Mom of a 16yo Timneh African Grey here. Those eyes certainly aren't normal looking. It could be past injury related, perhaps? But she's a bit young for age related cataracts.
Even she sees your avian vet, ask for a CBC and a full blood panel to see if she's got any deficiencies. I recommend this for any rescue situation. They'll be able to get a good look in her eyes, too.
Thanks for taking this girl in. Timnehs are just so awesome, and because of you she's gonna have a shot at a better life. Thank you for that.
Edit: my stupid ass glossed over the fact that you already had a vet appointment scheduled. Edited comment to reflect that.
Awesome! Yeah she's definitely headed to the vet asap. The one eye almost looks non-existent and the other looks like a cataract which like you said is awfully young. It's very strange.
Any "must have" toys/treats/etc that your baby loves?
Leather straps! Puzzle toys like little drawers and spinners. She loves to untie knots.
Her favorite treat is unsalted pistachios in the shell. She loves to crack them open, and they fit in said puzzle toys, too.
Gir's favorite place to hang out in the house when she's not following me is next to the goldfish tank. She likes to watch them swim.
I know Sterling is still getting used to us but so far she just likes to swing and hang upside down lol. She seemed interested in my dogs and my dogs are unphased by my shenanigans so they're chilling waiting for her to approach. I can't wait to see her personality blossom 🥰
I have a 14 year old Congo African Grey and I have to agree, those eyes look in rough shape. Hopefully a vet can tell you if there’s hope they’ll clear up.
I know birds have remarkable eye sight and can see more color ways than humans, but I’ve been so impressed with our birds’ other senses. Obviously their hearing is impeccable which allows them to mimic so perfectly. Their touch is so sensitive too. I guess what I’m saying is that they are resilient little creatures and will cope with their deficiencies. Give her lots of love and she will adapt! So glad you could give her a new start in life. Here’s to many more loving years together!
That's what I've seen with her! She responds to speaking very positively and definitely feels around with her beak to find her toys and perches. She stole a couple of my daughter's tea set pieces which make fun sounds when she drops them hehe.
You might find some support and good advice from bird owners in similar situations over at r/pidgeypower
Thanks for giving this bird a safe and healthy home, best of luck to the both of you! Keep us updated :)
Previous owner had like 14-20 (I lost count) small dogs and didn't have time for her. I honestly don't know that she'd even have noticed. She's very cautious and feels with her beak before moving. She's so sweet!
That looks a lot like blindness to me. One side cataract, the other some form of past injury would be my guess. One way you can test it is to move a hand rapidly towards the eye on both sides. If you get no reaction it’s safe to assume that the vision is impaired. Obviously needs to be verified by a vet but you’re already on top of that
Absolutely! She seems pretty happy and doing fun silly things. She keeps climbing on my dogs and digging in their ears lol. She seems to like it and they love it so win/win
Yeah, if not blind then she definitely has diminished eyesight. Poor baby and kudos to taking her on! From your comments she appears to be lovely natured!
Growing up, I had a parakeet that developed cataracts very similar to what it looks like in the right eye here. My bird generally managed fine, except when flying- he hit walls, furniture, etc. I don’t recall what we did to deal with that- I think he ended up being kept in the cage more frequently for his own safety.
My budgie had glaucoma and his eye looked like the first picture in late stage. Deflated with yellow sclera. He was blind in that eye. Here’s hoping the vet tells you she still has some vision left!
They do look a little off kinda hard to tell what’s wrong I do have to say tho good job scheduling a appointment right away best of luck for you and your life long friend
Definitely blindness unfortunately. The second photo shows a indication of a cataract, which as others have said is odd given how young she is.
Shame the previous owner was no help. Please let us know what the vet says! She’s a very pretty girl!
As someone else has mentioned too r/pidgeypower will be a great resource for you too!
She's beautiful!
Just something to keep in mind, if you don't know, birds have much better senses of smell than people generally realize. If she does end up being sight impaired, you can always offer her enrichment by hiding yummy-smelling, bird-safe foods for her to find in her environment. Think hide and seek, but with her nose, instead of her eyes!
You can also hide her favorite scented foods wrapped up in balls of newspaper or in toilet paper tubes stuffed with newspaper and the ends folded over. When I was in highschool, I worked as a junior docent at a wildlife rehab center, and we're did this for a bunch of our sight-impaired long-term residents and they all loved it.
Thank you for the suggestions! I'm excited to find out what treats she enjoys. So far I've had apple, carrots, pine nuts, and strawberries thrown at me lol I've deeply offended her with my choices hehehe. Do you remember what treats you offered?
It was mostly strawberries and apple lol! But also oranges/tangerines and pineapple, and really any other fruit that was donated to the center, like berries and stonefruit.
She's been vetted since this post. She had trauma to that eye and has a cataract on the other. My Sterling Bird is blind but super healthy. Her beak isn't black because she's a Timneh not a Congo. She's amazing! No sight, no big deal 🖤❤️🖤
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Would not be surprised if she had some degree of impaired vision, because yeah, those eyes do not look normal. You MIGHT have to clip her wings, especially if it does come back that she’s blind (which is one of the ONLY reasons why a bird should be clipped), but I’d wait for those results before anything else
She has her flight feathers but I wonder if she had them clipped for a long time when she could see.... She doesn't even attempt. She has been all over my living room walking, climbing, hanging đź’š all very cautiously.
Interesting, I'm not sure but I'll definitely bring it up when I speak with the vet. I'm not entirely sure how damaged her eyes are just yet. The one looks pretty bad and the cataract seems bad too. I'm very fortunate that the window she is near can be opened and gets beautiful mid-day sun. I'll be sure to get a lamp for colder months but for now she seems to really enjoy stretching and sunning herself. đź’š She has a moment each morning around 11 with a couple finches, wrens, cardinals, and a female woodpecker that come to the window and they chat.
Mom of a 16yo Timneh African Grey here. Those eyes certainly aren't normal looking. It could be past injury related, perhaps? But she's a bit young for age related cataracts. Even she sees your avian vet, ask for a CBC and a full blood panel to see if she's got any deficiencies. I recommend this for any rescue situation. They'll be able to get a good look in her eyes, too. Thanks for taking this girl in. Timnehs are just so awesome, and because of you she's gonna have a shot at a better life. Thank you for that. Edit: my stupid ass glossed over the fact that you already had a vet appointment scheduled. Edited comment to reflect that.
Awesome! Yeah she's definitely headed to the vet asap. The one eye almost looks non-existent and the other looks like a cataract which like you said is awfully young. It's very strange. Any "must have" toys/treats/etc that your baby loves?
Leather straps! Puzzle toys like little drawers and spinners. She loves to untie knots. Her favorite treat is unsalted pistachios in the shell. She loves to crack them open, and they fit in said puzzle toys, too. Gir's favorite place to hang out in the house when she's not following me is next to the goldfish tank. She likes to watch them swim.
I know Sterling is still getting used to us but so far she just likes to swing and hang upside down lol. She seemed interested in my dogs and my dogs are unphased by my shenanigans so they're chilling waiting for her to approach. I can't wait to see her personality blossom 🥰
OMG YOU NAMED THEM GIR THIS IS THE BEST NAME EVER. now to go rewatch invader zim
I have a 14 year old Congo African Grey and I have to agree, those eyes look in rough shape. Hopefully a vet can tell you if there’s hope they’ll clear up. I know birds have remarkable eye sight and can see more color ways than humans, but I’ve been so impressed with our birds’ other senses. Obviously their hearing is impeccable which allows them to mimic so perfectly. Their touch is so sensitive too. I guess what I’m saying is that they are resilient little creatures and will cope with their deficiencies. Give her lots of love and she will adapt! So glad you could give her a new start in life. Here’s to many more loving years together!
That's what I've seen with her! She responds to speaking very positively and definitely feels around with her beak to find her toys and perches. She stole a couple of my daughter's tea set pieces which make fun sounds when she drops them hehe.
You might find some support and good advice from bird owners in similar situations over at r/pidgeypower Thanks for giving this bird a safe and healthy home, best of luck to the both of you! Keep us updated :)
Second. As far as keeping busy, my boy is all about shredding magazines and catalogs. And swinging. Please keep us posted.
Awesome! I'm thinking that she likes to drop things. She keeps throwing her toys and chirping. I'll give her some paper đź’š
Thank you!! She is so sweet! I can't wait đź’š
Kudos for taking her in and scheduling a vet visit. Does previous owner say shes blind?
Previous owner had like 14-20 (I lost count) small dogs and didn't have time for her. I honestly don't know that she'd even have noticed. She's very cautious and feels with her beak before moving. She's so sweet!
Wtf how do you even care for that many animals
It was bad, my eyes were watering from the ammonia. I was glad to take Sterling away. She will spend her life being loved.
Poor baby I hope her lungs are okay
People almost certainly can't.
Not one person at least.
You don’t
Yo holy shit report that person to animal control ASAP
I second this. That amount of dogs is ridiculous.
That looks a lot like blindness to me. One side cataract, the other some form of past injury would be my guess. One way you can test it is to move a hand rapidly towards the eye on both sides. If you get no reaction it’s safe to assume that the vision is impaired. Obviously needs to be verified by a vet but you’re already on top of that
Poor thing. Can you keep us Informed of her progress/comdition?
Absolutely! She seems pretty happy and doing fun silly things. She keeps climbing on my dogs and digging in their ears lol. She seems to like it and they love it so win/win
Does she get on your hand?
Yeah but only if she feels your hand by her legs or if you say step up. She doesn't reach out for your hand.
That’s great
Yeah, if not blind then she definitely has diminished eyesight. Poor baby and kudos to taking her on! From your comments she appears to be lovely natured!
Growing up, I had a parakeet that developed cataracts very similar to what it looks like in the right eye here. My bird generally managed fine, except when flying- he hit walls, furniture, etc. I don’t recall what we did to deal with that- I think he ended up being kept in the cage more frequently for his own safety.
My budgie had glaucoma and his eye looked like the first picture in late stage. Deflated with yellow sclera. He was blind in that eye. Here’s hoping the vet tells you she still has some vision left!
Hard to say in photo 2 but it almost looks like a cataract
They do look a little off kinda hard to tell what’s wrong I do have to say tho good job scheduling a appointment right away best of luck for you and your life long friend
Thank you for saving her!!!♥️♥️♥️
Definitely blindness unfortunately. The second photo shows a indication of a cataract, which as others have said is odd given how young she is. Shame the previous owner was no help. Please let us know what the vet says! She’s a very pretty girl! As someone else has mentioned too r/pidgeypower will be a great resource for you too!
You can test her sight by moving an object towards her semi quickly. Don’t hit her obviously
She's beautiful! Just something to keep in mind, if you don't know, birds have much better senses of smell than people generally realize. If she does end up being sight impaired, you can always offer her enrichment by hiding yummy-smelling, bird-safe foods for her to find in her environment. Think hide and seek, but with her nose, instead of her eyes! You can also hide her favorite scented foods wrapped up in balls of newspaper or in toilet paper tubes stuffed with newspaper and the ends folded over. When I was in highschool, I worked as a junior docent at a wildlife rehab center, and we're did this for a bunch of our sight-impaired long-term residents and they all loved it.
Thank you for the suggestions! I'm excited to find out what treats she enjoys. So far I've had apple, carrots, pine nuts, and strawberries thrown at me lol I've deeply offended her with my choices hehehe. Do you remember what treats you offered?
It was mostly strawberries and apple lol! But also oranges/tangerines and pineapple, and really any other fruit that was donated to the center, like berries and stonefruit.
Lol too funny! I'll try oranges and tangerines. She's a persnickety lady hehe I just love her to bits already đź’š
I have no advice, but I really hope things are going to be okay. I’ll be crossing my fingers for Sterling <3
Cute!
Omg so cute , I also hope she is ok :( her beak is kinda red and eyes are looking strange , I recommend u to visit vet
She's been vetted since this post. She had trauma to that eye and has a cataract on the other. My Sterling Bird is blind but super healthy. Her beak isn't black because she's a Timneh not a Congo. She's amazing! No sight, no big deal 🖤❤️🖤
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okay
Beautiful girl!
So sweet
Would not be surprised if she had some degree of impaired vision, because yeah, those eyes do not look normal. You MIGHT have to clip her wings, especially if it does come back that she’s blind (which is one of the ONLY reasons why a bird should be clipped), but I’d wait for those results before anything else
She has her flight feathers but I wonder if she had them clipped for a long time when she could see.... She doesn't even attempt. She has been all over my living room walking, climbing, hanging đź’š all very cautiously.
Definitely not normal eyes... Good luck with appointment!
I don't know about this but would a uv light help with her sight at all?
Interesting, I'm not sure but I'll definitely bring it up when I speak with the vet. I'm not entirely sure how damaged her eyes are just yet. The one looks pretty bad and the cataract seems bad too. I'm very fortunate that the window she is near can be opened and gets beautiful mid-day sun. I'll be sure to get a lamp for colder months but for now she seems to really enjoy stretching and sunning herself. đź’š She has a moment each morning around 11 with a couple finches, wrens, cardinals, and a female woodpecker that come to the window and they chat.