How Do I Care for a Splay Legged Parakeet?
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How Do I Care for a Splay Legged Parakeet?

Suzanne H. is concerned about a Splayed leg 1-month-old parakeet.

 

My parakeets had 4 chicks. 3 are fine.

 

The youngest turned out to be a splayed leg.

 

Went to the vet with the baby.

 

He said there is just a 10% chance the baby could be fixed to be almost normal.

 

It didn’t work.

 

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Should I Be Concerned With a Spot on My Bird’s Beak?
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Should I Be Concerned With a Spot on My Bird’s Beak?

Lois D. has a question about bird beaks:

 

My 12 yr old male Jenday is in fine health–eating and playing and chewing wood etc all day.

 

But I just noticed a spot on his beak (right side) bottom, that is bare (not black)-I cleaned his beak.

 

Just wondering–have searched the internet and all my books– can’t find a thing.

 

Can you help?

 

Should I be concerned? Thanks so much.

 

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How Hard is Molting For an African Grey?
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How Hard is Molting For an African Grey?

Scott S. asks:

 

Hi – I actually have a birdie question.

 

We have a 2-year-old male Gray Cockatiel who has the worst case of “owie” feathers under his wings.

 

We can lift his wings and see a number of pin feathers that are causing some distress.

 

Question: what if anything can we do to help him out?

 

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My Budgie is Plucking and I Don’t Know Why?
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My Budgie is Plucking and I Don’t Know Why?

Mary W. relates:

 

One of my budgies (male 2 years old) got a crop infection late Jan.
 
He was plucking at his abdomen.
The vet put him on antibiotics and had to keep him at the vet clinic for a week as my brother had a heart attack & died and the friend that I had taking care of my birds could not catch him (fully flighted) to give him meds.
When I got back 10 days later and picked up my guy from the vet-all of his chest feathers were gone!
I figured that once I got him back to his flock he would be ok.

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How Much Do You Understand About the Molt?

We’ve talked about the differences between molting, preening, and plucking in a post found here.

Molting is misunderstood and usually viewed as nothing more than a nuisance.

We have 10 birds in our home.

That means they’re going to shed between 50,000 and 70,000 feathers combined, annually!

Feathered factoid: Ducks have 10,000 or more feathers and swans have upwards of 12,000+.

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How Do I Cut and Care for My Pet Bird’s Feathers?
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How Do I Cut and Care for My Pet Bird’s Feathers?

I’ve combined several questions in this post, all related to feather care, you know those hundreds (thousands) of lighter than air floating things around your home, under the birdcage and on the floor.

Feathered factoid: small pet birds like budgies can have 4000 – 6000 feathers.

Larger parrots can have upwards of 8000 feathers (we count them coming out of the shop vac).

Waterbirds like ducks and swans have upwards of 10,000 feathers or more.

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Does My English Budgie Have Testicular Cancer?
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Does My English Budgie Have Testicular Cancer?

Pam G writes:

I have a 4-year-old male English budgie whose cere has changed from blue to purplish brown.

 

He also has loose whitish droppings and very large regular droppings.

 

He recently has stopped talking and doesn’t show interest in his mating rituals with his toys.

 

I am concerned that he has testicular cancer.

 

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What Kind of Bird Should I Get at 60?
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What Kind of Bird Should I Get at 60?

Darla S asks:

Can you suggest a few medium-sized parrot species for a 1st-time owner about to turn 60y?

I am interested in moderation (moderate affection, playfulness, independence, friendliness, and noise) ability to talk would be a plus.

I still work full time, and live alone in my own house.

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