Help..

[Katniss]

Hi everyone. I have a pair of lovebirds, Katniss and Peeta (lol). Anyways, I have them both in the same cage, and occasionally they snap at each other, and I get worried that one will get very hurt. I covered their cage a while ago and I heard them fighting, and a chirp of pain. I looked and saw Katniss (my female lovebird) with her leg up, not able to stand on it. She has a hole on one of her toes, from Peeta's beak. Unfortunately Peeta is the stronger one of the two, and when he bites, it hurts. There's no blood or anything, but you could clearly see the indent in her foot, and I'm not sure what to do. She ran away from him and just kept her leg lifted up halfway. They're sleeping together in a snuggle hut, though, as if it never happened. I'm not sure if she'll be in pain in the morning... What should I do?

 

[Sterling1113]

I would put them in separate cages, if possible. Even if there's no blood, look for bruising, or if it looks broken. I say in the morning if she isn't putting weight on it (comfortably, other than slightly when she has to) take her to a vet for X-rays. It's better safe than sorry to separate them though, to prevent any more accidents from happening. Don't want any birdies losing toes

 

[Katniss]

I would put them in separate cages, if possible. Even if there's no blood, look for bruising, or if it looks broken. I say in the morning if she isn't putting weight on it (comfortably, other than slightly when she has to) take her to a vet for X-rays. It's better safe than sorry to separate them though, to prevent any more accidents from happening. Don't want any birdies losing toes

I was thinking about that, but I'm not sure if I can. They're really bonded and I'm afraid that if I separate them they'll get stressed out. On some days Katniss avoids Peeta, but on others they're always together..

 

[Sterling1113]

I would put them in separate cages, if possible. Even if there's no blood, look for bruising, or if it looks broken. I say in the morning if she isn't putting weight on it (comfortably, other than slightly when she has to) take her to a vet for X-rays. It's better safe than sorry to separate them though, to prevent any more accidents from happening. Don't want any birdies losing toes

I was thinking about that, but I'm not sure if I can. They're really bonded and I'm afraid that if I separate them they'll get stressed out. On some days Katniss avoids Peeta, but on others they're always together..

If they're *that* bonded, you'll be able to tell right away(Screaming through the night, destructive behaviour, etc) and try something else. It's mating season right now though so they're gonna be really temperamental, so even if it's just for a few months, maybe cages next to eachother? They can see eachother all day and interact, and be outside of the cages together, just sleep separately/be put up separately when they can't be out of the cage. Even though they cuddle and seem attached it won't be as detrimental as it seems, in my experience.

 

[MikeyTN]

Keep their cage next to each other solves your issue of the bond. You need to separate them apart before anything else happens. So you need to get them separated right away. You need to have Katniss checked out if she doesn't use her foot that was bitten.

 

[Katniss]

Thanks guys. Katniss is using her foot, just very lightly. I'm going to get another cage this weekend, does anyone recommend a cage that isn't too pricey? I will separate them for a few months but I need a good cage. The ones at Petland are too overpriced

 

[Sterling1113]

Check your local craigslist, lots of people sell perfectly good cages for low prices. That's where I got my cage for my Eclectus. Whereabouts are you located?

 

[Mekaisto]

.
How big is the cage they're currently in? You may be able to keep them both in the same cage, as long as there is room enough for one to 'escape' the other. Obviously this is not always the case, and two cages may be necessary.
.

 

[Katniss]

EMERGENCY:
Great. I was planning to get another cage this weekend, and I dont have money to buy cages over $50 currently. I'm still going to see what will happen. Another emergency happened, now. Now PEETA got injured, worse than Katniss. This happened within 20 minutes ago. I saw them fighting (once again ) and then I see blood splatter everywhere, all over the perches and toys. Peeta's right foot is bloody, and I can't even see what the problem is. They are not tamed, so personally taking them out wouldn't be too safe for me. We just called an emergency vet, and their exotics doctor isnt going to be in till Monday. Despite the fact of no available money for the vet (which would be over $180) I honestly don't know what to do. I'm worried about getting those small $25 cages, but I don't want Peeta to get infected and possibly, die. If I get a small cage, how long should I leave him in?
He's trying to pick at the feathers around his right foot, and the foot itself is still stained red. I even attempted spraying a bit of clean water so the blood could wash off. I know birds hide their injuries EXTREMELY well, so I can't identify what the problem is. I have no access to a vet, and the pet store is closed until tomorrow. I have no extra cages, unfortunately. Can someone experienced help me? I don't know whether I should keep everything in the cage, or take it all out except for a few things. Please help, guys. I don't know what's going up with these two, they've been more aggresive since breeding season. I really don't want either one to die.. I'll be devastated. Please reply ASAP. Thank you all.
Edit: Peeta is currently preening himself, but isnt standing on his right foot. He just has it lifted up, preening the feathers around it. Katniss seems pretty guilty, but I don't know if it was her or Peeta got his foot stuck on something. Still figuring out how to upload pictures, I'm new to this website

 

[MarciaLove]

ok it sounds real serious for now is there anything at all you can jeep peeta in??? A plastic terrarium, cat carrier, tiny cage, anything?? You really don't want the wound infected try to keep everything super clean and you really need to towel him and rinse off the leg to see the damage done it may not be that bad and just be bleeding a lot but you need to clean it and check. As for long term cage try Craigslist and ebayclassifieds they have local cages cheap just be sure of no rust and clean them well!!! Lovebirds are very territorial and moody and given the chance in a bad mood will kill another lovebird despite their name they are prone to that sort of stuff....

 

[MarciaLove]

oh and if there isn't anything else to keep him in use a piece of cardboard to cut the cage in half so peeta and katniss can't get to eachother.

 

[Mekaisto]

Great advice from everyone so far, I'll just add that if either of your birds gets injured again for whatever reason, catch them in a towel, and put betadine and cornflour on the wound. Birds don't have much blood, and their wounds don't clot well, so the flour will help stop the bleeding, and the betadine will kill any bacteria near the site.

 

[Katniss]

Thank you all so much for the help. Peeta seems to be doing well but for his sake I am going to buy another cage by next weekend. In the meantime, I have no way to separate the cage, but I'm keeping everything clean everyday. I also forgot that I have a pack of vitamins that I can spread throughout their food so I put some of that in their food and hope for the best. What should I do while I wait for next weekend?
Peeta took a nice bath this morning and got all that extra blood outta his feet. I managed to get a glimpse of his foot and I think it was a bite from Katniss. My grandmother says that she just got her revenge.. I think it was a little bit too much, lol. Peeta is being very strong, and I'm proud. I'm grateful that nobird got killed, but I'm still separating them. Once again, thanks for the help everyone

 

[Katniss]

Update: I have separated Peeta and Katniss. Their cages are next to each other, although Katniss desperately tries to get to Peeta when she sees him. Peeta, on the other hand, just turns his back to her, lol. Don't think he's too forgiving. I refill his food and water every day, and his foot seems to be slowly healing. How long should I leave them separated? Thanks everyone