Jack

It's time to introduce a new member of our feathered family. Jack is a male sulphur crested cockatoo of unknown age. He was found wandering on the side of the road on the Sunshine Coast. His rescuer looked for his owner, apparently he was found in an area that wasn't heavily populated, but without success. While he was looking Jack lived in a cat carrying cage. I don't know for how long. Then he came to our friends, G and P who introduced him to their population of rescue cockatoos. All was well until one of the males took a dislike to him. This bird attacked him and kept him from food and water, unless P was present. The sad thing is Jack didn't try and defend himself and what's worse, wouldn't even move while being bitten. P rang us May 23 and asked if we'd take him. Of course we would.

Jack talks, murmurs and occasionally screams which is great as he was completely silent for the first few days. He's lost a toenail on his left foot and has a wound on the backward facing toe of the same foot. The toes don't appear to be infected but we started him on antibiotics a couple of days ago because he's still extremely sore after 3 weeks. So sore that he uses his beak as a third foot to get around. He's allowed me to touch his toes but I don't try and flex them and feel for a break. They don't look broken but they are swollen. Despite the cleanliness of the wounds (there is new pink skin at the wound site) I am concerned that infection has gone up the bone. But then if that were the case he would be sick in himself and he's not. He did have a very bad case of coccidiosis and trichomoniasis when he arrived which isn't surprising considering the prolonged stress he had to endure.

There is another possibility - that the wounds are fine in themselves and the reluctance to move and the pain stems from having spent his entire life in a cocky cage. He will not flatten his toes ie, walk on a flat surface. It obviously causes him pain. Bumblefoot is a possibility. Have just written to his previous carers asking for more information about how he behaved when he was with them. I knew he was sedentary before but what I'm asking specifically is if he used his beak as a third foot before he was bitten.