shape and approximate diameter. Do you use any kind of sandpaper covers or anything similar? Do his feet, toes and legs appear normal as respects any swelling and/or any sore or raw places on the bottoms of his feet and toes? How does he do when placed on a flat surface? Can you put him on a flat surface and describe to me if the nails are contacing the surface only at the points or are they leaning over to either side, bending the toes in the process? If the points are staying downward, are the tips of his toes still in contact with the surface or slightly lifted? This extra information will help me give you my best advice for this problem. Thanks. Patricia

Reply to Patricia's Post: Hello Patricia, Our pet's name is Birdie. Original, I know. As stated earlier Birdie has been with us a long time. This problem started about a year ago, when I noticed that some of his nails were turning side ways. I have kept them trimmed. To be truthful with you, Birdie appears to be like and old man with arthritis. He does not seem to be in pain. His feet are almost flat except some of his toes at the end have a bend in them. Most of his nails are elevated and and he walks on his feet. The perches are mainly 5/8" round wood. He is very tame and when he is perched on my finger, he mostly balances himself for he can not bend his feet. He can not Flex them. Birdie spends most of the day roosting on the bottom of his cage. He still climbs up on a lower perch to eat and drink. At night he climbs to a higher perch to sleep. He does like to sit on the back of my chair, which is padded. When on a flat surface, he can walk okay. He can still fly as much as you use to. Lastly, his legs look normal, no sores, swelling or scratches. His feet look a little knurly. Hope this helps, Pat.

Okay Pat, thanks so much for that information it is very helpful. I am 99% positive I can tell you what is wrong and I can tell you what has caused it. At his age, however, I'm not sure how much good he is going to get from the solutions I'm going to suggest. First of all, it sounds as if the only perch or perches he has ever had are the dowel rod types that come with cages. Cheap for the cage manufacturers, death on bird's feet, over the long haul, as I believe you are seeing. I always urge folks to pitch those things before the bird ever sees the cage. Besides those "rods" being so very bad for them, they must have a variety of sizes (diameters), shapes and materials in their perches to be able to maintain good foot and leg health. When you think of outside birds, they are rarely standing on the same thing from one landing site to the next. My recommendation for perches is always this minimum; one natural limb type of perch, one nail trimmer (not sandpaper covers) that is of sufficient diameter that the toes cannot wrap all the way around and at least one of the twisted rope, Booda types. When we realize our birds spend 24/7 on their feet, they must have this variety and they need at least one soft surface to rest. I'm going to suggest you get rid of the dowel rods asap and give him some replacements. If he is very lucky, having access to a variety of diameters and materials may help him to regain some of the use of his toes. If you will click on this link, you will see examples of what I recommend. Click on each one for a better view and description. The ones I think Birdie can benefit from most would be the Cholla Cactus, the Cable Comfy, the Sisal and the Sandy Perch. While the Manzanita is fine for younger, more agile birds and/or those who have no foot problems, I'm afraid one of them would be too slick for Birdie and his reduced grip power. I'm also not at all in favor of the Latex perches as I would not want one of my birds nibbling on one and possibly ingesting any pieces they might bite off of one. I truly think you should get him some of these alternative spots for those little feet, most definitely one of the ropes, and then hope for the best. For him to be this age, you are giving him great care other than the perches and he must be a tough little fella so with proper footing, he may surprise us both with how well he may recover at least partial gripping power. I hope this helps and I really hope it helps Birdy and his feet. Best of luck and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. Patricia

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