Urgent 4 Days w/ Tiel, Bloody Beak

[TikkiTembo]

Hi friends,
We've had Tikki the Tiel for 4 days, he's a newly weaned baby. He's obviously very clumsy! We haven't allowed him to fly around the house because of this, and he's still learning to trust us, etc. I decided to leave him in his room on the play top cage to eat today while I ran upstairs. The door is shut for his safety, and the window blinds are pulled almost all the way down so he can see the barrier there, but still get a little sun. I just heard him screaming and ran downstairs to find him flying around his room and crash landing. There is blood on the window, of course on the one tiny bit that I didn't pull the blinds His beak is bleeding right above his nostril opening. He's now safe in his cage to calm down. He does have a vet appointment this month that I can move to this week if necessary. Do I need to clean his wound? What did I do wrong? Is it too soon to allow him to explore his room alone? I thought it'd be okay since I'm home, I'd never leave him out while we're gone. I know the importance of natural light for him, but it doesn't appear that he's learned that even blinds or the up and down and across stripes on the window are a solid surface. How can I help my sweet boy?

 

[rocky'smom]

See the avian vet asap please.

 

[EkkieLu]

Get to the vet asap! I know it's expensive but your baby HAS to go.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

When my tiel Sunset was very young, she flew into the wall and bled a little bit from above here cere. I took her to the vet, and luckily she was okay and it healed fine. I think you should move your appointment up just to be safe. Poor little Kiwi! I would probably sit with him while he is out, at least at first. It’s scary for a bird to be alone in a new place, and your presence will comfort him. Tiels startle easily, so some white noise or the radio might help. Make sure their are no electrical wires, treated wood, potted plants, places she can get stuck, etc. in her room if you do eventually leave her unattended.

 

[TikkiTembo]

Thank you, everyone! It's so hard to tell when I'm being an over protective pet mom and rushing my various babies in for no reason, or when it's an urgent matter. He's our first indoor bird, though we've had chickens for years. Chickens are definitely much simpler creatures I moved his vet appointment to tomorrow first thing in the morning. For now, he's eating and drinking and seems normal. I read that some people wait and see, seeing as how beak injuries bleed so much it's hard to tell what is an urgent matter, but I can't take that risk, especially when I've already got money planned to spend on his well check anyways. Also, I will wait another week or so before leaving him to run upstairs for a while or something. He was happily preening my hair while I watched TV on the couch earlier, so he definitely likes to observe the room and house when he's with me. Maybe he thought I was gone and got afraid.
Thanks for your help, it really does help me feel like less of a helicopter mom to hear that others would also take him to the vet for what seems to be a minor injury. I know he's bound to smash into a wall here and there as he learns to fly, but the amount of blood was scary!

 

[TikkiTembo]

My attempt at a picture of the injuries

 

[MaxieTheBirdie]

You have an adorable cockatiel, glad he has an appointment very soon he looks very loved and cared for, enjoy your beautiful cockatiel!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

He’s so cute! I’m glad your taking him in tomorrow, I hope the appointment goes well!

 

[Birdbabe]

They'll give you grey hairs for sure! Since you have an appointment tomorrow, that's good, vet may give metacam,,for pain and inflammation. Hope he heals quickly!

 

[Kodigirl210]

@TikkiTembo - a birb crashing into the window is NOT a minor injury. We aren’t concerned about what you can see, we are concerned about what you can’t.

Tikki could have a light concussion. He could have damage in his nostril, he could have damaged his eyes and less likely but also possibly a hairline fracture.

I would most definitely keep a close watch on him in case he starts having more symptoms such as severe pain, weakness in the limbs, loss of balance, tilting of the head, more blood or inability to eat, drink, walk or fly properly.

Make sure he stays warm tonight, putting a heating pad under him if needed. He’s had a huge shock to his body and it still may be catching up with him.

Good luck at the vet’s & cute baby!

 

[enigma731]

My fully adult tiel flew into the wall last summer, head first. She had blood on her beak and seemed stunned, but otherwise fine. The next day she become completely paralyzed, most likely from swelling in her brain. Fortunately I already had her at the vet, so she survived with a lot of critical care, but to this day her mobility is not completely normal. I'm not saying this to scare you but to stress the point that you just don't know if it's a minor injury or not. Please don't ever take that chance.

 

[TikkiTembo]

So, how do I prevent this from happening again and again? Even supervised, he could still get scared and hit a wall or window, at any age, right? I can't imagine that every bird owner rushes to the vet literally every time this happens. Birds would only be available to the super rich, otherwise. I've ordered more sheer curtains, never out unsupervised, sound machine, night lights, plenty of places to perch...etc...I know he's bound to have some clumsy accidents as he learns our house and how to fly. I feel stuck, like he'll never learn to navigate flying and being free to enjoy himself in a prepared environment if he's always in his cage, but I simply can't take him to the vet every week if he bumps into the wall. How do you find the balance between allowing him to spread his wings and keeping him safe? I've removed every hazard in preparation for him coming home, and it still doesn't feel like enough. :-( I love him very much already, and he makes it very clear that he wants to spend time with me, but I'm afraid at this point to let him out.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

He will learn very quickly the safest places to land, and as long as you keep windows covered, he shouldn’t hurt himself anymore. I show my tiels the glass, and they know not to fly into it, but I still like to close the blinds a bit.

 

[TikkiTembo]

He will learn very quickly the safest places to land, and as long as you keep windows covered, he shouldn’t hurt himself anymore. I show my tiels the glass, and they know not to fly into it, but I still like to close the blinds a bit.

Thanks so much for that, I'm just so afraid of being a bad bird mommy. I read your comment and decided to be brave and let him out in his room with me. The door is shut, the blinds are closed, and he's happily preening on top of his cage. He's such a sweet boy. I'll make sure to update everyone tomorrow after his vet appointment!!

 

[TikkiTembo]

Update on Tikki! The vet was wonderful, a true avian vet who owned his cockatiel for 21 years! He said Tikki's beak is fine, the wounds are on his skin, not beak. So that's a relief! He cleaned them a little but left the scabs to heal naturally. He recommended clipping his wings, but I'd really rather that Tikki learns to fly well, and grows up having confidence, so I declined for now. I guess we can always change our minds later if he continues to injure himself. He said he felt the stress of feeding a new bird medicine would outweigh the benefits of pain meds are this point, since Tikki is eating and drinking normally, which I agreed with. Other than the scabs, he said he's healthy and wonderful. A good day!

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm glad Tikki is okay. And also glad you declined getting his wings clipped. As for preventing crashes, keep the windows covered or put decals on them so he doesn't think he can fly through them. For now, I also probably wouldn't leave him out alone in a room. Baby tiels are just super clumsy. They get better as they get older. That and I don't think he's familiar enough with your house yet.

 

[TikkiTembo]

I'm glad Tikki is okay. And also glad you declined getting his wings clipped. As for preventing crashes, keep the windows covered or put decals on them so he doesn't think he can fly through them. For now, I also probably wouldn't leave him out alone in a room. Baby tiels are just super clumsy. They get better as they get older. That and I don't think he's familiar enough with your house yet.

Agreed! He really is happiest when we're together anyways, so I think for now he's pretty content to play with his toys and treats when I'm busy. Thanks again, everyone!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I’m glad the vet visit went well and that Tiki’s beak will heal okay. He sounds like such a sweet little guy!

 

[zoo mom]

Just read this. Glad Tiki is ok. And agree with for now only having him out when you are with him.