Ask Lafeber

Alexandrine Foot Problem

Hi,
From the past month, my bird’s left foot (it’s also the foot he grabs food with) has been having some problems. He has no problems with gripping or closing his foot, but when he tries to open it fully, he can’t do it. All in all, his foot is not flat, like his right foot. When he tries to walk on flat surfaces, his foot bends and he starts walking on his finger, which looks really sad but he shows no signs of pain doing so. Still, I keep him inside and on top of his cage so that he has no problems walking. He is definitely not sick, as he is sleeping normally as he does, plays normally, and also talks normally. I’ve tried to stretch out his foot flat, but it changes its shape and becomes “ring like” again. I have covered his cage to protect from cold and he has plenty of time inside the cage. I mostly take him out for 3 hours only for eating, talking and playing. There’s only his foot problem, other than that everything’s fine.

Hi,

This is a cause for concern, especially since he is a young bird. There are internal issues that can cause this, but it would be more likely in an older bird. Is there any chance he injured his foot or head or back? He really should be seen by a Vet. I understand this isn’t your decision, but you can explain to your parents that Vet care is part of being a responsible pet owner. I’m not sure if this could be related to his past injuries or not. Usually something like this would show up at the time and not later. So I am puzzled as to why your young healthy bird has become lame in one foot.

Take care,

Brenda