Boo's claw not gripping

[stace]

I've just noticed that one of Boo's front claws is not gripping. All the others on the same foot are fine.

It's not sore, as he lets me touch it okay. And I'm not sure how long it has been like that.

Any suggestions? Can this be a temporary thing that will right itself?

The undersides of his feet all look fine as well.

[barrieshutt]

This happens Stace to some birds as they get older, i guess your the only one thats worried

[stace]

I think he might have hurt it a while back. I remember him playing violently with something a few months ago, screaming blue murder for a second, then flying to me and falling silent, lifting his foot up and down, as if to say 'help me, mummy, it hurts".

It's not bad, and hasn't affected him in any serious way that I can tell. It's just the last claw end of one toe that doesn't dig in when he's clasping a perch anymore.

He's only a year or so old. Not ancient in budgie years.

[Marianne Marlow]

A couple of my budgies have toes like this. Monty even has a toe that crosses. Lilek has a toe that I think may be broken as it sticks forward when it should be back. I think it's common for them to get foot injuries.

Doesn't impact on mines happiness.

[stace]

Thanks for putting me right. So it's like old war wounds. A common budgie niggle.

[Marianne Marlow]

Nov 20, 2011 10:30:33 GMT stace said:

Thanks for putting me right. So it's like old war wounds. A common budgie niggle.

I think so yes.

I have also had budgies with a temporary foot injury. They catch a nail on something or land badly and then hold the foot up for long periods for about 4 days then they are right as rain.

This happened with Jerry a long while back and because we gave Jerry attention Monty pretended that he had hurt his foot and held it up in an attempt to get millet - not before pushing Jerry out of the way to get to us of course

gotta love 'em!

[ruthpaton]

My friend has a budgie which had a problem foot when she rescued him from an unhappy petshop situation. Just a couple of claws that don't sit right when he perches. She never knew if the problem occurred in the shop or earlier. It doesn't trouble him at all though and the wee guy couldn't be happier - in fact I've never met a crazier budgie! :-) I guess as long as they are not in pain or troubled by it we should try not to worry!

Ruth

[budgiefriend]

Budgies are so smart and learn to adapt to many situations.

[Hezz]

As long as there is no pain involved, he sounds fine. Blue has a nail that sort of sits sideways, rather than flat. I was worried that it may have been too long what with his liver problems, but then I remembered it is the nail HE cut - he perched on hub's razor without the safety guard on it, that was fine until he went to push off and cut his nail down past the quick and it bled. That could be the toe to watch later for gout, or arthritis, Stace.

[starling]

I also have a budgie (Pebbles) with a claw like that. You may remember my post a few weeks back, when I was worried as he was holding his foot up and couldn't clasp perches with it? It was sore to the touch. That lasted about a week. He uses his foot ok now, but one of the claws on that foot kind of sticks out, instead of clasping like on the other foot. So I guess it is some kind of permanent damage, but it doesn't seem to be affecting his quality of life at all.