My cockatiel took a fall from the top of the fridge and isn’t adjusting his wing in place properly. This is relatively common for him given he is somewhat clumsy so I wasn’t too worried at first, but it’s been a couple of hours and by now he would have notmally sorted it out already. I’m having second thoughts and thinking that maybe I should go to the vet, but all the ones that treat birds are closed. Am I overthinking things?
Here is a video:
Edit update: Birb’s okay. He is a dingus and it was just sprain. ty all for the help :)
In your video we can see some significant asymmetry; his right wing is sitting much higher, and further from the body, than his left wing. Asymmetry is a clear sign that something is wrong. I would definitely get him checked out by an avian vet when possible. If you are unable to get to an avian veterinarian by tomorrow, some veterinarians, or emergency animal hospitals, will prescribe pain control while you wait for an appointment with an avian vet.
When you see the avian vet, mention the clumsiness. Something might be causing him to be off balance. Healthy birds shouldn’t be clumsy enough to cause significant injury; if they fall, they should be able to recover by flapping.
Thanks for reaching out for advice- it can be scary and stressful to hear that your little buddy might be hurt. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself too.
Thank you for your response. The other times this has happened and we went to the vet, asymmetry included, they told us everything was ok but maybe I should try out other vets nearby just to make sure. It’s not as much that he is clumsy while flying, but more that he just does dumb stuff for no reason and gets himself hurt sometimes. Vets around me open in about 7 hours and I will make sure to take him to one, although he was doing much better before going to sleep. I will try to update tomorrow morning on how he is doing.
If it were me, I would insist on x-rays, just to be sure. If the veterinarian recommends x-rays, they’re going to want to sedate him. Don’t be put off by this, it’s very normal to sedate them because it could be very painful if the patient actually has a fracture. If the vet does not want to sedate them, ask about sedation, or go to a different vet. Avian anaesthesia is commonly done with a drug called isoflurane. Isoflurane is extremely safe to use in birds because birds don’t metabolize it (the drug never enters their blood stream). Instead, it works by signalling to the brain that it’s time to go to sleep. Because they’re just asleep, they don’t need to be intubated or anything like you would if someone was anesthetised for surgery.
Thank you for your concern, I have been through the tango of hearing him scream bloody murder at the vet before, and it was indeed very alarming (stomach issues, and they needed to do some tests). He has been acting OK again for now, this really isn’t that uncommon of an occurrence for him, and he has been flying like an ace today like usual. If he gets up to some funny business again I will indeed be hauling him back to the vet for some more extensive tests.
I also just want to thank you once more for the help and support :)
Thanks for the update!
Np :)
Vet as soon as practically possible. But no point taking to one which doesn’t know birds. Birds at great at hiding injuries… So if they look unhappy it’s probably not great.
I have some vets nearby who treat birds only and that’s where i usually take him, but they are closed right now. This is the type of dumb stuff he does about once a month, but usually he doesnt stay like this for so long and right now I’m starting to freak out a bit I guess. He still moves without making a fuss and has preened it a bit, but still…
