Feathers pulled out but with blood?

Hello!

My blue front is just over 4 years old and is experiencing a moult (I’m assuming!) and today I walked into his room, and found a feather on the floor with blood on it.

Now first thing I did was panic. But there was no blood on my blue front and I couldn’t see where the feather came from. He was acting normal. Thought maybe he was fine.

But when I cleaned his cage tonight I found another (smaller) feather with blood on mixed in around 6 smaller feathers that looked normal.

I’m so concerned as I don’t want him to bleed out but I heard it is in their instinct to pull out irritating feathers. I feel maybe he has pulled it out fully because there was no blood on him. If they aren’t removed properly the bleeding can last?

Has anyone experienced similar? I can’t get to a vet as it’s almost midnight. I can call tomorrow but he hasn’t been to a vet yet as had no need to. It might be interesting getting him into a travel cage....

Please help.... anything to ease my mind too. Please. Anything

If they were removed cleanly, (and it sounds like they were) then you don't likely need to worry (95%)..This has happened to my cockatoo and other members' mccaws.



If he were bleeding actively, that would not be good. The fact that you don't see blood and found the feathers with shafts intact implies that the supply has been cut off.


I cannot say 100% but it is very likely that he will be ok---you can follow up with the vet in the morning, but I has a similar issue and actually brought the feather to the vet (as my bird was asleep and I was freaking out). She said what I am saying to you, but again, I am not a vet. I hope that gives you some peace of mind though.

ps- whether or not you take him tomorrow, you will want to get him used to a travel cage. It will be harder to do so if his first experience with the cage is the vet, but still not impossible...just likely stressful for both of you.

When all is well, try taking him to visit people/places he likes or drive him to get a treat. He needs to associate the cage with some good things or you will face a lot of trouble every time you need to travel.

Good for you, for being so vigilant.
Here's a link for finding an avian vet. Most of us here depend heavily upon ours.
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
Regular vets often "wing it" with birds, although some try very hard.
Yes, take the feathers with you.
Good luck.

Parrot Feathers 101:
There are three Feather groups on birds: Flight Feathers, Body Feathers and Downy Feathers. It is worth taking the time to look at your Amazon and the different Feather groups. As your Amazon molts, collect them. It will be fairly quickly that you will begin to see clear differences in their length, shape, structure, and color.

Young Parrots and Feathers:
Young Amazon are really hard on their feathers and it is not uncommon for a fairly new feather to get pulled out as a result of a crash or just plain ruff-housing. These young feathers, in many cases, are still connected to their blood supply will have a red (blood) tip. The feather is beyond active development and the blood supply very minimal.

Molting schedule:
Flight Feathers are molted in a very specific schedule that maintain the Parrot's ability to fly. They are balanced right to left and in very close position to each other. Body Feathers are commonly molted in the Spring and Fall as the Temperature changes. They will also, adjust to fewer Feathers during a Hotter Summer and more Body and Downy Feathers during a Colder Winter.


Enjoy!

noodles123 said:

ps- whether or not you take him tomorrow, you will want to get him used to a travel cage. It will be harder to do so if his first experience with the cage is the vet, but still not impossible...just likely stressful for both of you.

When all is well, try taking him to visit people/places he likes or drive him to get a treat. He needs to associate the cage with some good things or you will face a lot of trouble every time you need to travel.

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your help, I’ve messaged a vet and they’ve passes me on to someone that can help. Also asked a couple of other places. All seem to say the same as you.

As for the cage, he gets a peanut butter treat every time he is in there - that’s how we get him in in the first place. He’s pretty good with that but it can take time. I think I will have to treat him, take him somewhere, in order to get him used to it quickly. Maybe then a super speedy vet visit will be more possible!

Thank you!