Possible cause of sudden limp?

[Trimini]

Hello, I haven't posted in a while. My boy Kevin is now almost two years old and lives with his girlfriend Dusty in a beautiful and spacious aviary that we built for him by hand last year. When not in mating season Kevin is a very gentle and social pea. Bit of a mama's boy. Very smart and interactive. We have never had any health issues. Yesterday he started limping on one foot. Because he is a good boy he let me inspect the foot. There is no discoloration, swelling, cuts or bruises. There may be something on the bottom of the foot, like a splinter, but that's a bit too close of an inspection for his comfort. It doesn't look like it hurts the way a splinter would. It looks like it hurts to put weight on it. It is mid summer here in central Chile, and most of the day the birds (we have chickens also) lay around in dirt baths. I see that the limp is the worst when he just gets up, but as he hops around a bit it seems to get better. Last night he even walked without a limp all together. Today, back to limping. He seems in good spirits and still very social. He follows me around like always and uses his roosts with both feet. However, every chance he gets he lifts his left foot. Does anyone have any idea what this may be? It happened suddenly. Maybe he landed badly? Sprained it? Is there anything I can do to help him?

 

[The Phantom]

Very pretty! I would try to see if that is a splinter.

 

[JaeG]

Kevin is beautiful! I had a hen who did this and the only thing I could think of was that she jumped off the roost and jarred her leg/foot. There was no swelling, or heat, or mark on her foot. Like Kevin she didn't want to put weight on that foot and held it up when she wasn't hobbling about. She took about a month or so to come right.

 

[Trimini]

Kevin is beautiful! I had a hen who did this and the only thing I could think of was that she jumped off the roost and jarred her leg/foot. There was no swelling, or heat, or mark on her foot. Like Kevin she didn't want to put weight on that foot and held it up when she wasn't hobbling about. She took about a month or so to come right.

Wow. A whole month!!!! Ok. I will be patient and keep an eye on him. He doesn't get his wings clipped anymore, so he usually flies down beautifully and lands nicely, but who knows what might have happened. I am not always around to see. He could have twisted it somehow.

 

[Trimini]

Very pretty! I would try to see if that is a splinter.

He lifts this foot, kind of like a horse does to let you see its hoof. I was able to visually inspect it from underneath and I saw nothing. Maybe it's worth wrangling him and actually feeling the foot with my fingers. I just didn't want to distress him any more than he might already be. Despite being social and liking his neck stroked, he hates being held.

 

[The Phantom]

You may have to.

 

[JaeG]

Wow. A whole month!!!! Ok. I will be patient and keep an eye on him. He doesn't get his wings clipped anymore, so he usually flies down beautifully and lands nicely, but who knows what might have happened. I am not always around to see. He could have twisted it somehow.

Maybe something gave him a fright perhaps and he took off and landed the wrong way? I know @casportpony has peacocks so doing her name like that might get her to swing past and see what she can suggest.

 

[Trimini]

Maybe something gave him a fright perhaps and he took off and landed the wrong way? I know @casportpony has peacocks so doing her name like that might get her to swing past and see what she can suggest.

I doubt that anything spooked him. He is not the easily spooked kind, but he is a bit a butthead and might have attempted something new and exciting. I was out of the aviary for no more than two hours. I didn't hear anything unusual. He didn't sound an alarm, nor did he fight with anyone. I guess he could have tripped on a landing, landed on another bird, or maybe slip as he was going up onto a roost. Like when we slip when walking up the stairs sometimes and hurt our ankles. Maybe something like that. It's curious that it does seem to get better as he walks. He also uses his roosts as usual, goes up and down a lot, and lands on both feet firmly, but then the left foot goes up again. He knows he is not well too. He is being ultra sweet and gentle. Poor dude.

 

[JaeG]

He sounds like an awesome peacock!

 

[Trimini]

Thank you. He is a my baby boy. Raised from an itty bitty one month old peep.