My poor birdie's foot!! D:

[Paralor]

I accidentally closed the door of my cockateil's cage right on his foot/feet!! He screamed in pain, it broke my heart so, I'm afraid he's going to be hurting the rest of his life! His back toes seem to bend now in a way I never noticed.. It is too late to go to any vet or birdy clinic.. if it's even major..

[Karin]

I'd still take him to the vet if i were you!

[KDK241]

I agree, I would take him in for sure just to be sure. I hope everything is ok!

[cockatiel92]

yes i also agree with that. take him to the vet its never too late for anything.

[macawlover]

Don't beat yourself up as it was an accident. But, just to be safe, I'd take him to the vet. Good luck! :)

[Ryiah]

We did a similar thing to our cockatiel, Casper. He used to sit on top of the kitchen door and I closed the door without checking he was there and I closed the door on his foot..the pain was excruciating for him and I was almost sick with worry.

We took him to the vets, but they couldn't tell if it was broken or not, so we were given this powder antibiotics to spray on his foot (which was very difficult as he wouldn't let us near him!). The swelling went down and his foot was O.K thankfully. The skin had come off his foot though so it was very raw looking.

I would take your cocktaiel to the vet though - just to be safe!

[clouseau2001]

Hello,

My beloved (RIP - 14+ delightful years!) Baby had an injury to one of her toes also - although i don't recall how it happened (i think she caught it on something and panicked). The net result that he toe was bent in an awkward position, but the skin was not cut. Does that describe your bird's injury?

Now i don't understand what exactly happened to it, but i treated it like a 'dislocated' joint and carefully, while holding her still as possible - pulled on the 'end' towards the toe and it 'reset' itself so it was straight again. (It seemed like the 'skin' was like a 'sleeve' and the 'body' of the finger had broke inside the sleeve, becoming 'unaligned,' but still held together by a ligament?)

I knew that i had to do something right away as it was in an extremely vulnerable state and i was afraid she would break it right off. It turned out to be the right thing to do - thank God!

I never did go to the vet or remember to ask about it as Baby seemed to be fine although she 'dislocated' it a few more times after.

If there are any doctors out there or someone who knows the technical aspects of the described injury, i'd like to know the analysis as i'm always looking for an education!

Anyway, don't get yourself 'worked-up,' mentally over the injury (we usually make it worse in our minds than it actually is. But, instead, take prompt, affirmative action.

I hope this helps!

Please keep us posted and don't hesitate to ask for help!

Salute,
Andrei

[khergert]

Your teil will recover, the worst will be a deformed foot. Many a bird lives a full and healthy life with these injuries. I have lots of cockateils, many are far from perfect. It makes them hard to sell, but doesn't hurt their pet quality.

I see your in Los Angeles. There are several vets that hold open clinics. Ask or call around. Magnolia Bird Farm in Anaheim is available for consult and the lady that runs canary world has always been helpful. Make a friend at a bird club or store.

Originally Posted by Paralor

I accidentally closed the door of my cockateil's cage right on his foot/feet!! He screamed in pain, it broke my heart so, I'm afraid he's going to be hurting the rest of his life! His back toes seem to bend now in a way I never noticed.. It is too late to go to any vet or birdy clinic.. if it's even major..

[Valo's Moirana]

i agree with the last post - unless there is a chance for infection (aka an open wound), the foot might hurt and not heal properly if you can't take him to the vet right away, but it's probably not be life threatening.

in any case i would contact a vet as soon as possible nevertheless and make an appointment to be on the safe side... i wouldn't just let it go by, but again - unless there's an open wound - i also don't think it's a reason to loose nerves. but do bring him to a vet - now does that make sense?!

[owlwoman]

Unless you have a Certified Avian Vet nearby - save your money. Bird/dog/horse vets known naught about birds.

Set the bird's toes to their proper position. Having wrapped a popsickle stick with cotton and medical tape, place the foot around it as though the bird was on a perch. Wrap the entire thing in vet wrap (a must to be on hand for anyone with birds). Keep it small and simple. Make sure it is snug and not too tight.

Remove all perches from the cage, put a flat pillow in the bottom of the cage with food and water available. Place a single small branch on the pillow floor and secure it so it does not move. Let the bird heal in peace. In 10 days remove the bandage and see what is going on. Good luck.