Recently blinded bird, please advise

[AmyM]

Our 7 year old cockatiel was blinded yesterday by one of our other birds. It was a lightening fast and brutal attack.

She is in the hospital and has already lost one eye, the vet thinks she will likely lose the other.

My question is whether or not it is fair to keep her alive. We love this bird, so much. I don’t trust myself to make a fair decision for her because I just want her with us. She’s suffering right now, no doubt, but if she pulls through can she have a good quality of life? This bird loves to fly and my heart is absolutely shattered knowing that she will never fly again.

Can a blind bird live a life worth living? I’m destroyed by this so if you don’t have anything helpful please don’t respond.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Absolutely!! A bird that has gone blind can live a great life. Unlike we humans, no one tells them that they are handicapped and they go right on making adjustments. We have many, many examples on this forum of birds with extreme handicaps (including blindness) who are happy and live a great life. My Hank had lost the sight in one eye by the time he died and it never slowed him down one little bitty bit.

 

[AmyM]

Thank you. I needed to hear that. I feel like a selfish monster for wanting to keep her alive. This has been a nightmarish 24 hours.

 

[finchly]

Thank you. I needed to hear that. I feel like a selfish monster for wanting to keep her alive. This has been a nightmarish 24 hours.

Obviously you aren't selfish - you were brave enough to come here and ask for advice!

I am so sorry. This must be really tough to deal with. Did the vet mention which would be best? I completely agree with @Hankmacaw , you can keep the bird alive without guilt.

 

[AmyM]

Thank you. My heart is so broken. We rescued her two years ago from abject neglect and now she’s going through this. I’ll never forgive myself.

The vet said that birds can and do live happily without site but Midna loved to fly and now she will never fly again. And she can never be with the other birds. My poor sweet cranky bird. I honestly cannot believe how devastating this is.

Here’s our flock:

3 Birbs (@saria_and_midna) • Instagram photos and videos

 

[Hankmacaw]

Don't give up on the flying so soon. There may be many adjustments you can make so that she can fly.

The one thing you should never do is to give up.

 

[AmyM]

Thank you so much for your kind words, I really needed this.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Sorry about what happened with your 'tiel. Don't give up on her. Hopefully she will still have sight in the other eye. Birds can learn to adapt. Monitor her behavior and set up the cage so food and water are easy for her to access. Make sure to keep location of items consistent.

 

[Birdbabe]

I'm sorry about your tiel, hope the other eye recovers, I have 3 blind birds here, one completely, the other two have sight in one eye, they adapt better than we know, as long as the food , water, keep it in the same place,,flat perches, lowered perches, treat your baby the same as you did before the accident, my blind birds are in with they're flock, it,,,in my humble opinion, is not right to separate them, they are a family,,maybe , now, not in the same cage, but where they can still hear each other..my other birds , who are sighted,,watch out for they're compromised brothers and sister. Maybe, I'm lucky,,,I dearly hope your baby regains sight in her eye. we are here for you..

 

[Fuzzy]

OMG I am so sorry about your tiel. Things happen so fast! I have an almost blind Amazon, Chico. He gets around just fine. I keep everything in the same place. He is well able to climb around and play. I'd keep her cage exactly the same for her return, then you can make adjustments as you see fit. I think she will surprise you with what she can still achieve! It's interesting, but visitors have no idea that Chico is blind.

 

[SherLar]

1. You MUST forgive yourself. Life happens sometimes. Just bites. I am sorry.
2. Animals don't tend to feel sorry for themselves, they put their big panties on and deal with stuff. They don't seem to focus on yesterday and aren't too worried about tomorrow.
3. I will hope she gets to keep one eye, and if not, I hope she can still fly, and if not, then I am sure she will still be happy because of rule #1 & 2.
Hang in there kiddo.
sherri

 

[AmyM]

Thank you all! You’re all are so supportive! I wish I had come here sooner in our bird ownership life. I feel a lot more optimistic.