chris@unislc.uucp (Chris DelPrete) (10/11/90)
My boyfriend and I just got a cockatiel (our third) from an abusive home. A couple of years ago, someone broke the bird's wing and it was amputated. When it came to us, it appeared to have diarrhea (the feathers around the cloaca are very dirty). It also bleeds fairly easily. My questions: Does anyone out there have experience with a one-winged (actually one and a half) bird? She cannot fly ... she just drops. Is diarrhea a common ailment and could it be related to a stressful environment? We retrieved her from a home full of screaming children with IQs of a carrot (combined). She was hardly bumped when we transferred her to our cage, but her wing started bleeding. Is this common? Does anyone have experience with birds in this regard? Our other two birds came to us healthy and we have kept them that way. I am new at the abused bird game. Suggestions? --Chris DelPrete
richman@reepicheep.sws.uiuc.edu (Mike Richman) (10/12/90)
In article <1990Oct10.191352.11910@unislc.uucp> chris@unislc.uucp (Chris DelPrete) writes: >My boyfriend and I just got a cockatiel (our third) from an abusive >home. A couple of years ago, someone broke the bird's wing and >it was amputated. When it came to us, it appeared to have diarrhea >(the feathers around the cloaca are very dirty). It also bleeds >fairly easily. > Bring your bird to an avian vet, ASAP. It could have some seri- ous disease. The stress can result in loose stools. Mardel labs makes a product, Ornabac (OTC at a pet shop) which can help if there is no disease. I'm not (repeat, NOT) a vet, so please do not try Ornabac without ruling out anything serious. Maybe some- one else can chime in on the wing problem? I would also keep your bird in strict isolation from your others until you know it is safe. That means water dishes, etc. should not be cleaned with the others, and you must disinfect your hands before handling your other birds (or wear gloves for the poten- tially ill one). Good luck. Sounds as if your battle is an uphill one. Hope we all hear a success story. Mike Richman
grass@ulysses.att.com (Judith Grass) (10/12/90)
In article <1990Oct10.191352.11910@unislc.uucp> chris@unislc.uucp (Chris DelPrete) writes: > .... >Does anyone out there have experience with a one-winged (actually one >and a half) bird? She cannot fly ... she just drops. > .... >--Chris DelPrete I had a parakeet that couldn't fly when I got him. It seems that one wing was dislocated or something of the sort. I took him to see an avian vet. The vet thought it was congenital and that either he'd eventually learn to compensate with muscle power and fly, or just never fly. The bird died last December at the ripe old parakeet age of eight. He never did learn to fly, but he never stopped trying. He would hop from any kind of height and flap wildly and land in a heap. He had an easier time than your bird will have. Two wings meant he could flap enough to break his fall. I'm not sure one wing will be useful for that. I think the wing hurt a bit after one of his flight attempts as he would hold it away from his body and look unhappy. In the normal course of things, I don't think it bothered him much at all. -- Judy Grass
ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry) (10/16/90)
In article <1990Oct12.042341.21349@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> richman@reepicheep.sws.uiuc.edu (Mike Richman) writes: >Bring your bird to an avian vet, ASAP. It could have some seri- >ous disease. The stress can result in loose stools. Mardel labs >makes a product, Ornabac (OTC at a pet shop) which can help if >there is no disease. I'm not (repeat, NOT) a vet, so please do >not try Ornabac without ruling out anything serious. Maybe some- >one else can chime in on the wing problem? Yes, PLEASE take the bird to a vet. A real live avian vet. Sounds like something beyond home medication. Your vet may advise antibiotics, but if s/he does, s/he may also advise antifungals to ward off yeast infections. Like humans, antibiotics in birds can cause candidasis, which can kill a bird. Your vet may also advise putting the bird on medicated pellets for 45 days. >I would also keep your bird in strict isolation from your others >until you know it is safe. That means water dishes, etc. should >not be cleaned with the others, and you must disinfect your hands >before handling your other birds (or wear gloves for the poten- >tially ill one). Good luck. Sounds as if your battle is an >uphill one. Hope we all hear a success story. YES! Quarantine the bird. This is a MUST! If you don't have any other birds, make sure the cockatiel doesn't come into contact with ANY other pets. As the cockatiel is in a weakened state, he may pick up bacteria easily. This includes from you. Wash your hands before handling the bird or his dishes. Please also change the dishes at least daily (especially water) because if the bird is weak, he'll catch anything you may transmit. Also, use vitamins and minerals. Mikki Barry