New joiner...sore eye

Angel2025 · Sep 20, 2025

Hi everyone

New joiner, but experienced with IRN and alexandrines

We have a lovely pied IRN baby, about 5 months, hand reared then from a pet shop, but I bought her knowing her eye was hurt. The staff were a bit clumsy with her and not helping at all, she was making a good price on the colours, I just got sucked in (again).

So 2 weeks on, she's (very girl irn behaviour) still got a sore eye. Its not cloudy but she closes it a lot when passive. She's a bit bitey, but its completely out of synch with the rest of her personality.

Step up fine
Call for food (flys to hand) fine
Move around on hand fine
Morning ...go away i hate the world not fine
Showers on hand full flare of feathers
Every now and then a little explosion of bitey

I know I should have gone back to the shop on day 2, but what did I want? Her to go back into the system?

She's accelerating very fast into 'cuddly tame outside cage bird' but the eye doesn't seen to be healing

Originally a bit cloudy , its now not cloudy but it looks stingy and is often closed....I thinkmuts generating the business.

O don't have access to an avian vet

DonnaBudgie · Sep 20, 2025

We aren't qualified to give vet advice. Do you have access to ANY vet? An eye problem could probably be treated by any small animal vet. It would be better than home remedies. Please try to get her eye looked at.

Angel2025 · Sep 20, 2025

No...nothing this side...and we know the difference avian vet and vet....

She's a very happy bird 3 weeks in, and the eye is clear (it was a bit cloudy before) but she's not comfortable

I've previously rescued a bird with massive damage, and an unrecoverable looking eye, some crud dropped off and a beautiful peepey eye looked out

LaManuka · Sep 20, 2025

Angel2025 said:
Hi everyone

New joiner, but experienced with IRN and alexandrine (oodie)

We have a lovely pied IRN baby, about 5 months, hand reared then from a pet shop, but I bought her knowing her eye was hurt. The staff were a bit clumsy with her and not helping at all, she was making a good price on the colours, I just got sucked in (again).

So 2 weeks on, she's (very girl irn behaviour) still got a sore eye. Its not cloudy but she closes it a lot when passive. She's a bit bitey, but its completely out of synch with the rest of her personality.

Step up fine
Call for food (flys to hand) fine
Move around on hand fine
Morning ...go away i hate the world not fine
Showers on hand full flare of feathers
Every now and then a little explosion of bitey

I know I should have gone back to the shop on day 2, but what did I want? Her to go back into the system?

She's accelerating very fast into 'cuddly tame outside cage bird' but the eye doesn't seen to be healing

Originally a bit cloudy , its now not cloudy but it looks stingy and is often closed....I thinkmuts generating the business.

O don't have access to an avian vet

Welcome to the forums, @Angel2025, though I'm sorry for the circumstances that bring you here. Like the previous poster, I too would recommend you have your bird seen by a vet if at all possible, because issues with eyes can have multiple different causes and can be very difficult to treat, and as mentioned we are not vets here. I'm not certain exactly where you are in the world, and I do understand avian vets can be hard to find, indeed mine just retired

But the list below contains details of avian vets in many parts of the world, perhaps you may find one here who can help...

Avian Vet Resources

And I wish you all the very best of luck

Angel2025 · Sep 21, 2025

Thanks that list is helpful, I'll see what I can do

Just trying to find the charger for the decent camera

rheashard2 · Sep 21, 2025

Welcome and Good luck.

Angel2025 · Oct 1, 2025

Happy ending...eye seems fine now...and the behaviour is much more fun

Thanks for the support.

I was moments away from going to the vet but it's a long journey in the car and I dont yet have a travel cage. I wouldn't normally sit it through.

Angel2025 · Sep 11, 2026

Story so far......

Roll forward a year. Sorry for not being more active its all been crazy.

I took 'her' to a proper avian vet about 6 months ago.

"This bird is almost completely blind".....

It was a bit of a difficult moment. He suspects she had a massive head trauma as a baby and was binned into the (slightly scummy) pet trade. Her eyes are flooded with blood, and her left was also cloudy and generally shut. Lots of foot biting. No coordination, prone to being spooked when you approach. Very quiet (that is why I thought female).

She is a rare colour mix...pastels coming through....so I did think it was odd she was cheap at the time.

So the moment came with the vet, she can't see, or fly safely, it is incurable, .....should she be put down.

Despite some expert but frightning vet handling, she became very cuddly in the vets, lots of twittering. Good timing. We agreed she was part of the family and we would try some antibiotics.

Avian vet hour consult plus drugs. Cost zero. "Just make sure you bring her back".

Roll forward 6 months. The drugs didnt fix her, but they made a big difference.

We are bluffing at the minute, with an overwhelming moult coming through, but in general HE is cuddly tame (if you are eating something), is blind (unless you are eating something), and can't fly (unless..you get the idea).

The red eyes haven't cleared but the LHS cloudiness and shut eye is nearly gone. I've always been surprised how robust birds can be.

He lives above his cage on olive branches and swings. The 'he' is based on the all day screaming, whistling and jabbering. No words yet. Theres a faint pastel ring forming but its hard to tell, it might just be the female shadow.

New problem is that we have inherited some new dogs. Our maltipoo grew up with the bird, they are friendly. A 13yr poodle doesnt care. The shitzu has prey drive toward her and is a big issue. It doesnt help that the bird has squared up to the dogs due to bluffing. Its all very carefully overseen at the minute, but when the moult completes, and he has full ringneck speed and probably 20% eyesight, we will need to make some choices.

I'll find a couple of pics. The moult was 100% so we had about 3mth fun outside without harness.