bleeding beak

[bubblelady]

A woman I work with just called me to ask for guidance. They have a budgie that flew into their yard some years ago. They aren't "bird" people but they have been taking care of it & do care about it. Due to pay cuts and family illness, a trip to the emergancy vet is not an option. Her husband trimmed the budgie's beak too short tonight and it started bleeding. My friend caught her & applied pressure till it stopped bleeding. It's not bleeding now--for about the past hour. (She's been trying to call me for over an hour but I just got home.) She said that they didn't notice the bleeding at first but the bird was thrashing around and rubbing her beak on the bars of the cage. The bleeding was noticed when my friend went to see what was wrong. She said there was a fair amount of blood before it finally stopped & that the bird sat quietly & hunched up for a while but has begun vocalizing in the past few minutes. Any wisdom I can pass on re: what to watch for or do if the bleeding starts again?

 

[WingedVictory]

Hi, what we do here is put cayenne pepper on the part of the beak that is bleeding, cayenne stops bleeding very fast and it can be made into a paste. Since the bird has lost a fair amount of blood it should be given orange juice to give it some energy. I would also offer something soft to eat as the beak may be tender.

Please give us updates on the birds condition.

gary

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

Have her keep the bird calm and warm He could be in a bit of shock from loss of blood.She might also want to offer some soft food-mashed potato,oatmeal,soaked pellets until She sees if he can eat OK! If the bleeding starts again-She can use corn starch or even Cayenne powder to stop it!

 

[WingedVictory]

Bonnie, that is a good point about possible shock if the bird lost a lot of blood. I agree that it should be kept warm and calm. If the owner has childrens plain pedialyte, mix it 50/50 with water and replace the birds regular water with the mixture. The owner can put a drop of clear Kayro syrup in the birds beak if it gets weak. The key is going to be not letting the bird get to a weak condition. The warmth 85-87 degrees will allow the bird to use it's energy stores to heal rather than using the calories to keep warm.

gary

 

[JLcribber]

I would also tell them to quit trimming beaks. Especially if they are not experienced bird people and just because a budgie beak is so small. The shock is a very real concern. That beak is going to be very tender for a while. Make sure they do give soft food and make sure she does eat.

I'm sorry but they really have no business trying to do a vets or experienced groomers job.

I have seen many birds that have died from procedures like this the very next day from the shock alone.

Take a deep breath John and calm down.

 

[bubblelady]

Thanks for your prompt responses. I have passed the info on, and heard the bird chirping in the background. My friend said the bird has perked up & is behaving normally now. She had already taken the seed out & will replace it with soaked pellets--which they do have on hand, and some O.J. She will also watch her & keep her warm. I do my best to pass on info without getting preachy. I told her I do wing trims on my birds but not beak or nails because of the hazards involved. I also suggested getting some chew toys, after the beak has healed, to reduce the need for future beak trims. Hope the little thing will be okay.

 

[Anne & Gang]

it is not necessary at all to trim beaks..not in the smaller birdies...they file them down by themselves....tell her to cease and desist from that practice unless she is an expert which she is not...hope the birdie will be ok

 

[Billie Faye]

If possible, could we have an update?
The bird is going to have a tender beak for a day or two...

 

[srtiels]

I'm glad to hear the bird is doing better. The info given was great.

But, what concerns me is why the beak trims? Normal eating and climbing helps to keep the beak in shape...thus no need for trimming. If the beak is growing rapidly and too long it can be an alert to a health problem such as the liver.

 

[bubblelady]

Update: sorry to take so long to get back. I only saw Bitsy's mom again Friday. Bitsy is fine. And some good came out of this. They discovered Bitsy will eat brown rice--a new food for her--and that she rubs her beak after eating it, something they hadn't noticed her doing before. So my friend got a rough perch for her to rub on, and some chew toys, so it hopefully won't be necessary for her hubby to think he needs to trim Bitsy's beak again. Thanks again for your prompt suggestions.

 

[southernbirds]

Corn starch is also a good thing to apply to control bleeding.