Sun conure might have eaten plastic/metal!!

[NessaV]

My sun conure, Elly, chews absolutely everything! The few times I wasn't watching her like a hawk, she has managed to chew at the wires of my headphones and at the plastic ends of the laces of my hoodie. She has not shown any symptoms of having swallowed any foreign material, but I am still kind of paranoid.

The vet I take her to is closed for the weekend, but I was thinking of taking her in for a check-up this week. If I did take her in, could they conclude if Elly has indeed ingested any pieces of plastic or metal? Would it be better to simply keep an eye on her to see if any visible symptoms come up? I don't want to spend a fortune on unnecessary x-rays or blood tests if I don't have to, but it is killing me that Elly may get ill!

Also, what should I look for in symptoms in case she did ingest something?

 

[Sterling1113]

Most of the time if a bird ingests something they should you'll notice a change in attitude(lethargy, sleepiness, etc), droppings, and they may even vomit.
My conure threw up twice on thursday, she just had an upset stomach and after a good meal and some rest she is 100% again.
Good idea taking her to a vet just in case, the vet should be able to do a poop smear(check for any abnormalities) and they usually will weigh/feel their stomach for anything abnormal or any lost weight.
Other than that the only way you can tell 100% would be to look at her stomach via xray. It's so common that birds chew wires/cords/plastic though that I doubt she ingested any. Most of the time when a bird is chewing, it's cause they want to chew, not to eat. My conures will break bits off their toys and carry it around and hold it in their feet just so they can chew it until it's in pieces!
It's always good doing a check up though like you said, maybe she got some by accident.

 

[lquan]

Like Sterling said, most conures like to chew electrical wire, but they don't ingest anything. If they swallow plastics, they will just come out the other end. But metal will have a harder time come out. You have to take her to the vet to get the metal out.

 

[crimson]

I wish I had known AHEAD of time when Safari chewed and ingested 6 metal fragments.

He showed NO visible signs until that terrible morning, as hard as it is to believe.

If your bird is known for chewing unusual items, please have him checked, better to know than NOT know.

 

[NessaV]

Okay, thanks guys! I think I will make an appointment with the vet for a checkup. Even though it's just suspicion, it's better to be safe than sorry. Elly is my baby. She is only 8 months old and I would be completely heartbroken if I lost her. But I will keep a close eye on her for the meantime until I can get her to the vet.

 

[crimson]

Okay, thanks guys! I think I will make an appointment with the vet for a checkup. Even though it's just suspicion, it's better to be safe than sorry. Elly is my baby. She is only 8 months old and I would be completely heartbroken if I lost her. But I will keep a close eye on her for the meantime until I can get her to the vet.

good, you just put a smile on my face.

 

[Terry57]

I am so happy to hear that you are taking her in to get her checked out Better safe than sorry! I look forward to hearing an update after her vet check.
Elly is just beautiful, btw

 

[NessaV]

Okay, so I called the vet. The avian vet I usually see is not in today, but I explained the situation and the receptionist is going to leave a message for the vet. So, she might be able to get back to me and tell me if I should come in to get Elly some x-rays. The receptionist also gave me the number of an emergency clinic if I notice Elly isn't doing well.

Since Saturday, Elly seems to be completely normal. She's very active, eating and drinking well, and her poop looks to be normal for the most part. I've noticed it's smaller than it usually is, but I'm not sure if this is any cause for alarm.

I'm not sure if I should wait for my avian vet or if I should go to the emergency clinic. I'm just concerned the emergency clinic might overcharge for whatever they have to do. I've read a few reviews and people seem to be complaining about the price the clinic charges. Though, I don't have much experience with emergency clinics, so I don't know if super high prices is normal or not.

 

[NessaV]

The vet just called me! She said I shouldn't have anything to worry about if Elly has been acting fine all this time. She told me to continue to keep an eye on her and call her if I notice any changes, but there is no emergency to attend to. The vet said normally they would start vomiting if they ate something that is irritating them. She assured me that if Elly did ingest a small piece of plastic that Elly will just poop it out. I finally have some peace of mind, but I am definitely going to be A LOT more careful about what Elly chews on.