Blood Feather scare

[Lace]

My budgie, Akita, has a broken blood feather. However, i am unsure how it even got there o.o I was ready to trim a feather that i looked over to be sure it was fully grown, and when i cut it i noticed blood on that same feather, however, it was not that feather that was bleeding... but the one next to it. Im not sure if i cut the blood feather on accident in not noticing it since i only checked that one feather, or if it was already there, and i didn't notice it when i cut at first. Thing is though.... Its not bleed really bad, in fact, i didn't bleed at all... just shows there is blood at the end of the shaft... not even any sploches on her when she floods it. So i just got some flower, and put on it for now to keep it from bleed just in case. It looks ok, and in the past, flower has helped heal other bleeds she has had, however, i have never run into the problem of a blood feather bleed, because i have always been so careful to not cut one. But thing is... im unsure if i should be worried about it or not (dont get me wroung, i am REALLY worried, just dont know if i should get it checked or not... and if i do... im really worried cus my vet wont take her... i have asked before and they say they "Dont care for birds" and i dont think there is an avian vet around here.... So please, if anyone knows if this is life treating or should be checked, please tell me so i can at least try my best to find her care for it... i dont want to lose her... cus i lost my previous budgie and got so upset about it... and i have become so attacted to her... Please, i preferr you E-mail me any replies, dont post them here. Thanks yous.

[avril]

I will PM you but this is for everyone else as well

Broken Blood Feather

This can be quite a common problem. A blood feather is a new growth that is coming through, where the feather shaft contains blood. These can be broken if the bird has an accident playing, gets one caught in the cage bars, or breaks one in a fall. Once broken, they will bleed a lot, and a bird cannot afford to loose a lot of blood. Therefore, a broken blood feather will need to be pulled out to stop the bleeding.

This is best done by two people, with one person restraining the bird and the other to pull the feather. The easiest way to restrain the bird quickly and safely is to wrap the bird in a towel, making sure that you have control of the head, or else someone will be in for a nasty bite! Support and manipulate the body as needed with the other hand.

Use a pair of forceps or pliers to grip the blood feather at the base. If it is a flight feather, take care to ensure that the wing is supported well to avoid breaking the birds' wing. Once secured in the pliers, pull hard and fast in the direction of the feather, and it should come out. Apply pressure to the follicle using some gauze swabs until the bleeding stops. It is also a good idea to clean the area afterwards with some antibacterial scrub, such as Hibiscrub.

If quite a lot of blood has been lost, it is a good idea to call your vet and tell him/her what has happened because he/she might recommend seeing the bird for fluid therapy.