Advice please - Monty has a bad foot

[samwiseg]

Dunno if anyone can help? I noticed yesterday that Monty has a bad foot i.e. she is curling over her biggest toe a bit. She tends to try and bite it when this happens but if she stays on her perch and her foot goes round it doesnt trouble her. As for everything else she is her usual happy, bouncy, active self and cheerful so what could this be? She does sometimes drag it if she is manouvering around or hovers it above the perch. I have had a look at her toe and I cant tell any difference from the other apart from sometimes when I let her out it curls over if she sits on my shoulder (which clearly aggrivates as she chews it). Can someone please help? I will try and get pics if I can over the next couple of days but please help as I would be devistated if there was something seriously wrong!

[Hezz]

Sam, chill. Even if Monty has seriously hurt her toe and it needs to be removed, she will be fine. (Worst case scenario) A photo to show exactly how and what is happening will help (hopefully) but lots of birds have toe issues and are fine. Look and see if she can put her foot flat when on a flat surface. If her foot comes off the surface, she may need her claws trimmed. Can she grip with that toe, can you determine? Does she have any sores on the underneath of her foot? What happens if you try to touch or move her foot around?

She has probably gotten it caught on something, and will right as rain in a day or two, but do you have any long tassles on her toys etc where she may have become caught up? Or anything where she may have got it caught? Can't think of any other toe issues, but go through that as a check list, and we can rule certain things in or out, and remember, photo.

[samwiseg]

Oh thank you Hezz - as you can probably tell I have been feeling somewhat panicky about it as sods law it happened over Christmas (even my bloke was telling me to calm down)! But come to think of it, she did catch her claw on my tshirt not only a couple of days ago so that might be it? She is not gipping with it when she climbs her cage but her foot can take her weight as she was preening with no trouble. Perhaps then her claw does need to be trimmed? And things will improve if she rests it for a few days? Thank you so much though Hezz, I feel so relieved! I felt like it was something to do with her liver or internal tumour and that was that and we were in for a rough time! So thank you again shall try and post some pics shortly - hope you had a nice Christmas btw! Best wishes Sam & Monts

[samwiseg]

Here are some pics I managed to get of her foot - it is her right one (probably the last pic is the best one) when she is on herperch it looks fine its only when she climbs or is on a flat surface:





and this one shows it best:



Thanks again for your help, hope the pics can shed more light on things - had to tempt her with some food to try and take a pic or two! Would it be ok for us to trim that one claw? I know I am being a worry wart! Many thanks!

[Hezz]

To my untrained eye, it looks like she may have dislocated the joint (ever kicked your toe on a table leg or anything very heavy? When the rest of your foot goes in one direction and the one toe goes in the other??? Boy, does that hurt!!!) Don't know if you want to try this but you could try straightening it yourself. Her claws look fine to me - her feet are sitting nice and flat on your hand, I don't think they need to be trimmed. I know how much budgies can pull with their feet if they get a claw caught, and she may well have just tugged a bit too hard.

If you can't straighten it, she will probably get used to it being the way it is, or a vet should be able to advise you - maybe intervene if she doesn't leave it alone and worries it to the point of creating a wound.

I suggest it will either straighten over time (with or without help) or she will accept it as it is after a while. Good luck, you two.