In shock aftet rat bite

[Sullybean]

My maroon bellied conure, Sully, was attacked by my pet rat, the whole circumstance is exceptional and won't happen again, I didn't realise the were both out and thanks to it I now have a subconscious check ingrained... So don't freak out about that, I know. It looks like she was bitten on the wing, and the wound stopped bleeding almost instantly and there doesn't seem to be any others, or painful responses examining the rest of her. It's the shock that scares me. I can't get to a vet for another few hours, so for now she's in her cage in her hidey spot, which she jumped and climbed to by herself. She's awake but her eyes close every so often, and she's responsive as far as looking around and her breathing seems fine, she'll fluff up and adjust herself kind of like normal, though I tried a bit of water on my finger and she freaked out and started screaming, and is now still up on her perch. I'm freaking out, this girl is everything to me and the last time I couldn't get my cocktail to a vet in time it died. The rat is domestic and generally lovely, Sully went for her first and the rat literally had to be pulled off her, biting me pretty bad too, so I'm assuming sully is bitten about as bad as me, and it is pretty hard to gauge between a finger and a wing. It doesn't look bad and I'm taking her to a vet but is there anything else I can do until I can get her there? Covered up in her cage, I'm paranoid and useless.

 

[FineFeatheredFriend]

Okay stay calm and check to see if the bird has a blood feather. If it is a blood feather then see if you can pull it out. If is not the blood feather then apply cornstarch on the wound. Peace be to you and all the best in your situation.

 

[Sullybean]

Okay stay calm and check to see if the bird has a blood feather. If it is a blood feather then see if you can pull it out. If is not the blood feather then apply cornstarch on the wound. Peace be to you and all the best in your situation.

It doesn't look like it, it's a bite on the boney top side of the wing. All I can see without touching her is a tiny bit of dried blood on top on the feathers on her wing, I'm afraid to handle her too much because she freaks. Tried blowing the feathers gently aside and she looks at me like I'm crazy, but I can't see anything. She also looks like she's groomed a few misplaced feathers back, that's a good sign right?

 

[NWQuakers]

It sounds like trauma-related aspects of the bite aren't immediately life-threatening. Blood loss and actual injuries seem under control. So the next worry would be infection, and getting to your vet ASAP is the thing to do. Sounds like you have that covered too.

Just hang in there until you get to the vets. Let your birdy rest, and you rest too, and in just a few hours you'll know more and have good help.

 

[goalerjones]

Not to stress you out further but rats eat birds all the time. They shouldn't even be in the same house, but if thats not possible, not the same room.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Goalerjones... As stated, it was exceptional circumstances and won't happen again. Her well fed pet rat is not going to break into her birds cage to eat her bird anymore than a dog or cat would. Would you suggest people who own birds also not own dogs or cats? Rats are seriously misunderstood animals.

Anyway... Sullybean, infection is a real issue. But a vet visit and you will get all the meds you need to combat that Rat bites never look that serious, but they are normally a very deep puncture wound. There is a chance that the teeth might puncture the bone and such a wound becoming infected can be serious. Your vet will know what to do anyway Always take a rat or cat bite ...or even a scratch ... seriously. Even on yourself, keep an eye on the bite site. Infection really does depend on the rat and the person/pet they bite. How big is your rat?

 

[Kiwibird]

I hope Sully is feeling a bit better this morning, and that the vet finds her wounds are minor and can heal them up quickly. Parrots do tend to get puffy and lethargic after any stressful or traumatic event, so it doesn't sound abnormal she reacted that way. I will say in the future, it is always a good idea to have styptic on hand to stop bleeding, as well as to apply hydrogen peroxide (since it dissipates so the bird can't consume any, unlike other disinfectants) to the wound asap to help prevent infection from setting in during the time it takes to get the bird to the vet for more thorough treatment. I'm also glad to hear you'll be more careful about keeping her and the rat separated. Parrots don't really mix with other animals, since they are so delicate and can also inflict pretty serious wounds to the other animal with their beaks. I got my leopard gecko (who must be pushing an age record now at 18 y/o lol) while living at home with my parents, who have 3 flighted parrots. They always liked to land on his cage lid and harass him (probably thought he was a snack). I always had to be very careful to keep Leo in his cage while the birds were out and visa versa to prevent them from ever coming into contact with each other. I keep my bird Kiwi clipped, so it is much easier to keep him away from Leo, but I'm still always diligent to keep them from meeting. It is important to keep every animal in your home's safety at the front of your mind. Best of luck to you!

 

[cthulhus_minion]

I would defiantly keep an eye on the wound. I feed my snakes live mice/rats and I won't touch them because of possibly getting an infection from the bite. A snake bite is much less likely to turn into an infection than a rat bite. I'll take a bite from a snake over a rat any day! Lol anyway hope all goes well with your vet visit and keep us informed!

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[Sullybean]

She ate a bit and I coaxed her out with a treat, and she danced a bit for my BF so that made me worry a lot less. I will be seeing the vet today so we can manage any infection. Icky, the rat, actually bit her in response to Sully running after her to attack her, I didn't even know they were both out but everyone in the house now knows the rules so rats and bird have separate time out. Lucky Icky is only a baby rat, really. Thanks for your help guys, I'm confident she'll be okay after the vet.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Let us know how she is! Ouch, i have been bitten by a pet rat too. They are adorable, but those cute little things can hurt! Thankfully it sounds like it wasn't MAJOR.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

How scary! I've never been bitten by a rat, but working at petsmart I was bitten by a hamster one to many times and it HURTS.

Let us know how it goes, I can only imagine the worry and stress you have at the moment.

 

[Thingamagigs]

LOL I agree, a snake bite is no where near as bad as a rat bite. But you are as likely to get an infection from a snake bite as a rat bite. Its just that the rat teeth are so long the depth of the wound is an issue.

Have to say I disapprove of live feeding. I own snakes, they don't need to be fed live food. Rats deserve a cruelty free death like any food animal

 

[cthulhus_minion]

LOL I agree, a snake bite is no where near as bad as a rat bite. But you are as likely to get an infection from a snake bite as a rat bite. Its just that the rat teeth are so long the depth of the wound is an issue.

Have to say I disapprove of live feeding. I own snakes, they don't need to be fed live food. Rats deserve a cruelty free death like any food animal

I think its less cruel for it to be the way nature intended than to gas them or freeze them but that's my opinion. Snakes have something in their saliva that makes you bleed more so most likely an infection won't set in because most of the bacteria will bleed out. A guy I know that has bred snakes professionally for years and years was explaining that to some people before.


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[cthulhus_minion]

Live feeding is a very controversial subject among us snake owners, I do it because that's how it works in the wild. And also there is a chance of your snake dying from a dead one if there is any gas left in the mouse/rat lungs and I'd prefer my snake to not be accidently gassed, especially my Sunglow Boa lol

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