Three days ago, Ozzy decided to try flying while they were playing out of their cage. He flew from my shoulder over to the cage. He seemed to land on it funny, and started favoring his left foot. I thought I would get it checked out at the vets; xrays show nothing broken or fractured, there is no swelling nor heat, no visible bruising or anything to suggest he is injured (also checked for string or hair, nothing is catching his toes). There is no discoloration, flaking of the skin, changes in texture, etc. I've seen him walk around just fine on it, only to sit down and limp while Gary or I walk into their room. He's eating very well, flying a bit, drinking, pooping normally. He's just favoring his foot and now using his wings to brace himself as he walks when we are in his line of sight. I am wondering if he is playing "sick" for attention? He is getting more snuggles and pats now because we feel bad for him. However the vet thinks there is nothing wrong physically, and he probably bruised his foot at some point (the landing). She thinks he could be doing what our cats do and play sick for attention. She is an avian vet too, she is the only one around here that sees birds of any kind. Any ideas or suggestions? I was lucky to not be charged at the vet, and don't have the funds to drive to the coast to see another avian vet for a second opinion. Thanks muchly!

Well...maybe you should take him it a therapist that treats Pigeons?!
Honestly, maybe it is a little sore...maybe he is pretending to get attention or may be a little of both.

Did you feel where the leg connects to the body to see if there is any swelling? The problem could be higher up rather than the foot itself.

Sure would like to have the contact info for the vet so we can add it to our resource list.

We did check all the joints, wings, neck, everything. Nothing appears out of the ordinary. The vet we used is:

Westbank Animal Care Hospital
Dr. Darcy Rae
2429 Drought Road, Westbank, BC
(250)768-4688

Appreciate the vet's contact information. :cool:

I suspect your baby will be back to normal within a weeks time.

Wonderful, thanks!

Hi Tara,
Chances are Ozzy is playing the 'sympathy' game just a bit ( ), but I would still keep an eye on him to make sure.

for the contact info.
Matilda's list is growing by leaps and bounds.

Thanks! I will keep double checking in case it's not just a play And no problem with the vet listing! I know how difficult it can be to find a decent vet for a pet that isn't a cat or dog

:lol!: Well, turns out I was right! This morning I got up, did my routine of going into the birds' room, cleaned up, fresh food and water and check everyone over & playtime. Well, my boogerbutt Ozzy wasn't paying attention to me at all, he was walking around, flapping his wings and pecking at the teddybear I put in there - No Limp! He did a double take when I said "Good Morning!", he looked like I caught him stealing cookies! :eek: He then proceeded to hunch down, rock on his ankles, using his wings to "support" himself and whimpering, looking at me like a wide eyed baby, lol! Sooo, Diva got all the attention this morning, getting a treat for flying to me from the cage (instead of my carrying her around). Ozzy will not be rewarded for poor behavior, as I do not want him to repeat it, lol. Hopefully he will soon realize that the jig is up and he has to start being a big boy now Thanks again everyone for your help!

Too funny!

Gotta love 'em.

Watch out Ozzy, Mom's on to you!

LOL! Yuppers, they keep me on my toes, lol! Diva is more than willing to fly to be with me, which is awesome Ozzy is reverting, I think, typical male behavior :lol!:

It sounds as if Ozzy just wants to be a baby a bit longer. I think all animals have the intelligence to exploit us when they can.

One of my beloved dogs loved sympathy. If I said "Oh, pooooor Uther" he used to look very sorry for hiself and I swear his eyes would fill with tears...then I would say "Is that the little paw? Does it hurt?" and he would hold the paw up pathetically, then I would laugh and say "Oh, you naughty thing, there's nothing wrong with you!" and he would jump at me, laughing...

Cynthia

That Ozzy is amazing! I really would not have thought that pigeons would have the ablity to figure things out so well that they would choose to play poorly :)

But then, a perfectly able, self-feeding squeaker will squeak most pitifully if there's any chance of getting an adult to feed it.

There's still so much to learn about them

I love the story about Uther, Cynthia. Too cute.

Capuccino wrote:

That Ozzy is amazing! I really would not have thought that pigeons would have the ablity to figure things out so well that they would choose to play poorly :) But then, a perfectly able, self-feeding squeaker will squeak most pitifully if there's any chance of getting an adult to feed it. There's still so much to learn about them