Ideas for Toys for Handicapped Beak GCC

[finchmix22]

I pray someone has some ideas for our new little Pineapple Green Cheek Conure, Lil Bit! We found out he is a MALE! So, now we have to come up with adaptive toys he can play with, given his upper beak is shorter than his lower beak. He has trouble holding food in the beak and is not coordinated with his foot to help him hold a berry. He can't eat lettuce, well he tries, but he doesn't get anything. He loves blueberries, but drops most of the berry because he can't hold it in his beak.

As far as toys, he can't pick up typical hookbill toys. He tries and gets frustrated. Today, he played with the draw string of my shorts and had fun, but he could not pick up the cat toy ball (kind with holes in them and a bell). He can't grasp the toys, which are hanging from his cage, with his beak. So, he doesn't play with them. He walks across the top of his cage and on a play stand well, but again, drops most of the food he eats and can't play with the typical toys for GCCs.

Any, Any Ideas for creative or adaptive toys is greatly appreciated!! Remember, picking up things to hold is a problem. He holds onto the material of the drawstring (cotton, I think) and tries to pull it and move it around. He liked the cat toy ball, but couldn't pick it up. I tried to get him to push it with his beak, but he just watched me and didn't try to touch the ball.

OK Ideas Please!

[cindy]

Deborah, I will look around for you but not sure you have a vet in your area that can do this and it may be expensive but they make a material that bonds (sort of like veneering) to the birds beak, it is shaped to give the bird a workable beak. I will see if I can find the info on it.

In the meantime I will search for toys and ways to help him eat. how is he doing with the soften pellets and food. You can add pumpkin puree...how about whirling the blueberries a little in a small food processor and giving him a little dish of it to lap up.

[Nerien]

Get some all-cotton cord and thread it through the cat ball, leaving a short length sticking out, with a big knot on either side. That way he can grab the cord to pick up and pull the ball around.

If ladder rungs are too far apart for him to climb the ladder, since he doesn't have his beak to grip and climb with, take more cotton or sisal cord (make sure you get bird-safe, oil-free sisal twine/rope) and tie more rungs across, so the steps are shorter for him and he can climb with only his feet.

I found a stick-and-rope ladder at a pet store where the rungs are really close together. I have it set up horizontal across my parrotlet cage, they run back and forth across it.

I don't have a picture ready right now, but my parrotlets drop 90% of what they eat because they don't hold it with their feet, so I made a "treat tray" for them from an add-on perch and a rectangular plastic tub lid. All fresh food and treats get clipped on over the tray, so when they rip into it and drop most of it, it's in the tray and they can then eat it from the tray, rather than having it lost onto the bottom of the cage. Will try to get a picture up soon.

[DanteD716]

I'm not sure if any of these will work, but here are a few I just thought of:

Have you tried cutting berris in half, and threading them for him? You could do all different kinds, and he can get them off easier, it would also be a bit of fun for him! (well maybe, if he can get them off)

Or those springy like rope toys you hang from the cage?? I know birds like bouncing on them, he should be able to get up on them, or even a swing if you dont have one?

My conure loves shredding toilet paper tubes, but Lil'Bit may not be able to.. For my livebirds, I tape the ends shut, and place pieces of nesting material, and chopped fruits inside, and cut a few holes so they can tear them open and get the goodies inside, if you cut the holes big enough Im sure Lil'Bit will be able to tear inside for the treats!

Let us know what you try and what works!

[finchmix22]

Cindy
Thanks for looking into the procedure. We have 2-3 respected avian vets here in the metroplex. One of them was the avian vet that saw Lil Bit and said she wasn't sure there was anything that could be done. As far as food, he eats fine, with the mashed pellets and eats blueberries if I cut them in half. Still, about half of everything ends up on the bottom of the cage or playstand and gets mixed up with droppings. I don't want him foraging through that mess because he is hungry. So, I was thinking of some form of platform feeding station like Nerien suggest.

Nerien
I'd love to see pics of your parrolet set up! I really need to find a way for Lil Bit to eat and play without so much frustration. The ball with a cotton rope through it may work, so I'll try and let you know.

Dante
I tried the toilet paper rolls, but he doesn't have enough beak to get a grip to tear or rip. I do cut the berries in half, but have not tried stringing them onto something. He may be able to do that as a foraging game.

Thanks so much! Please keep the great ideas coming!

[cindy]

I will caution about the toilet paper rolls, they contain glue, it should not be ingested. You can also try the little whiffle balls the sell in stores for practicing golf and baseball with....you can thread natural not dyed leather string through them and knot the edges. Since he can not hold them in his bake to play, you could thread the leather though several of the holes and attach the toys with zip ties to the cage bars within reach where he can feel and play with them.

Foster & Smith has a build your own toy container
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=20990

in small, medium and large... I would do a combination of small and medium

lots of toys on sale that can be attached to the cage or board for him to play with http://www.drsfostersmith.com/bird-supp ... /5059/5648

pieces to build with http://www.drsfostersmith.com/bird-supp ... /5648/8596

[cindy]

rebuilding a beak - using artificial means such as acrylic

http://www.thebirdclinic.com/Services_O ... e_Surgery/

http://cityparrots.org/journal/2012/2/2 ... r-and.html

this is a good article:

http://www.prettybird.com/researchartic ... rticle.htm

[finchmix22]

Interesting information! Thanks Cindy.

I am going to try and get a video of Lil Bit trying to play, so people can see the problem. Today, he got hold of a child's prayer bracelet, with beads on a small link chain, but I was concerned the metal was the type that is not healthy for hookbills, so I only let him try and then removed the bracelet, but it gave me an idea of something I might make and see if he likes safe bracelet with small beads and inbetween use something besides those small chain links on children's bracelets.

[cindy]

Deborah, they sell small link plastic chains in the Home Improvement stores and I think I saw them in the toy section of Foster and Smith.

these are from their toy section

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=20985

[finchmix22]

That might work for my idea! Great!

[cindy]

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83269391/25 ... 7Aode3EAxg

My hookbills love playing with different shapes like animal shapes, balls, squares. I think WalMart craft section or Micheals has animal shapes you can thread on natural leather or cord...do not use dyed leather strips.

[finchmix22]

I'll look the next time I go there. Thanks!