Thank you for getting back to me. I know you would like a home treatment for this, and I would love to give you one, but unfortunately, this is a situation where you'll probably need to see a vet. In a bird this young, an injury is the most likely cause of the problem. It wouldn't necessarily be to the legs, but could be to the spine or the sciatic nerve.Even though Airplane is young, we can't completely rule out other causes, such as a tumor that presses on the sciatic nerve, an infection, a nutritional problem, or a disorder of an internal organ. There are many conditions that can affect the legs, even when the legs aren't directly involved.

You did well to confine him to a small area. Restricting his exercise and keeping him in a safe place is really the only thing you can do to help him. Since he is eating, you could give him 24 hours to see if he recovers. If he doesn't, I would definitely see a vet tomorrow morning. If you wait longer, most vets close by noon on Saturday, and you could end up with a costly emergency visit. This link will help you find a bird vet:

http://www.avianweb.com/recommendedvets.htm

If you have more questions, let me know by clicking on REPLY. There is no additional fee for such follow-ups. I hope that, with rest, Airplane will recover over night.

Anna

Please be sure to rate only SMILEY FACES to complete this transaction. The faces indicate your evaluation of the quality of the answer, not whether you're happy with the news. If you need more help, click on REPLY and let me know what else you need. Thank you.

I understand what you are saying. However, I specifically asked you to let me know if you had more concerns by clicking on REPLY, and to not rate unless you were satisfied. Had you simply come back and told me how you felt in a reply, I could have requested a refund of your deposit. This is not the sort of condition for which treatment can be prescribed online. All anyone can do is tell you some possibilities. Most of our customers who come to us with questions like this want to know if their pet's condition is one for which they can wait and see, or if they need to see a vet. They want help making the decision. It appears you had something else in mind, but I'm at a total loss for what you may have wanted me to tell you. Birds cannot be given over-the -counter pain medications without endangering their lives, so that is out of the question. You cannot splint the legs to help with a spinal injury or internal condition. If I told you to try something like this, it would be unethical of me, and I would be lying to you.

It's hard for many bird owners to believe, but most cases of sudden loss of the use of the legs are related to something internal. I can give you some more information on this. Sometimes a tumor on the kidney is not visible, but will cause limping, or the loss of use of a leg (or both). This happens when the tumor presses on nerves.
Tumors can also occur in a male's testes or female's ovaries and put pressure on the nerves.

I mentioned nutritional problems above. The most significant one is fatty liver disease. It is frequently seen in birds on a seed only or mostly seed diet. Birds should be on a pellet diet. Skeletal problems, deficiencies and even toxicities can cause a loss of the use of the legs. A crop problem can also be the culprit behind leg problems like these, as can any condition that causes an electrolyte imbalance.

A vitamin D deficiency can also cause such symptoms. Blood work will detect that. Nails that are too long can cause so much pain that a bird will not walk. That's why I asked if the feet looked normal, and you confirmed that they did, so we can rule that out.

As you might guess from all of this information, a vet would probably need to take x-rays and do blood work to reach a certain diagnosis. You can confirm the information I've given you on many reputable websites. Here is one:

http://www.avianweb.com/limping.html

I have now told you everything I possible can about your bird's condition. Please do not rate this answer unless you feel it got the job done. If not, please leave it unrated. If you would like your deposit refunded, please let me know that in a REPLY. We want you to be satisfied. Thank you. I sincerely XXXXX XXXXX Airplane will reach a full recovery.

Anna