Blood feathers???

spaceparrot

New member
Jun 1, 2016
138
Media
2
2
Parrots
Two cockatiels: Sharlett (Cinnamon Pied) and Data (White-Faced Pied)
Data and Sharlett were just out playing when they got spooked by something. Data partially did a back flip on my lap. I noticed a small amount of blood on his beak which seems to have come from one of his wing feathers. It's just a small spot on there and he is acting normally. I called the vet in our town but they do not know much about birds. Said that we should just wait and see. I think he may have hit a blood feather on his wing. Sharlett has done this before once and she was fine so I'm not too worried but I am thinking of calling their vet if my mom sees anything when she examines him. It is also entirely possible that I am bleeding and haven't found out where yet so I will update you guys as it goes along. He's eating and giving kisses as well as wanting to be petted on his head. He won't let me touch his wings but he just had his wings clipped last week so I don't blame him.

Edit: Data is in his cage resting. But he wants to come out and play again, which is typical Data behavior, lol. Gonna see how he is doing in a bit and then get him out again (with Sharlett too!)

Update: He only has tiny spots of blood on a couple of feathers. The bleeding seems to have stopped. He's acting normally and even biting me because he thought I was going to try and wash his beak off again which he hates. He was eager to get out as always so that's a good sign.

Second Update: Data may have just dinged the feathers. No active bleeding and the blood on his beak came from preening himself. I swear these two birds delight in scaring me half to death.
 
Last edited:

GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
15,045
8,742
Cleveland area
Parrots
The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
They're scaring me, too!

Dang fids!

Oooooooh, I wish you had an avian vet.

Is there one within a reasonable drive? Or an experienced breeder? Or a wildlife/rescue facility?
 
OP
spaceparrot

spaceparrot

New member
Jun 1, 2016
138
Media
2
2
Parrots
Two cockatiels: Sharlett (Cinnamon Pied) and Data (White-Faced Pied)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
They're scaring me, too!

Dang fids!

Oooooooh, I wish you had an avian vet.

Is there one within a reasonable drive? Or an experienced breeder? Or a wildlife/rescue facility?

I swear fids delight in terrifying their parronts! Sharlett and Data go to a vet 20 or so minutes away but they are closed. There is an emergency pet hospital at the University but that's also 20 or so minutes away. I think tomorrow I will call and ask for some advice to their vet. He's acting fine but he was a bit on the grumpy side since it was dark and it was his bedtime! :D

Also he just had his wings clipped last week when he went to the vet so he doesn't get lost or hit himself on the ceiling fan. Plus I think he and Sharlett are molting.
 
Last edited:

EllenD

New member
Aug 20, 2016
3,979
65
State College, PA
Parrots
Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
Always keep a box of corn starch around for just this occasion, it clots blood..

If a blood-feather is damaged, keep in-mind that it can start to bleed again at any moment, depending on what damage was done and where...

Sometimes once they start bleeding they cannot be stopped, and the ONLY WAY to stop them once they start bleeding is to actually pull them out completely, usually this has to be done with a pair of pliers unfortunately, again this depends on where the blood-feather is, but a lot of them grow right out of their wing bones, and the only way to pull the entire feather completely out is with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. My cockatiel Duff had this happen about a year and a half ago, she broke a blood feather on the underside of her left wing, and it just wouldn't stop bleeding, not with corn starch or with Qwik-Stop, she was going to bleed to death (it bled for at least 10 minutes before I made the decision to pull it), so I had no choice but to pull it, and it took quite a bit of strength with the pliers to get it out. As soon as I pulled it and put some corn starch on the follicle it came from it stopped bleeding. Duff had lost a ton of blood and was woozy, but in a day she was fine, with lots of water and rest.

It's always a good idea when they at all damage a blood-feather to take them to a Certified Avian Vet and get it checked as soon as possible, so that if the vet thinks it could start bleeding again he can pull it in the office so that you don't have to go through that at home. It was terribly stressful and very hard for me to do that to her myself...
 
OP
spaceparrot

spaceparrot

New member
Jun 1, 2016
138
Media
2
2
Parrots
Two cockatiels: Sharlett (Cinnamon Pied) and Data (White-Faced Pied)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
Always keep a box of corn starch around for just this occasion, it clots blood..

If a blood-feather is damaged, keep in-mind that it can start to bleed again at any moment, depending on what damage was done and where...

Sometimes once they start bleeding they cannot be stopped, and the ONLY WAY to stop them once they start bleeding is to actually pull them out completely, usually this has to be done with a pair of pliers unfortunately, again this depends on where the blood-feather is, but a lot of them grow right out of their wing bones, and the only way to pull the entire feather completely out is with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. My cockatiel Duff had this happen about a year and a half ago, she broke a blood feather on the underside of her left wing, and it just wouldn't stop bleeding, not with corn starch or with Qwik-Stop, she was going to bleed to death (it bled for at least 10 minutes before I made the decision to pull it), so I had no choice but to pull it, and it took quite a bit of strength with the pliers to get it out. As soon as I pulled it and put some corn starch on the follicle it came from it stopped bleeding. Duff had lost a ton of blood and was woozy, but in a day she was fine, with lots of water and rest.

It's always a good idea when they at all damage a blood-feather to take them to a Certified Avian Vet and get it checked as soon as possible, so that if the vet thinks it could start bleeding again he can pull it in the office so that you don't have to go through that at home. It was terribly stressful and very hard for me to do that to her myself...

Thank you very much! I know we have cornstarch because we used it on one of our guinea pigs when we were clipping his nails and accidentally got his qiwk.

As for Data, he's doing fine and had just accidentally dinged one feather on each wing. He's doing good and being his usual goofy self so thankfully no harm done!
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top