Post by starlingqueen on Apr 24, 2015 12:32:05 GMT
I thought I would start a diary of Dittos journey. I think it might be a long road with lots of bumps and potholes. I will post any of her progress and her problems here and I hope you feel free to offer advice or help when you want to.
To start here is a video of her so you can see how she moves around.
I have established that her left leg seems to work while the right is very stiff. I held her against the bars of she cage and she gripped with her beak and left leg, with a bit of help she managed to climb a few bars. I will use this as physio for her. I am also tying to figure out how to make her a harness. I want to be able to lift her off her belly so he good foot can touch the floor to strengthen it. She spends her whole time laying on her belly so her leg is squashed under her. I think if I can get her using her good leg she will one day be able to stand.
Problems I have encountered with her care are with feeding and drinking. She is unable to get onto a food bowl or reach a water fountain. So far I have put some seed in a pringle pot lid but the water solution (excuse the pun) is yet to be solved. I don't want to put a bowl in her cage as she may well drown, so we are offering her water at regular intervals. Any ideas on this would be great. She is a bit thin and I assume it's because she uses a lot of energy to move about. So I will need to give her a high fat/protein diet to keep her weight up. Any suggestions on this are also welcome. I have provided her with a sock doughnut to sit in (a sock with the foot pushed inside the top to form a ring) so she can sit in a more upright position instead of laying on her front all the time. This has helped her to be able to preen herself more easily and also to sleep with her head tucked on her back more easily.
Apart from her difficulties she is a healthy bud. She is curious and has been chewing on some toys, she chirps now and then and bites really hard at any opportunity. I have red marks all over my fingers as does my son.
To start here is a video of her so you can see how she moves around.
I have established that her left leg seems to work while the right is very stiff. I held her against the bars of she cage and she gripped with her beak and left leg, with a bit of help she managed to climb a few bars. I will use this as physio for her. I am also tying to figure out how to make her a harness. I want to be able to lift her off her belly so he good foot can touch the floor to strengthen it. She spends her whole time laying on her belly so her leg is squashed under her. I think if I can get her using her good leg she will one day be able to stand.
Problems I have encountered with her care are with feeding and drinking. She is unable to get onto a food bowl or reach a water fountain. So far I have put some seed in a pringle pot lid but the water solution (excuse the pun) is yet to be solved. I don't want to put a bowl in her cage as she may well drown, so we are offering her water at regular intervals. Any ideas on this would be great. She is a bit thin and I assume it's because she uses a lot of energy to move about. So I will need to give her a high fat/protein diet to keep her weight up. Any suggestions on this are also welcome. I have provided her with a sock doughnut to sit in (a sock with the foot pushed inside the top to form a ring) so she can sit in a more upright position instead of laying on her front all the time. This has helped her to be able to preen herself more easily and also to sleep with her head tucked on her back more easily.
Apart from her difficulties she is a healthy bud. She is curious and has been chewing on some toys, she chirps now and then and bites really hard at any opportunity. I have red marks all over my fingers as does my son.