# Budgie bleeding and flying trouble :(



## Sashkopp (Jan 18, 2017)

Hello everyone. I got budgie 1 week ago and it's aprox 3-4 months old. I didn't know what should bird look like when i got him so i understood that something is wrong with him the next day. I don't want to take him back and get another one cause its living soul and i love him really much, he is surprisingly smart. Won't let me hold him or jump on my finger i guess he's still afraid of me but he eats and drinks from the first day and also i can let him out tge cage so he will explore the room and get back to cage when he's done. The problem is his tail fall off rifht away 2 days after i brought him home. Although it wasnt really tail it was more like 4-5cm long feather i guess. His right wing looks shiny and long but his left doesn't. The left one is missingthe primary flight feathers and he is bleeding from there. I brought him to vet the same day and they say not to worry and gave me antibiotics. Here i am almost a week later i let my birdie out of cage to explore and wanted to do some training so when i pointed my finger close to him, he panicked and tried to fly (oh yes he is more like jumping and falling on his back, or left wing, he can't fly). When he left this area the floor had blood on it and i tried to take him in my hand, so he jumped (more like crashed from failled attempt to fly) and my hand had several blood spots. I can't take him to other vet today cause it's too far away so i ask you guys what you think? Do you think it's broken wing or broken blood feather? I'm kinda afraid that he is missing half wing, or are just feathers that will grow back? It looks really sad when he is trying to fly and fails. And also i let him walk around the room on the floor, i don't open the cage from any hights.

Hello again guys!
I did not log in a long time ago cause i was just dissapointed how miserable my state is. About month and a half passed from my last update and i still search for Avian vet and guess what? i can't find one. The regular vets here, know too little about birds. So i managed to tame my budgie, i can hold him in my hand he will come on my finger if i ask him to and everything but the flying is nightmare. The wing won't grow at all i can see a bald spot where the primary feathers should be. And the bleeding is gone but when i relase him out of the cage and he tries to fly (ofc he is doing backflip) he injures it and it again starts bleeding. It's just nightmare seeing my birdie trying to fly all over and over again and it just can't with one wing. Tried clipping the other wing (i did it carefully didnt injure him and etc), still it's not enough because the injured wing is missing so many feathers. Also I can't see the long tail feather, he just grows something like triangle formed feathers there but not the main tail feather. Otherwise the bird is happy (i guess) but he won't chirp for no reason. It will do only if i play his favourite song (yes he likes Ed Sheraan) but it's only short chirp sound periodically. I don't know what to do or what to ask i just want my bird to be healthy and happy. Any suggestions?


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## iHeartPieds (Jan 9, 2017)

Firstly you should never try to hold your budgie in your hand, unless it's for medical reasons. Budgies hate it, and it's very scary to have a hand wrapped around them. 
Also, it's hard to say what the injury is, perhaps post a picture? Although a vet is the only one who can properly diagnose the issue. In regards to him not being able to fly, that's probably due to him missing half his primary flight feathers. Those are the feathers people clip to stop their birds being able to fly. So even though only one side is gone, it will make it very difficult for him to be able to fly. It may be a good idea to clip the other side, just so he is balanced when he attempts to fly and then hopefully both sides will grow back together. However I would mainly focus on the injury at this current time. As to current injury, apply a small amount of corn starch/corn flour to clot the blood to ensure your budgie doesn't lose too much blood, they don't have much in their body in the first place. Probably a good idea to restrict him to his cage at this point as well so he doesn't risk injuring himself even more. Try to get him to the vet asap, and even if you can't, you can call them on the phone and ask for advice on what to do in the mean time. Really hope your little birdie is okay.


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## Sashkopp (Jan 18, 2017)

CassiesCritters said:


> Firstly you should never try to hold your budgie in your hand, unless it's for medical reasons. Budgies hate it, and it's very scary to have a hand wrapped around them.
> Also, it's hard to say what the injury is, perhaps post a picture? Although a vet is the only one who can properly diagnose the issue. In regards to him not being able to fly, that's probably due to him missing half his primary flight feathers. Those are the feathers people clip to stop their birds being able to fly. So even though only one side is gone, it will make it very difficult for him to be able to fly. It may be a good idea to clip the other side, just so he is balanced when he attempts to fly and then hopefully both sides will grow back together. However I would mainly focus on the injury at this current time. As to current injury, apply a small amount of corn starch/corn flour to clot the blood to ensure your budgie doesn't lose too much blood, they don't have much in their body in the first place. Probably a good idea to restrict him to his cage at this point as well so he doesn't risk injuring himself even more. Try to get him to the vet asap, and even if you can't, you can call them on the phone and ask for advice on what to do in the mean time. Really hope your little birdie is okay.


The primary flight feathers are missing, here are pictures. But how to apply corn flour he won't let me get even close to him?
1 & 2 pictures = showing which feathers are missing on the left wing
3 pictures = the spot from where he is bleeding


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## iHeartPieds (Jan 9, 2017)

Sashkopp said:


> The primary flight feathers are missing, here are pictures. But how to apply corn flour he won't let me get even close to him?
> 1 & 2 pictures = showing which feathers are missing on the left wing
> 3 pictures = the spot from where he is bleeding


Oh dear that doesn't look good  Any idea how it happened? Quite strange. And for applying corn flower, you'll have to hold him and apply it with a q-tip. However if the blood is already dry there then I would leave him be, so as not to stress him out further. His wings look like he's able to hold them comfortably though so it doesn't appear as those it's broken, probably just feathers missing, but again, It's hard to tell and I'm not a vet. If he's stretching his wings or flapping them easily and normally then it's unlikely it's broken. Still best to try get him to a vet asap so they can take a good look at him and give you the best advice possible. How is his overall behaviour? Is he doing normal things like, preening, eating, drinking? The fact that he's sitting on the bottom of the cage is a good indicator that he's not feeling well at all, which makes sense.


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## Sashkopp (Jan 18, 2017)

CassiesCritters said:


> Oh dear that doesn't look good  Any idea how it happened? Quite strange. And for applying corn flower, you'll have to hold him and apply it with a q-tip. However if the blood is already dry there then I would leave him be, so as not to stress him out further. His wings look like he's able to hold them comfortably though so it doesn't appear as those it's broken, probably just feathers missing, but again, It's hard to tell and I'm not a vet. If he's stretching his wings or flapping them easily and normally then it's unlikely it's broken. Still best to try get him to a vet asap so they can take a good look at him and give you the best advice possible. How is his overall behaviour? Is he doing normal things like, preening, eating, drinking? The fact that he's sitting on the bottom of the cage is a good indicator that he's not feeling well at all, which makes sense.


I have no idea how it happened, although he was alone in this big cage with another budgie (probably girl i have no idea) and was separated from the others. I guess he was attacked by the other birds so the owner separated them to protect em. Yes his behaviour is quite insteresting, he is eating, drinking and looks happy. He would listen to music and seem to enjoy it. He would explore the room but only by walking cause he can't fly which i guess it makes him nervous. He sits sometimes on the sticks in the cage but i don't think he likes them or he is too shy for now. No idea, i will take him to the vet tomorrow and tell you the news, thank you for your time )


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

It appears your budgie's flight feathers have been clipped on one wing and not the other. With regard to the blood, it isn't possible to tell from the picture what caused the problem.

I'm glad you will be taking the little fellow to the vet.

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma. 
This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.
When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment. 
This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.
The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

Distinction between an Avian Vet and a Vet that "Will See Birds"

Having your new budgie examined by an Avian Vet allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet in case your bird needs care for an injury or illness in the future. Additionally, it is always helpful for the vet to have a baseline for your bird to refer to should it need future treatment.

I'll be looking forward to hearing how your little budgie is doing after the vet appointment. Please post your update in this thread. What is your little budgie's name?

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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

It's great to have you here on Talk Budgies!

I'm glad you'll be taking your little one to the vet--he really doesn't look well and I think he was attacked either by another bird or traumatised by excessive handling at the pet store. The tail falling out happens budgies get extremely scared, and as a last defence, release their tail feathers. :upset:

However, I'm sure that after the vet visit (and under your care), he'll soon start to feel much better and settle in! 

I wouldn't let him out at all for a bit, he needs time to settle in and get used to his new environment. You should proceed very slowly with him, and not try to touch or tame him until he's used to his new environment. Playing soft music for him and covering his cage partly are good ways to help him settle in. 

Talk to him in a calm and reassuring voice, and don't try to put your hand in the cage at all for another few weeks. 

For further taming information after this period, be sure to read through the Budgie Articles and "stickies" linked above 

Be sure to read through everything to ensure you're up to date on the very best of budgie care practices! If you have any questions afterwards, be sure to ask as we'd love to help  

I hope your little one feels better soon, keep us posted on how things go at the vet's!

Best wishes! :wave:


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Welcome to the forums,

I'm sorry your budgie has been bleeding.  From the pictures you have posted, your new friend doesn't seem to be in good shape. From the little I'm seeing I can tell you that your budgie looks much older than 3 - 4 months old.
In fact in the first pic, I see a glimpse of what it seems developed white iris on the eye. The budgie also seems to have gone through the first moult.
From those pictures I would say that your budgie is at the very least close to reaching adulthood, at about 1 year old (if not older).
It's good that you will have your budgie checked by an avian vet specialist.
The fact that your budgie is completely missing the tail feathers is also suspicious and it would be good to have your budgie tested for French moult.

Best of luck at the vet's, I'm wishing your budgie a steady and full recovery from the injury.


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## SusanBudgies (Dec 6, 2008)

Awwwwwwww, poor little birdy.

Kudos for rescuing him/her.

I wouldn't let him out of his cage until his wing and tail feathers grow back. In the meantime, buy him a larger cage (at least 30" wide x 18" tall x 18" deep). Put in some nice wood perches of varying sizes and a swing and some toys. Talk to him a lot. You can try to finger tame him while he's inside the cage; just don't let him out or he'll hurt himself again.

Best wishes. Keep us informed and ask questions as you like.


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## sdodo (Jun 7, 2016)

I agree with everything said so far. One of my two boys had a bad wing clip which played a role in his issues growing in his primary feathers at first. I did have to restrict him to his large cage until he grew and kept enough primary feathers to be able to fly and land without crashing. I would also suggest getting your little one tested for at least French molt, maybe beak and feather disease so you can rule out those two very contagious viruses that can cause feather growth issues. 
Best of luck with your little one.


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