Galah in Brisbane

[elf]

My 10 month old galah needs a good home where she will be the only bird. She had a forever home with us but she has recently been diagnosed with a probable viral infection that poses a risk to our other birds. It shouldn't cause her any long term health issues, but she is likely to develop further lesions on her legs, some of which may go away of their own accord and some of which may require surgical removal. Other than that she's in great condition.

I have advertised her on Gumtree but I'm being flooded with people who think it would be lovely to have a 'free' galah without giving any thought to future vet bills and the time she needs.
She's semi-tame - she's comfortable being around people, including children, she'll step up, take treats from hands (a huge achievement for a bird who was phobic only 3 months ago), but given a choice she likes to have a metre or more between herself and the nearest human. That's not been a problem for me because I enjoy just having her playing on the floor nearby and I don't feel a need to have her hanging off me, but someone who wants a pet they can touch would need to put more time into taming her. She's had some basic target training, minus the clicker because at the moment she's afraid of it. She's been DNA sexed and microchipped, which can be transferred to her new owner. Her diet is mostly pellets, sprouts and fresh fruit & veg, with seeds for treats.

I know this is a forum for people who already have birds, but if anyone in the Brisbane area knows someone without other birds who can provide her with a good home, I'd be really grateful if you could point them in my direction. I'm on the southern bayside. She comes with her toys but I need to keep her cage. She's free to the right person.

[rick]

Hello,

I think the problem here is known as 'Proliferative foot lesions' - this is caused by poor housing, unhygienic cages, dirty perches. Cages and perches toys etc. should be wiped down daily and sanitized weekly. A diet high in natural source Vitamin A, can help lesions heal quicker as well as help to keep a birds immune system stronger.

galah.galahs.com.au/content/php/article048.php

I started a forum aussiebirds.proboards.com/thread/11787/galah-foot-problem-scaly%C2%A0 - My galah has the same complex.

Vitamin A rich foods, IU per 100 gms

Broccoli leaves - 16,000
Dandelion greens - 14,000
Carrots - 10,000
Dark Orange Yams (sweet potatoes) - 9,000
Collards - 6,500
Mango - 5,000
Cantaloupe - 4,000
Endive - 3,500
Swiss chard - 3,300
Broccoli flowers - 3,000
Papaya - 2,000
Pumpkin seed - 380

I have (per chance) been feeding my galah brocolli leaves quite often.. but with spring in the air, I am going to go track down some dandelion (I've seen a lot of it around lately) and start giving it to him.

I have seen galahs in the wild eating the dandelion flowers in seed (known as wish flowers).. i thought this was odd..

But hopefully, I can see him recover with some dandelion.

My galah would would love a companion, but I think you may be able to fix your hen with some dandelion/brocolli leaves regularly.. I have had my galah for over 6 months now, and the lesion does not appear to cause him any pain or worry him much. I do not think this is a big issue and perhaps something that appears in young galahs and dissipates over time.

[avinet]

Oct 29, 2013 18:35:52 GMT 10 rick said:

Hello,

I think the problem here is known as 'Proliferative foot lesions' - this is caused by poor housing, unhygienic cages, dirty perches. Cages and perches toys etc. should be wiped down daily and sanitized weekly. A diet high in natural source Vitamin A, can help lesions heal quicker as well as help to keep a birds immune system stronger.

Proliferative foot lesions merely means that lesions on the foot have spread - it is a symptom and not a name for a identified condition.  With the Galah owned by elf the problem was identified by an avian vet (one of the best in Australia) as very likely caused by a virus infection - see aussiebirds.proboards.com/thread/11818/lump-on-galahs-foot.   Hygiene was not a factor, neither was diet.

cheers,

Mike

[rick]

I thought the Galah was wild caught, which could mean hygeine/transport etc could have been an issue.

Worth giving it a crack I reckon, I started giving mine dandelion this morning and will ramp up the carrots and other Vitamin A goodies.

I trimmed my galah's foot back and there was no bleeding or anything, so maybe mine has old scar tissue or something of the like... its certainly not getting any bigger. I'm not sure the ivermectin did work after all. It seems like it is under foot mostly and sort of opens up like flicking pages in a book.. its pretty bizarre. I am pretty confident it is not viral and will heal with time. I hope so anyway, but he is housed by himself currently so its not a big drama.

[elf]

She finally went to a new home a couple of days ago. I'm very relieved (but also very sad). Hopefully her new mum and dad can give her what she needs Now I just have to deal with disinfecting her cage.

[avinet]

Nov 9, 2013 15:30:33 GMT 10 elf said:

She finally went to a new home a couple of days ago. I'm very relieved (but also very sad). Hopefully her new mum and dad can give her what she needs Now I just have to deal with disinfecting her cage.

Glad to hear she has found a new home - and bleach followed by a spell of sunlight is a good method to sterilize a cage.

cheers,

Mike

[elf]

Thanks Mike. I ended up using Virkon S, which is what the vet uses to disinfect for viruses.

[Laraine]

I'm glad she has found a new forever home.