Meekull was either born with a lame claw, or it was damaged when his nest was attacked by our cat when he was only hours old. We'll never know for sure. But because his claw curls sideways at the ankle and he has only one claw to grab with, he loses his balance and slips easily on many surfaces. I had to make notches in store-bought bird perches, provide larger branches for him to sleep on, and ensure his skinny cage bars were covered for landing when he was out of his cage. Meekull is turning one year old this month. For his birthday, I nailed a skinny branch from a Madrone tree to the wall on the indoor porch. I could see him looking at it, but he was avoiding it. After a few taps on the branch and a bit of encouragement (actually, a lot of encouragement). Meekull finally made an attempt, successfully landed, grabbed a skinny branch, and held on. Upon receiving much praise and applause for his accomplishment, he proceeded to make a few more landings, some wobbly and some perfect, but he never fell. When he finally landed back atop his cage, his little mohawk raised, signaling his excitement. Yay! He's growing up!
