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Post by cassie on Dec 8, 2012 20:17:34 GMT 10
Hi I have a 5 week old baby galah that I am hand feeding and raising but he only seems to be using one leg at the moment should I be worried about this or is it normal for his age
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Post by avinet on Dec 8, 2012 20:51:06 GMT 10
Hi I have a 5 week old baby galah that I am hand feeding and raising but he only seems to be using one leg at the moment should I be worried about this or is it normal for his age No it is not normal and might indicate a major problem - possibly an injured leg, even broken. How long since it was removed from the nest, and what brand of hand rearing mix are you feeding it? Have you hand reared a parrot before? At what stage is it's feather development? - a photo or two would be good. cheers, Mike |
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Post by browny on Oct 5, 2013 9:40:36 GMT 10
Did this one have a response? I have a four week (Best guess) old galah. He appears to be similar. Although no obvious deformations or discomfort. In fact (have had galahs before)he seems very content. I rescued from ground next to fallen tree in remote area.
I'm feeding him Vetafarm - hand rearing parrot food.
Appreciate any advice.
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Post by avinet on Oct 5, 2013 10:17:17 GMT 10
No the original poster never answered my reply. I can't really help much since it is the sort of problem where you have to see the baby to work out any potential problems. At around 4 weeks the baby should still be pretty fluffy with feather quills just starting to open. Since it would appear to have fallen out of a nest hollow, my worry would be a broken leg however from what you say it seems possible it may just be some bruising to the leg. I guess it will be a matter of wait and see if it regains use of the leg.
Which Vetafarm mix are you using? They make two hand rearing mixes, "Neocare" and "Hand Rearing Food" - Neocare is the better one to use. If using the Hand Rearing Food it needs to stand for a few minutes after mixing before use since it can continue to absorb water for a little while and end up too thick. if it is used immediately after mixing this thickening can occur in the crop and lead to problems. Neocare doesn't have this problem and in addition I have found better growth results with Neocare.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by browny on Oct 5, 2013 10:33:56 GMT 10
No worries - thanks for the advice on feed mine is the hand rearing mix. I will watch out for that.
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Post by browny on Oct 5, 2013 15:45:57 GMT 10
Hi Mike, QUick follow up if I may. I have now given him a good clean up etc and apart from his leg he appears to be in excellent health.
However I have had a much closer look at his left leg and it appears that it has been broken and healed at a right angle mid way down the bone (hadnt seen this before as I was just concentrating on keeping him alive.
Is this something a vet would attempt to fix do you think or would they leave it? Can he live with only one functioning leg?
Appreciate any advice.
John
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Post by avinet on Oct 6, 2013 21:03:24 GMT 10
Hi Mike, QUick follow up if I may. I have now given him a good clean up etc and apart from his leg he appears to be in excellent health. However I have had a much closer look at his left leg and it appears that it has been broken and healed at a right angle mid way down the bone (hadnt seen this before as I was just concentrating on keeping him alive. Is this something a vet would attempt to fix do you think or would they leave it? Can he live with only one functioning leg? Appreciate any advice. John Has the bone set in that position or is there movement at the break. It may be possible to have the bone pinned and set in the right position - if necessary by re-breaking it. However it will need a competent avian vet to see the bird and decide if it is possible. And also give an idea of the not inconsiderable cost involved. A one legged galah can have a good quality of life but it would likely need some special efforts to make a cage suitable for it to get around. It also depends if the leg in it's broken state is of any use for balance or is totally non-functional. If it is totally non-functional and cannot be set then it might be easier for the bird to have it amputated so it doesn't get in the way. Only a vet can advise. If a bird is one-legged then we always leave it fully flighted - A one legged bird that has clipped wings i sin danger of serious injury and the wings can help to keep balance. If you let me know where you live I can see if there is a good vet in your area, if you want to pursue that option. cheers, Mike |
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Post by browny on Oct 19, 2013 21:01:33 GMT 10
Yeah its well and truelly set. THe animal sanctuary I took him too missed it and ended up splinting his little ankle instead of the major break . All I know is I have a bird who has a severely broken leg although it seems very set now, he has minor (very) movement in those claws and uses the broken leg to hobble around and move. (the break is at a right angle) he moves around alot is now fuly featherd has put on weight and even attempts to crawl onto my arm. Very lost as to what I should do. I'm pretty attached to the little bugger now.
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Post by avinet on Oct 20, 2013 14:11:35 GMT 10
Yeah its well and truelly set. THe animal sanctuary I took him too missed it and ended up splinting his little ankle instead of the major break . All I know is I have a bird who has a severely broken leg although it seems very set now, he has minor (very) movement in those claws and uses the broken leg to hobble around and move. (the break is at a right angle) he moves around alot is now fuly featherd has put on weight and even attempts to crawl onto my arm. Very lost as to what I should do. I'm pretty attached to the little bugger now. It would need an avian vet to assess and see if any corrective surgery is possible - but hat would not come cheap. If the leg gets inhis way it might be best to amputate at a suitable point in the leg - presumably at the break. One legged birds can do OK - although heavier birds such as Galahs do find it harder to adjust. Generally they have to be kept fully flighted to enable them to keep their balance. That is always a problem when you start looking after a bird with problems - rapidly the attachment becomes very great - been there done that! It all boils down to the quality of life the bird can expect - and our emotions really shouldn't come into the answer - hard as it is to ignore them  cheers, Mike |
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