Salty almost injured - a cautionary post

While i was away this weekend playing a show in Virginia, my wife Geri was home alone with Salty an our doggie. Sunday noon, she hears a SCREAMING coming from Saltys cage. Geri said she had never heard him scream like this, she said it was both ear splitting and heart rending. I had left one of those screwable links we get with each new toy attached to his cage, in the open position. Salty had managed to get stuck with part of the link inside his mouth.
Geri said he was screaming, and thrashing around inside his cage. She ran over ( and my wife is handicapped, using a walker or canes), she has no idea how she ran, and tried to free him, which finally happened. Salty was shaking, and would not come out of the corner of his cage for an hour. SHe finally got him to come over and step up. No bleeding, no obvious cuts or damage to the outside of his beak. He went on his boingy, and she gave him some soft stuff to eat ( sweet 'taters) which he took, and later accepted a few pine nuts.
BY late after noon, Salty went into his usual late afternoon chatting, singing, talking session, and by dinner ate his chop. I got home around 2:00 AM, and after she told me what happened, I woke Salty up, cuddled him a bit , and examined his beak as best I could. Like Geri, I could see no obvious damage to his beak, but I cant examine inside or his tongue. He seems OK though.

So the cautionary part of this post - if you use those links, make sure they are screwed on all the way - tightly! Any rings, links loops, etc that have a gap can cause your parrots beak to get stuck, and in thrashing around to free themselves may break or damage a wing or leg, or really damage their beak. I know when I get home, Salty's entire cage, boing, chains - everything, is going to gone over with a fine tooth comb for this. Hope this post helps prevent any other members birds from the same circumstances.

Salty sez: Bad Daddy - dont do that no more !

Yikes! So glad Salty is ok!

Glad salty didn't get hurt bad. Some toys and attaching clips can be rather small,my Gracie can unscrew them after I tighten as tight as I can, unbelievable smart

Thanks for that cautionary tale and hope Salty is OK. A point worth making is these D links do actually undo themselves and need to be checked often. Plum has a couple of toys he plays rough with - bashing hell out of and as a consequence they undo themselves.

So glad Salty is okay and so glad that Geri managed to get to him in time and free him...not easy for her to have managed this obviously from what you say but its amazing the strength you get when someone you love depends on it. Thanks for the words of warning I also will check Mr Biggles and Peter Pans cages but you know you may not have left it open for it could be that Salty is learning to unscrew them himself so keep an eye on him... i would say that his tongue is okay as he ate his chop if it was sore he would have been picky with the food or would have refused it...he got a big fright though poor boy and so did Geri and you too when you heard about it. Hopefully this never happens again. Stay safe Salty

The same thing happened once to us as well. To this day I can still recall the hair curling screams from my little guy.
I shudder to think what may have happened to your baby if your wife hadn't been home to help free him.

And you need to check them from time to time, because birds are notorious for unscrewing those things.

Thank goodness Salty is okay! My Parrotlet got a small one stuck on his beak once, and I was so terrified until we got him loose.

Terrifying! Same happened here a good 25 years ago. My sister's cockatiel ran a clip through her nare! Very lucky bird we were home!

Al, thank you for posting this reminder! I'm so glad Salty wasn't badly injured. Thank goodness Geri was right there to help.

I keep pliers and a screwdriver next to my quaker cages, pliers to tighten toy links, the screwdriver to tighten the safety hinge on food doors. Quakers scoff at any kind of latch.

I have given up with the food doors on Plums cage. After only a couple of days he was really going for it in terms of trying to get them undone so they are cable tied shut and not used.

Allee : Will certainly think about the pliers to do them up and not just finger tight, thanks.

Al, I know you checked thoroughly, but did you check the soft fleshy underside of the lower beak? I ask because two other members here had those open link slide up and through, impaling their birds from the underside and up into the mouth. From both descriptions, there was very little blood, but it obviously warranted the use of antibiotics.

Thought I'd mention it just in case.

Thanks Ananasi, I will check that, I just went over all the links with a set of channel lock pliers... be surprised how many were loose. If Salty boy can loosen these up, we'll he will be the Hercules of parrots.

Salty sez: I still love each you Daddy, you can give me scratches still.

Whew, I had chills reading about Salty's close call. So glad Geri was able to rescue him and ensure all was well.

Thanks for the post, I will check the many clamps and fittings in my home.

I am so glad Salty is ok.

I use them for BB he had removed a few of them and Wendy had warned me to use pliers to tighten them.

Again so glad Salty is ok !

They surprise us. Yesterday I saw my Venus flapping. I let her out of her cage to eat on top of her cage. Her toe was caught between two bars I never noticed were so tight together before. I'm glad your wife was there to help and Salty is OK. I think you have been forgiven.


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I'm glad your bird is ok though. It's a scary thing to go through. Years ago Willie's foot got stuck in those plastic forager toy that you put peanuts in. My other half just got home when this happened. Willie started screaming non stop with his foot stuck in the toy. IF no one was home, it would not have been a good outcome. I had to rush home from work as a emergency. I had to wrap Willie in a towel, then dismantle the toy, I then had to use a plier and cutter tool to cut the toy then pull the two ends apart. I took pictures before I got it removed as I submitted it to Kaytee, which was the maker of the toy, they pulled them off the shelves immediately so I haven't seen them since. Of course Kaytee sent Willie a HUGE box of toys which was nice of them.