OMG! All of Boomer's tail feathers ejected at the vet!!!

I took him back to the vet for a follow up exam after his bad bacterial infection 2 weeks ago. He's been back to his normal self, eating, playing, flying like normal so I thought this visit was going to be smooth sailing. Was I wrong!!!

I was in the waiting room, and Boomer was in the backroom with the doctor for 10 minutes. Doctor comes back and said Boomer ejected all of his tail feathers!!! He showed me all his feathers and upon seeing Bomer confirmed that all his tail feathers are indeed gone. Doctor said that during the exam, Booms got away. He went to grab him and just like that, all the tail feathers came off. There was no blood on the feather tips, no signs of fraying or struggle. He did not pluck it out. He was just as shocked as I was and he's been doing this since the 1970s. He thinks it may have been a predatory response and an escape mechanism. He said Boomer will be fine, will be a little clumsy is all because he uses the tail feathers as a rudder. He said the feathers will grow out and be back to the normal length in 30 days (that short!!??)

At the time, I wanted to get mad at the doctor so bad but I couldn't. He was a kindly, old man who has been doing this for years and years. I don't think he could have manhandled Boomer. He's got his waiting room full from floor to ceiling with 'Thank you Pictures' from his former patients. I truly think (and hope) it was as he said, an anti-predatory impulse from Boomer.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this horrible news. Boomer is acting normal. Even flies the same as before. But I'm worried that the new pin feathers coming out might get damaged and bleed so I'm praying they will grow out fine. I hope this episode does not cause him to self-mutilate down in his rump. Anyone experience this before with their birds?






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Really? He grabbed him by his tail? This is SO not right.

They probably won't be fully grown in in 30 days, but they will be well on their way. My gcc lost 3 tail feathers all at once just about 2 months ago when I was clipping his wings and things didn't go as smoothly as usual. They have all grown back now. It'll probably take a little longer to regrow a whole set rather than just a couple, so the vets estimate is a little optimistic, but it'll happen quicker than you'd think.

Oh my word!! What a shock to have a 'routine' vet visit end that way! Poor baby!

Gizmomania said:

Really? He grabbed him by his tail? This is SO not right.

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I'm sure he didn't just grab him by the tail. It's very easy to grab for the body and just when you think you have the fleeing bird in your hand, it slips out. In these fight or flight instances, it doesn't take much pull for the feathers to release.

I wasn't in the backroom with the doctor but I don't think he grabbed him by the tail. It can't all come out like that if he did. I also heard that its not so hard to pluck out a birds feather.

Yeah I didn't think 30 days is all it took either. Seems much too short. I just jhope he is fine and doesn't get complications from this like plucking that area and blood feathers bleeding.

What a rough past 4 months for Boomer

Crazy little Booms.

My gosh. I know it must have been a big shock for you. But I'm so glad to hear that Boomer is acting as his usual happy self. Hopefully it is a forgotten episiode in his mind by now. I guess that since it happened once, it could happen again, so they should let you stay in the room if you want to be there to help towel him, or just maybe to talk soothingly to Boomer.

I'll bet this is a bigger deal to you than to Boomer. That's how I would probably react.

Wow, that's a bit extreme! You must have died...why doesn't he let the owner in with them? I'm sure the vet isn't some sadist doing this on purpose, but that looks like things got a little out of control and there was an accident. At least he was ok....what mischief will Boomer find himself in next
Vets, as with any doctors, almost never own up to a mistake. Well,he sort of owned up to it. But the proof is in the feathers, things got out of hand. Boomer probably wasn't being an angel either

Saw this with a cockatiel we had as a kid. Pippy got out of his cage and our enthusiastic terrier wanted to play. Mitszy (the dog) chased Pippy and she put her paw on his tail. All his tail feathers popped off! No blood.
The feathers grew back in about 6 months from what I can remember, and Pippy didnt seem to notice that his tail feathers were gone. He lived a long life after that. We had started calling him our little quail.

poor little buddy! isn't amazing what animals will do to survive? i also enjoy the birds that puke on themselves so predators won't eat them. that and i so agree that vets hate being wrong or admitting that the little critters they treat aren't always as easy to handle. lol

Sorry to hear that poor Boomer has gone through so much in such a short time.

A few months back after a traumatic experience happened to Birdy, half of his tail feathers came out as I held him to calm him down. Under certain circumstances they really pull out easily, borderline almost falling out at their own accord, but he would've had to have sustained a nasty fright for this to occur.

The good news is that Boomers tail will grow back quickly and in a few weeks will look like the whole experience never even happened. Get well soon Boomster!

I had that happen with my blue crown Tootsie and I was the one responsible for it and felt horrible. After a couple of days I was able to see the humor in having a snub-butt bird.

She knows when I get that little travel cage out that she is not going to like where she is going. I was guiding her into the cage and had a hand around her back side. She gave a sudden lurch forward and all of them came off in my hand. She was stressed and they came out very easily so I would agree with what the vet said about a predator/escape response. There was almost no resistance at all.

Tootsie was indeed fine and she flew ok. In the house she never gets up enough speed to where the tail feathers came into play for steering. She seemed a little awkward taking off since they do use the tail feathers to assist in getting into the air. Within a week she had pin feathers peeking out of the contour feathers. Since her tail is so long it took maybe 4-5 weeks before they returned full grown. After, she had a beautiful set of new tail feathers.

The only thing you might want to keep an eye on is that you will have 10 pin feathers sticking out of his backside with no other feathers around them for support and protection. If he is tumbling around playing he might have a bit of a tendency to break one so be ready to pluck it out if you have a bleeder. Tootsie is an old and not very active bird so I had no trouble with that fortunately.

On the plus side, you get to see just how pretty all his feathers are when laid out like that. I had no idea that Tootsie's tail feathers had so much dark red in them at the base until I looked at all of them spread out like you did with Boomer's feathers.

Just what like Boomer seems to be doing, she gave no indication that she knew they were missing. She was perfectly happy after she was able to relax after the vet visit. I think they can adapt and adjust almost instantly. So see the humor in it and don't fret. Just one of those little bumps in the road that seem to happen when you have birds.

Oh my gosh! What a shock!

I didn't even know they could do that!!

I think it will take more than 30 days, takes Fargo a few months to get his tail back to full length!

Good news that Boomer wasn't hurt though, poor little guy! Hopefully he will be good as new in no time!

The vet probably was holding him when he squirmed to get away and its a reflex thing you grab on, instead if being the body, it ends up being the tail feathers. That's happened to me before when one of the dogs got ahold of Dixie years ago, thank goodness it was only her tail feathers that came off. That's why now days dogs gets put up asap whenever there's a escapee. And we double check on the doors too....

When we brought our Bourkes home, my hubby was getting them out of the travel cage and he thought he had a good hold of one, but slipped and all his tail feathers came out as well. We felt terrible! That was 7 months ago, and they have been back to normal for at least 3 months I am also sure your vet didn't mean to do it, it can happen so fast Poor Boomer, he has really been through it lately!

You will be surprised how easy these fathers come out. Molt, fear and stress can cause this. For a small time Clover (the green cheek conure I had) was loosing tail feathers and I thought she was going to lose them all. I noticed new tail feathers growing back in. It sounds like Boomer was trying to escape from the vet. I personally think in some cases having someone come back with their animal can help relieve the stress of the animal. Two vets that I seen let me come in the doctor's room with Clover. The vet I take my dog to lets me come in the back room with my dog. On a side note while I had Captain Jack out I noticed a green feather with the quill (no blood just like Boomers feathers are). The feather look clipped so I am thinking it came from one of his wings.

WHAT! That vet should be fired! Poor Boomer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carmalita said:

poor little buddy! isn't amazing what animals will do to survive? i also enjoy the birds that puke on themselves so predators won't eat them. that and i so agree that vets hate being wrong or admitting that the little critters they treat aren't always as easy to handle. lol

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I agree with you.

The avian vet Booms goes to, I think he's a great one. He's one of the best ones Yelp in Los Angeles. The exam room walls are filled with kind letters and pictures from his patients/patients' owners.