a hurt wing?

[Dixonsmomma]

So.. it's me... AGAIN.

I'm so sorry, I'm beggining to feel like a pest. Dixon's wings were clipped by his breeder on Sunday and since then all of his aggression issues have subsided. (YAYYYY!) However, he's so use to using his wings to get around that he'll jump from things expecting to fly and can't. In the process it seems as if he hurt his wing. It seems to droop when looking at him from the front (at the shoulder) and at times it doesn't seem to sit right when viewing him from the back. I put in a call with his breeder yesterday, but I received nothing back. It doesn't seem to affect him... however, I really don't know how vocal he would be if it hurt him either. Is there anything I can do?

 

[Christinenc2000]

I doubt your Breeder will be able to do anything. If you think he is hurt the sooner you can take him to a Avian Vet the better .

 

[SailBoat]

As stated above, there would be little that a Breeder could or should do for you and your parrot. Once you bring your parrot home, it becomes time to develop a working relationship with your Avian Vet.

It is not totally uncommon for a parrot to droop its wing at the shoulder when a fall occurs, possibly from a pull. The big concern is a broken bone or a bone that has come out of a socket. Both would present with the wing out of its normal location.

I am guessing that you are coming up on 18 to 24+ hours since the event. If any of the above is still true, its time to call and physically take your parrot to its Avian Vet. With a light weight cloth (towel) wrap your parrot with its wing in its normal location and get going.

 

[Piasa]

Sounds like his wing is injured. It is worth it to take him to an experienced avian vet (you may have to go to Philadelphia region, I spend lots of time in central PA and there's not many bird options around).

A broken wing or slipped joint can be fixed like nothing was ever wrong if he gets the right treatment before it heals crooked.

They can also show you how to clip his wings so that you aren't at the mercy of someone else who could hurt him. Definitely worth it!

Glad you have been observant and want to help him. You are not being a pest! It is better to ask and get help. That's what these communities are for.

 

[Brittany741]

He may have hit it against something. This can cause anything from bruising, a fracture, dislocation, or even a laceration (it may be so small, the feathers could be covering any blood loss.)

I have had a bird who had the skin split between two flight feather follicles after he caught the end of his arm between the bars unexpectedly. This caused the bird to be in pain (which can also make aggressive behavior disappear because they don't feel well.) Treatment was to keep the wound clean and dry after pulling the two feathers on either side of the split webbing. This type of injury has a hard time healing because the large quills in the follicles are so stiff, it can pull the skin apart and keep it from healing. It healed in under a week but his pain was markedly better immediately after pulling the two feathers. He was holding his wing the same way you describe- drooping down slightly. There was blood but I couldn't see it at all, even looking closely. It wasn't until I spread and lifted the feathers to expose the underlying skin when I saw the injury.

Getting a qualified opinion is important. If it is an internal wing injury, a qualified avian vet is a good bet. Something like the skin injury we had would have been fine to take to an exotics vet since it was a mere flesh wound and not serious. For a wing though, definitely need someone who knows how to fix it correctly. A break that's set improperly will cause a lifetime of problems for a bird, and 30+ years is a long time to live with a wonky wing, especially if it is causing them pain.

Wings are to birds what arms are to us. Not fixing it right can lead to them not having proper use of his arm potentially for the rest of his life. The breeder can't do much at this point and it's time to seek veterinary care now that he's home. Poor baby, I hope he is feeling better soon.

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

I hope he feels better soon and that there is no injury to the wing but to be on the safe side I also think that you should bring him to the Avian Vet to be sure that all is well. Maybe the experienced people here in the forum might correct me on this if I am wrong for I dont have experience of having wing clipped parrots, but I do believe that when clipped they should be left with enough feather to flutter to the ground gently, not fall, so if It was me I wouldnt return to the person who clipped his wings this time to have them clipped again, and as someone else said; you can get the vet to show you how to clip the wings properly so that you sre not dependent on others to do it for you or alternatively you can have the vet do it for you next time you need it done. I will also add that if he is falling like that I would confine him to a place where he can have a soft landing and not injure himself, something like perhaps using a duvet on the floor to ensure a soft landing while he is out until his feathers grow a little again and he regains the ability to flutter to the ground gently. Hope the little guy is alright and that its just a little bump he got.

 

[Piasa]

How is Dixon doing?

 

[Dixonsmomma]

He's actually doing very well! I wrapped his wing for a day and everything seems better! He's stretching it again and everything. Thank you for asking!

 

[Piasa]

I am so glad to hear he is feeling better and using his wing again!