My baby bird has no claws on its toes. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for reaching out about your parakeet and including photos. The feet deformities are likely developmental problems but could also have an underlying viral etiology. Same for the feather loss. A veterinary visit could help with some diagnostics but keep this bird separated from other, if viral could be contagious. Good luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see that Baby is missing a toe nail and that the toe is swollen. There is a little bit of caked on feces, but the toe itself is swollen. It is also concerning that the nail has come off and that the toe itself is somewhat gray, as this can be a sign of necrosis, or tissue death. This may have been caused by increased pressure on the foot, so you should definitely try to keep a variety of perches in the cage. This may have been due to trauma from Baby's previous environment, so you should keep a close eye on the area, and have her seen by a vet if the gray color begins to spread. I hope all is well!

Ouch! Those feet should be checked out by a vet and some blood tests run to make sure there isn't a nutritional deficiency or other illness causing the foot problem. If your bird checks out OK, then it may be a genetic deformity that will be there for life. Birds that have trouble perching or getting around may do better with large, flat perches, or flat shelf-like platforms so they can rest their feet and move around without falling off. Food and water dishes with similar shaped platforms can also help make it easier for your bird to access.

Keep an eye on her. If she will allow, you can clean it daily with a mild antiseptic cleanser. Provide perches of different shapes, textures and thicknesses to condition her feet. Having only round perches of one size can lead to sores on the feet and overgrown nails.

A visit to the veterinarian would be prudent to diagnosis infection or injury. It is possible she may have caught it on the cage, in a toy or food bowl. Check her toenails as well. If they are too long, it can make moving and perching difficult or uncomfortable.

It is absolutely not normal for a bird to lose toes. You don't mention how this happened, but some common reasons why this can happen is trauma from getting fragile little toes stuck between bars of the cage, bite wounds from a cagemate, or even from things like infection or cancer. It is best to set Charley up on the bottom of her cage with a soft blanket, plenty of food, and fresh water. She may have a hard time gripping her perches. Keep them very low in the cage (like 2 inches from the bottom) or remove them completely and try rolling small towels into little "ground perches" until you can get Charlie in to be examined by a veterinarian who will perform a full physical examination, discuss husbandry (including cage setup), and may recommend bloodwork. I hope this was helpful!

Your bird will probably need to have the nails trimmed about every 8-12 weeks. The toe in the picture does look a little abnormal but it is probably not because of the nail. If the toe is causing an issue I would recommend having your vet take a look at it. Xrays may need to be performed to revaluation the bone. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.