Splay legged African Grey
red...@grove.ufl.edu
I just broke down and bought an adorable, otherwise healthy, 4 week-old
CAG with splay legs. What can I expect from this? Several of my
friends have birds with foot deformities, but none of them knows much
about splay legs. Has any one tried to treat it (splints/braces etc.)?
Any replies would be appreciated :) Thank you!
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Dennis L
red...@grove.ufl.edu wrote:
>
>I just broke down and bought an adorable, otherwise healthy, 4 week-old
>CAG with splay legs. What can I expect from this? Several of my
>friends have birds with foot deformities, but none of them knows much
>about splay legs. Has any one tried to treat it (splints/braces etc.)?
>Any replies would be appreciated :) Thank you!
If it's 4 weeks old, I seriously doubt there is any way to check for splay legs.
It's probably quite normal.
The treatment is tying the legs close to each other.
tar...@getnet.com
dl...@primenet.com (Dennis L) wrote:
With a baby this young it's often hard for an inexperienced person to tell if
the legs are splayed. The legs will sometimes spread out especially if the
chick is sitting on a surface that is hard to grasp, such as paper toweling. If
the legs are splayed they don't go back together.
Some breeders feel splayed legs are caused by inappropriate nesting material in
the brooder. Avian vets will tell you it may be caused by a calcium deficiency
in the hen which is passed on to the chick in the form of rickets. Sometimes
only one chick in the clutch is affected -- oftentimes the youngest chick is not
fed the same propostion as the older chicks or one chick may have a
malabsorption deficiency.
I strongly recommend having this chick vet checked ASAP. If in fact it does
have splayed legs, treatment must be started immediately. The following info
is from an article in Bird Breeder mag. by Dr. Matthew Bond:
1) Treatment should be started withing the first 4 weeks of life. Success rate
would be greater than 80% if corrected in the first 2 weeks of life.
2) Can often by resolved by applying hobbles or taping the feet to a small
board. The tape or bandages are extended to the knees which have been placed in
their proper alignment. Bandages should be changed every 3-5 days as the chicks
are growing so fast.
3) Due to stress-related bacterial infections, cultures and antibiotics are the
course of action during the first week.
4) The chick should be placed in a padded, confined area and kept upright to
prevent it from falling and possibly aspirating.
If, in fact, your chick does have splayed legs I would definitely contact the
breeder. It may be too late for a refund or another bird (and you may not want
this); however the breeder should be aware of this condition so steps can be
taken to insure that it doesn't happen again. If, however, the breeder was
aware of the condition and took no action to have it corrected, then I certainly
would question their integrity.
Please keep us informed of the outcome. :(
----
Mary Arnold
Sparky's home page is the place to go,
If you want information on the grey Congo.
http://www.getnet.com/~tarnold/sparky.html
AmazonHect
>i just broke down and bought an adorable, otherwise healthy, 4 week-old
>CAG with splay legs. What can I expect from this? Several of my
>friends have birds with foot deformities, but none of them knows much
>about splay legs. Has any one tried to treat it (splints/braces etc.)?
>Any replies would be appreciated :) Thank you!
I think The first stop would be a vet check to make sure you got a
healthy bird, if you have not already But I think 4 weeks may be kinda
young to be able to tell if he has splayed legs.I am not sure I am no
expert maybe one of the avian specialist will respond.Well best of luck to
you both,I hope it all works out.
Sahri Mac+ Hector YNA
====================
| Where Birds are King! |
====================
Andrew R. Waterman
In article <Pine.ULT.3.91.960811173312.29092A-100000@cypress>,
red...@grove.ufl.edu wrote:
> I just broke down and bought an adorable, otherwise healthy, 4 week-old
> CAG with splay legs. What can I expect from this? Several of my
> friends have birds with foot deformities, but none of them knows much
> about splay legs. Has any one tried to treat it (splints/braces etc.)?
> Any replies would be appreciated :) Thank you!
I use the little cloth elastic bands that little girls use for their pony tails.
I've used lots of improvised stuff but these seem to work best for me.
The idea is to keep their little legs underneath them as they grow.
Be sure to give the baby plenty of calcium or the legs could fracture as
they get heavier. Calcium Glutanate syrup works well.
Additions of vitamin A is important also. CAG's have a real problem with
calcium
deficiencies.
Cherane Pefley, Certified Avian Specialist
In article <32466b89...@news.primenet.com> Dennis L wrote:
>Date: 11 Aug 1996 16:26:01 -0700
>From: dl...@primenet.com (Dennis L)
>Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
>Subject: Re: Splay legged African Grey
>
>red...@grove.ufl.edu wrote:
>>
>>I just broke down and bought an adorable, otherwise healthy, 4
week-old
>>CAG with splay legs. What can I expect from this? Several of my
>>friends have birds with foot deformities, but none of them knows
much
>>about splay legs. Has any one tried to treat it (splints/braces
etc.)?
>>Any replies would be appreciated :) Thank you!
>
>
>If it's 4 weeks old, I seriously doubt there is any way to check
for splay
> legs.
>It's probably quite normal.
>
>
>The treatment is tying the legs close to each other.
I agree!
I use vet wrap to tie them together. I make sure the baby is
stable within a small container where the feet can actually sink
down within something as sand to weight the feet or legs in a
stable position . Be sure to untie for a couple of hours each day
the legs however VET WRAP is the best way to tie and keep
circulation moving along.
I would NEVER use any vitamin when you are using a commercial
formula as you'll hurt the baby in the long run by over dosing.
Contact any company of the formula your using and they'll confer
with you regarding these vitamins suggested to you. Myself, never
do I add anything other then fruits to my commercial formula.
Give your baby a kiss from me ....
Cherane
red...@grove.ufl.edu
Thank you to all of those who replied to my earlier post. "Cricket" is
doing great. I took her to my avian vet (whom I also happen to work for)
and she has folding fractures in both legs which cause her legs to stick
out. Taping them together would only be painful since it is the bones,
not the muscles that are deformed. She's on calcium supplements to her
formula so that it doesn't get any worse (hopefully). Other than that,
she is the best little baby bird one could hope for! She walks just fine
and eats like a horse. Hopefully she'll be able to perch, but if not,
she will be able to climb to platforms just fine. Thank you again! This
newsgroup has really helped me with my all this.
P.S. - this is my first bird and it is WONDERFUL!!!!