What do you do if an accident happens?

[greatgriffin]

Hopefully it occurs very seldom but when it does it can be quite a hassle. Have you had any accidents with your birds? What happened and how did you act?

On one occasion a piece of millet shell got stuck into my bird's nostril. First I did not do anything about it, things like this may happen and go in a matter of hours. However, after 2-3 days when the shell was still there and had gone visibly deeper, the nostril started to look swollen and wet. It must have disturbed the bird quite a bit because she kept scratching it but the thing wouldn't go.

I saw that it was high time to act. I first wanted to restrain the bird and poke the thing out but when trying to do so I realized it would cause unnecessary stress to the bird. After some thinking I had an idea - to use a straw and try to suck it out. Any better ideas? Eventually it has worked! I needed some real top treat to distract her attention and then she did not bother that I was tampering with her nose. In 5 minutes it was out. What a relief!

[Michael]

As Kili's flight feathers were growing in for her first molt, on one side they managed to all come in fine but on the other they'd break off one at a time as each would come in. Without the previous feathers for protection, new feathers would continue to break.

So one day after doing some tricks with Kili I noticed something red on my finger and under closer observation realized it was blood. With thinking about it I washed it off but realized that I had not cut myself and I wasn't bleeding! I just had a hunch so I went to check the bird. I held her in one hand and opened the wing with the other and indeed a blood feather (primary) had snapped across the quill when she crashed into something or fell and it was bleeding.

I rushed to apply quick stop to it to stop the bleeding and with an opening that big it takes a while and a lot of powder. Unfortunately the situation got a bit messy and created a new problem. I noticed one of her eyes half shut and red looking. Apparently in the frenzy to get powder on the bleeding wing, some of it spilled into her eye. I grabbed one of my squirt bottles and squirted a water stream into her eye to clear it out. After about 10 minutes the redness subsided and she looked fine.

To make matters just the slightest bit worse, that day I had cleaned and completely rearranged her cage. And that was barely an hour before so she was not yet used to the layout and the following day I would be away all day. Furthermore, the feather wasn't fully broken at the quill but rather dangling. I feared she could get it caught and get further hurt or bleeding start again if it broke more. I got out a pair of scissors and was going to cut the quill above where the bleeding stopped so the feather wouldn't dangle but I kind of have a phobia about cutting feathers. So I was taking forever and she was being squeamish which made it harder for me. I would make an attempt and she would jerk just as I was about to cut so it would delay things further. On one attempt she somehow jerked when I prepared to cut and the feather broke on its own at the place it initially cracked. What a relief. I applied a little more quickstop to it in case it would bring back the bleeding.

This was right before bird bed time so I put her right to bed. I was nervous all night about the bleeding and feared finding a dead bird in the morning but she was fine and I went on my trip. Luckily, because the bleeding stopped and feather removed I was able to worry a bit less during my trip. I felt bad about changing her cage in this condition but that was before it happened. I went away for a day or two and when I came back she was fine and thrilled to see me.

[MissLady9902]

Noodle is clipped. He's very frightened of my Cello.
When I had it out he freaked and flew off his house and hit the piano. I didn't think much of it but noticed he wasn't playing, being loud or eating.
So I picked him up and noticed that the very tip of his beak was bent. It was very sore but no bleeding. He wouldn't eat his pellets or chew on his toys.
First think I did was call my vet and make an appt. they didn't have anything open (there was emergency surgery) until Monday. This occured on Friday.
So I was basically on my own. He wouldn't touch the tip of his beak to anything so I made him a lot of soft foods. He ate cooked carrots (cooled off of course)
broccoli and peas. Also pasta, banana and anything else that was soft but healthy. He eventually found out if he ate with the side of his beak it didn't hurt.
By monday he was eating pellets again and playing with his toys and pretty much his old self again.
The tip that was bent eventually fell off and he has not had any problems with it since.

[Michael]

I'm glad noodle is ok but I am going to point out that it is more often that clipped birds fly into things and get hurt than skilled freefliers! This was definitely the case with Kili. When she was growing her feathers back but didn't try flying because she was used to being clipped, she took off and crashed into a wall at full speed and bounced 10 feet back off of it onto the floor! But I cuddled her and she was back to normal in a few minutes no damage. She has barely crashed (and if she did, much less severely) than when she was clipped or growing feathers back.

An employee of the bird store I got Kili from once told me that "We clip them for their own safety. If they can fly they will crash into things and get hurt. Do what you will but remember you heard it from me." From the start this to me sound like complete BS. Birds aren't stupid. They fly in the wild all the time and in very challenging landscapes. Their brain is set up in a very flight oriented fashion with excellent spacial memory. Well what do you know, I've seen Kili crash, break feathers, and get hurt more when she wasn't freeflighted than in the time since I taught her that she can fly!

[Natacha]

Depends on the accident.

If I clip a nail too short and bleeds, I just put quick stop on it.
Blood feather I keep an eye on..if it breaks and starts bleeding, I have a pair of hemostats that I can use to pull it out.

Anything bigger that I don't feel comfortable doing myself, I call the vet they get me to come in as soon as possible (if I say it's an emergency, they get me to come the same day if my vet is working, otherwise they try to help me over the phone, contacting other vets as well..great clinic, great service).

I once had Piper hung on a toy..she had got impaled through the hole in the lower mandible. She was just dangling there. Luckily both my mom and I were home when this happened and when my mom screamed (she is unable to do anything in situations like this, she panics) I went to see (it could have been any bird) and I grabbed Piper in one hand to have her hold still (she was panicking as well) and proceeded to getting her off. Since it didn't pierce anything, there was no physical harm done to her once she was off. The toy got chucked (sadly it was one of her faves) and I have been warning about those type of hooks when I see people who have the toy in pictures ever since.

[MissLady9902]

The toy got chucked (sadly it was one of her faves) and I have been warning about those type of hooks when I see people who have the toy in pictures ever since.

Do you have a picture of the hook so I can check to be sure I don't have any of those!
Michael I know what you mean about flighted birds.
When Noodle molts I want to let him learn to fly (like you did with Kili) before I clip him again.
That way he has more confidence if he ever falls again.
My budgie Chicken was flighted before and he has a much better time moving around clipped than That Guy who has not been flighted yet.
So I understand what you mean!

[Natacha]

Here is a link to a picture

The toy resembled that one, but it definitively was that hook (I might have had an earlier model of that toy). Squiggly plastic hook. A bigger bird could break it easily.