My Green Cheek suffered an accident 3 days ago, he had his tail stepped on. He was bleeding a bit from his tail(I verified that he had no broken blood feathers). He is eating, drinking and pooping. I consulted with several vets and they recommended Styptic Powder which I applied. It's the first time I've had a parrot get hurt. What should I look out for in case it takes a turn for the worst? He has me concerned because he's picking at his tail area. Any advice would be appreciated.
Conure Hurt, not sure what to do, please help
- Thread starter FPuentes
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Welcome to the forums!
What part of him was bleeding exactly?
Could you post a picture of his tail area?
So sorry you’re going through this! It must be so stressful for you and him both.
What part of him was bleeding exactly?
Could you post a picture of his tail area?
So sorry you’re going through this! It must be so stressful for you and him both.
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- #3
the area slightly above were his tail feathers were.
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DonnaBudgie
Well-known member
So sorry this happened. It happened to my cockatiel many years ago. His tailed got trapped when his cage tipped over and his entire tail got pulled out! He screamed at first and was dripping blood from his tail end so I took him to an emergency vet. I was so upset I had them keep him there for over a week (at great expense) because I couldn't look at him I felt so awful. But he was fine and his tail began to grow back within 10 days. He had tail pinfeathers for a while but recovered completely without any significant medical care.
If the bleeding has stopped, the immediate worry is over. The thing to keep an eye out now is any possible infection from the injury.
Oh! I didn’t realize his tail got pulled out I guess.
It’s good that he’s acting normal! This happened to one of my tiels as well and, within a few weeks he had his tail on the way back!
I would keep a close eye on him and, if there is sign of infection, be ready to take him to the vet.
Edit: Sorry @wrench13 ! Said the same thing as you at the end
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Thank you for your response. I've taken off work to look after him.
What are the first signs? Currently he's still eating and drinking, doing a good bit of sleeping, earlier this morning he was pacing a little bit.Oh! I didn’t realize his tail got pulled out I guess.
It’s good that he’s acting normal! This happened to one of my tiels as well and, within a few weeks he had his tail on the way back!
I would keep a close eye on him and, if there is sign of infection, be ready to take him to the vet.
Edit: Sorry @wrench13 ! Said the same thing as you at the end
If he becomes lethargic or looses his appetite, if his weight drops, more than 1-2 grams.
Also, the wound itself, any pus or swelling is a good indication something is wrong, though, I’ve never had a parrot get an infection of a wound so, I cannot say that these are signs that will affect all parrots.
Also, the wound itself, any pus or swelling is a good indication something is wrong, though, I’ve never had a parrot get an infection of a wound so, I cannot say that these are signs that will affect all parrots.
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no swelling but he does pick at it a good bit, i dont know if thats normal behavior, nothing on the wound itself other than he plucked the feathers and there is a slight scab. He bled a very small amount earlier but this was from him picking at it.
DonnaBudgie
Well-known member
If you're concerned about infection (if he starts acting sickly, has swelling or pus) take him to a bird vet but he will likely be just fine. I think it's pretty normal for him to pick at the wound a little bit while it's healing and it's hard to stop him. In a couple weeks he should have pin feathers starting to grow in the area. They replace their tails pretty quickly.
Greenhouseparrots
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It sounds like he will be fine, you've done everything right and it doesn't sound like there's anything wrong. They're more resilient than we give them credit for sometimes, I've felt like mine have been inches away from death at times (various moments where they've got trapped behind things, under things, or hit something, blood feathers and once my budgies leg was bleeding and he was acting very poorly), but they've all been fine with some care. Within a couple of weeks I'm sure his feathers will be coming through nicely 
clark_conure
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yeah sounds fine now
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Mr. Chicken remains with us. He is still eating. drinking, and pooping normally. However he has it would seem a balancing problem(not sure if this is due to losing all his tail feathers). Has anyone else experienced similar things? no more bleeding in the last 48 hours, no yellowness around his tail, all seems well. Thank You all so for your kind words and encouragement.
ravvlet
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He may need a cone!
@SailBoat has a lovely Amazon who has had issues I believe with some feather loss in a similar area that became a chronic picking problem and may have some tips on how to keep your little guy from making his injury worse! (Hi ‘Boats!)
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I was considering getting one yesterday but nobody around town was willing to give me one retail. Thankfully Mr. Chicken has stopped pecking at his wound. I think we're out the woods. I will post pictures of his full recovery.
DonnaBudgie
Well-known member
He will learn to balance without his tail until it grows in. It's just a little strange for him right now. If he's not picking it anymore he won't need a cone.
DonnaBudgie
Well-known member
So happy to hear this! When my cockatiel's whole tail got yanked out i was hysterical so I know how you felt. Do you have a photo of his new tail growing in? It was so funny looking when he started growing a new tail and he didn't hold a grudge about his injury either- such an easy going bird.
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Chicken is temperamental but he’s back to his old self
