Sitting on the bottom of his cage?

[Glitch]

As you may well know my peach-face, Pretty Bird, is reaching the older years of his life. He was basically what anyone would call the 'runt' of the nest because his leg had developed incorrectly in the egg and has a slight twist to it, to which this day would occasionally bother him.

What he doesn't have in leg power he certainly makes up with wing strength and span. His wings are rather large and VERY strong (Makes my hair blow in the wind! Wheee~!) I never clipped his wings because I felt that while he has the disability of his foot taking away his only other way to move around would be cruel and unusual punishment.

But that's against the point.

His eyes are still clear, he's lost some feathers at the back of his neck, and he's pretty happy and chirpy but I'm curious...

He's been spending a LOT of time at the bottom of his cage. The cage I have for him isn't the best but the one I did have broke so I now have a very large rectangular, tall cage. He's done fine with it for years after his other cage broke.

Could the time at the bottom of the cage be due to his leg, an illness, or just old age? I'd like to know so that if he's ill I can get proper treatment for him immediately. This guy's been my best friends for years and even though I know that his life will end eventually, I'd like to be able to do anything I can to prolong it in the mean time.

[linda040899]

Twelve is not that old as far as age in lovebirds. What kind of diet are you feeding him? That might give us a clue as to what's going on.

My best suggestion is to let your avian vet take a look and see if there's an illness that needs medication. Obviously, something isn't right, or you wouldn't see this kind of different behavior.

[kk and tango]

My lovebird Tango lived to 17 and I noticed as he got older he really liked to rest his feet on something flat. He would sometimes climb up on this cuttle bone or sit on a little platform we had put in the cage.

A vet really needs to rule out other factors. It is often a sign of sickness when they get down on the cage floor. At twelve, if he has been on a primarily seed diet he might be having liver problems. Tango was always given salad and veggies and fruit, but he loved his seed and was diagnosed around 11 or 12 with a weakening liver. Sometimes you will notice their beak seems very long , and Tango later had some thining of his feathers and plucking from the dry skin. My vet gave him a dandelion milk thistle supplement for birds and while his liver failed eventually, the extra care added years to his life.

I would take him for a check up with a good avian vet, and if nothing is wrong with him I'd add something he can stand on when he wants to rest his little feet. I don't want to scare you, but if it is his liver weakening and you catch it early, it can be managed and that way your little guy can stick around for a lot longer.

[Glitch]

His diet currently consists primarily of seeds, particularly sunflower since he seems to enjoy cracking them. He occasionally gets some fruits (a cockatiel treat mix from petsmart) and vegetables (typically spinach). Oh, he also enjoys chewing paper...

The only two symptoms thus far are his new habit of sitting on the bottom of his cage, and his increased itchiness (though this may be due to the time of year -- molting i hear can be quite itchy ;-))

I'm wondering if he might be sitting on the bottom of his cage more because its more on eye-level with us humans -- the perches in his cages are about a foot or two higher than our heads. His cage hasn't moved at all, but in the past few months he's been "talking" to us more and letting us pet his more. Could he just be trying to be more social?

[michael]

Hi Iris and Pretty Bird.....:)..... Welcome to our communty. You know, after reading about your concerns here, I too think it might be a good idea to have Pretty Bird checked out. Has PB ever had a "well bird" exam?......For the most part, hanging out on the cage floor is generally not a good sign. If this behavior seems out of place, then there's a chance he's becoming too weak to perch, and/or is unable to maintain body heat. As for this having any social or eye level connotations, its possible, but then most attention seeking birds would much rather share some verbal reprisal in addition to running back and forth along the bottom of their cage.

Molting, while it can be very itchy and stressful, should not contribute to him sitting on the floor of his cage.

So when did he start this?..And how long does he stay down there?...Does he appear fluffed up?......In the meantime, you'll want to make sure he stays warm. If necessary, provide some form of supplimental heat as birds who might be ill do not do well if their chilled. Please, keep us updated on how Pretty Bird is doing.

Also!.........Please check out the "Lovebird Resource Library".....Besides the forums, there's lots of helpful info in there too!

[Bubblelady]

Buddy, my 14 year old lovie (who is currently in poor health w/ kidney problems) developed arthritis at about 11 or 12. The vet gave us an anti-inflamatory/anti-pain medication that she LOVED. I didn't have to give it to her for long, then went to "as needed". It clearly improved the quality of her life. She is now takes meds. daily for her kidneys--since last May, when both the vet & I thought she wouldn't last a week! If I hadn't taken her to the vet last May, I don't think she would still be with me. Granted, she's in very poor condition now, but she is still with me :happy: I agree with the others who recommended an avian vet check up. The sooner the better that you catch any developing problem. Hoping Pretty Bird & you still have years together!

[bookworm0550]

oh i hope pretty bird is okay. give him kisses from me. i like him already.

[Glitch]

No, Pretty bird has never had a "well bird" exam as we do not HAVE an avian vet in the town I live and I'm rather scared to transport him... though it may just have to be done if this behavior continues.

He started this a couple days ago... His plumage is still very bright other then the back of his neck which hasn't had feathers for a very long time. He doesn't fluff up on the bottom. I mean of course he fluffs at times but the feathers go back down almost immediately. He'll leave the bottom for food and water and then sliiiide back down the bars onto the floor and start talking happily with whomever may be in proximity of him at the time. Or call to me from down the hall so he has someone around to look at and peep at.

Like I previously mentioned he DOES have a deformed leg and it could be causing him pain to sit on the perches, it may be this, or illness, or wanting to be more social.

He used to be QUITE snippy for the last while since I've had a cat actually. Perhaps because he feels the cat gets more attention since she roams freely about the house. But since he's appeared to realize that I still love him, let him out, give him paper to chew on (but never eat.) and play ball with him, he's become more social.

I will try to find an avian vet in my area just to make sure everything is okay.

Does anyone know approximently how much an avian vet will cost?

Bookworm: I will certainly give him kisses for you as soon as I get home on tuesday =]

I'll also email my mother and ask if he's continuing his cage floor behavior.

[Bubblelady]

Does anyone know approximently how much an avian vet will cost?




Unfortuneately, avian medicine is a specialty & requires extra training beyond what a non-avian vet gets. Therefore, it does not come cheap :( But I consider it money well spent since my birds bring me joy beyond measure :happy: I'm sure it will be a sacrifice, given your age. But I can tell you really love your bird & would rather be sure he's okay than have a new pair of designer jeans or something like that! And when something is wrong, catching it quickly can save money in the long run.

Where are you located?

[Glitch]

I'm located in Bellingham, Washington and my Boyfriend is in Seattle, Washington so if need be I can travel inbetween both areas. My boyfriend has become very attached to Pretty Bird and has offered to cover the cost of taking him to a vet if need be.

Haha, designer jeans? I shop at Value Village ;)

I'd much prefer keeping my bird healthy and happy regardless.

[michael]

Like I previously mentioned he DOES have a deformed leg and it could be causing him pain to sit on the perches, it may be this, or illness, or wanting to be more social......... .........I will try to find an avian vet in my area just to make sure everything is okay.

Iris. Sounds to me like your well in tune with Pretty Bird's current change in behavior. As for the possiblities, your absolutely right in that this change could be anyone of the three suspect causes you mentioned. Although I can understand your reluctance to transport him due to the stress involved, if necessary, a smaller "secure" transport (hamster or other) cage can be obtained relatively cheap then covered with a cloth to help reduce the stress.

The good part is, at least he's remained social and places a reasonable effort towards accessing his food and water. For this, his droppings would be a good thing to keep an eye on for both appearance and consistency as well as any vocal changes. The leg issue may be different story. Really, the difficulty lies in that this or an underlying illness often won't present itself until much later in the game. Best to gather as much information as you can, compare notes, then use your best judgement as you know your Pretty Bird better than anyone.

Obviously, and given the circumstances, I would err on the side of caution, and if there were any other sign of degression an appointment should be made ASAP. In the meantime, you may want to try the avian vet search option located in the lovebird resource library http://aav.org/vet-lookup/

As you may already know, cats and birds do not mix. Cat, as well as other pet saliva in itself can kill a parrot in very little time, or at the least make them quite ill. Regarding vet costs....A basic "limited" exam with perhaps a gram stain and/or oral swab can easily very from 100-200 U.S. dollars.

[Eliza]

I hope that Pretty Bird is doing well.

My sense of geography is terrible but I did do a search for board-certified avian vets on the ABVP site (http://www.abvp.com/FindDiplomate.aspx)

Here is what I found in WA:

Dr. Tracy Bennett
Bird & Exotic Clinic of Seattle, Inc.
4019 Aurora Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: 206/783-4538

Dr. Bridget Ferguson
Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital
10137 Main St., Suite 6
Bothell, WA 98011
Phone: 425/486-9000

Dr. Scott Ford
Avian Specialty Veterinary Services of Alaska
13861 Hillcrest St NW
Poulsbo, WA 98370-8134
Phone: 360-271-7000

Dr. Darrell Kraft
Kraft Veterinary Service, Inc.
PO Box 465
Snohomish, WA 98291
Phone: 425/482-6345

Dr. James Onorati
Des Moines Veterinary Hospital
21935 Pacific Highway South
Des Moines, WA 98198
Phone: 206/878-4111

Best of luck!

[Glitch]

Michael: Thankfully my bird and my cat are no where near each other. The cage is closer to the roof and the cat is on the floor and punished if she looks at the cage longingly =p
I also try to stay very clean with my hands and surroundings since not only am I kind of a hypochondriac I also am a tad bit OCD so I'm fairly certain no saliva has come anywhere near the bird.

Now comes the good news.

He is no longer on the bottom of his cage! Happy day!
I contacted my mother earlier today and she said he's happily sitting on his perches again. I'm thinking maybe it might have been the social aspect or he just wanted to give his leg a rest for a while.

I will continue to look for any more signs or illness factors for quite some time, very intently. If anything else goes wrong I will be sure to post.

But for the meantime he seems fine =] I can't wait to see him on Wednesday. I'll be sure to take some pictures then as well.

Though I am still curious about his feather loss on the back of his neck =/ even if it has been there for years and doesn't appear to be affecting anything it's still something I'd like to know about.

[michael]

Great to hear he's made way towards being his "old self". Certainly, given the volume of members here in association with their birds, there's nothing much better than learning everybirdy had a good day! Thanks for keeping us all posted!............:)