Mum2rory wrote:How old is Chevy now? Hopefully she hasnt damaged any blood feathers. What caused the breakages, do you know?
Saerphe wrote:Well... blood feathers bleed when they break. So if there aren't any bloodstains on what's left of her tail feathers or her surroundings you're probably fine.
Blood feathers are pretty easy to identify. They're just blood-filled tubes that are growing in place of a moulted flight or tail feather. The pin feathers they get on their heads when they moult are pretty much the same, but smaller.
If she does break a blood feather in the future, it may have to be pulled. One of my budgies broke a blood feather in the middle of the night once, but the bleeding stopped on its own and he was fine.
Keep styptic powder (or styptic pencil), a towel, and tweezers on hand just in case. The styptic powder should stop the bleeding, but if it doesn't, get someone to help you towel her so you can pull the feather. It might be better to get your avian vet to do it if they can be reached quickly. I've never had to do it myself before, so make sure you read up on how to do it properly in case you ever find yourself in that position.
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