Conure bit by ferret

So last Thursday my baby was bitten by my daughters ferret on the neck. I was able to get to him before the worst happened thank goodness, but not fast enough to keep him from being bitten. My question is he is the first bird I have had and the sore on his neck seems to be healing well, since I have been cleaning it, but I was wondering if you need to drain the would like you would with a cat or dog. The bite went deep but was supper clean in the way it was punctured. The opening seems to have closed and looks close to the same color and appearance of a raw steak (sorry I have nothing else to compare it to). Please let me know if there is anything else that I should be looking for or if I should see about draining it more.

Unfortunately this is something an avian vet should see immediately. You may have needed to start your bird on antibiotics. I would get an appointment ASAP. Like yesterday.

You want him to the vets and on antibiotics. I used to run a shelter for ferrets. My girl friend had a cockatoo that was bit by one of her ferrets, I gave her the same warning. She couldn't find the mark after even an hour and thought all was well. The too passed on in about a week due to infection.

I did call the vet when it happened and they said to keep it clean and watch the sore. He is more active with eating and has started to play some. Is that good or should I still be worried?

The vet didn't want to see the "sore"?!?! Some birds you can't even find a break in the skin and they get infected and severely sick.

Just because he "appears" to be acting normal doesn't mean he's 100% okay, birds are prey animals and are extremely skilled in hiding signs of injury or illness. If your bird has an open wound he needs to be seen, now. Seriously please take him to the vet, before something worse happens.

Milton141 said:

I did call the vet when it happened and they said to keep it clean and watch the sore. He is more active with eating and has started to play some. Is that good or should I still be worried?

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Hi just would like to check that it was an Avian Vet? So much bacteria can be passed by these type of wounds. I don't need to repeat what others have said. Please take this seriously and in future I implore you to keep the two types of animal separate.

I have read stories about parrots being scratched by cats and dying. They are particularly susceptible to bacteria from other animals as well as us humans.

I too question whether or not it was an avian vet. When Peaches had a night fright a long while back and punctured her wing, I took her to the animal ER which does not have an avian vet, but they cleaned the wound and clotted the bleed which is what I needed them to do. They also prescribed anti-biotics, but not the right dose. Thankfully, I waited til the next morning to consult my avian vet who made the adjustment.

I realize that sometimes getting to the vet (avian vets aren't easy to find) is an issue and most people like to only go if absolutely necessary. I tend to be one of those people. An emergency trip to the avian vet would cost me $200 just for transportation (cab) so I only use it as a last resort. What I do is monitor my birds and examine them daily. Prevention is the best medicine. I would suggest making adjustments so that your bird and your ferret cannot come into direct contact again. Once an animal has scratched or bitten another animal, IMO, you just cannot take that chance. It WILL happen again. The only question is when.

By that I mean different species. I don't think it's as much of an issue if one conure bites another (in terms of bacteria). But take us for example. Our saliva is toxic to parrots while it's essential for us to have in order to speak and swallow etc.

The issue here is the gram negative bacteria present in the saliva of mammals. Avian species have no defense against it, which is why exposure can prove fatal.

You definitely need to get your bird to an avian vet. And I'll take it one step further. Any vet who thinks you don't need to take your bird in after a ferret bite to the neck should not be your vet of choice.

He/she should've known better. That's basic.

I just rehomed my rats for this reason. I had them for one month and they bit Pumpkins foot twice. He kept landing on their cage. Some animals do not mix well and my house is not large enough to keep them separated properly. I was frustrated because the rat page I was on was less than helpful. They asked why my bird was so dumb and why I didn't do research before getting rats. Anyway I rehomed them along with their $250 brand new cage and hundreds of dollars in supplies for free to make sure they still had a wonderful setup. They made me feel terrible but I had to protect Pumpkin

I have a Yellow-Sided Green Cheeked named Rio and he is never brought near my 3 ferrets. I have been a ferret owner for over 20 years and know a lot about them. They will kill birds if given the chance domesticated or not, no matter how tame or friendly they are, it is just their nature. Ferrets were used in Europe to hunt rabbits and rats before they were brought to the US and were also known for killing birds when they land.

How is the bird today?