911 Cockatiel swallowed clothing thread

[Columba]

My lovely girl was cuddling up to me on my shoulder, when she chewed at a bit of thread and broke it off. I tried to take it from her beak, but she swallowed it! It was a single thread, only a few cm long. The label on my shirt says it is made of polyester. Can anyone tell me, will one thread pass through her okay, and what signs should I look out for in case of internal issues!

 

[Columba]

Couldn’t edit but wanted to add, she swallowed it like it was nothing She hasnt been trying to regurgitate or cough and she is acting normally and has eaten and drunk

 

[Hankmacaw]

First, what kind of bird is it? For almost any bird one small piece of thread will not be a problem, but if your bird is prone to eating threads you will need to keep them away from her and watch her carefully.

To make you feel better now just feed her some almond butter for a few days. It will adhere to the thread and carry it right through the digestive system.

 

[Birdbabe]

First, what kind of bird is it? For almost any bird one small piece of thread will not be a problem, but if your bird is prone to eating threads you will need to keep them away from her and watch her carefully.

To make you feel better now just feed her some almond butter for a few days. It will adhere to the thread and carry it right through the digestive system.

You can also feed her some peanut butter...that'll grab on onto the thread and get it through her GI tract...you'll have be on poop patrol..

 

[Columba]

First, what kind of bird is it? For almost any bird one small piece of thread will not be a problem, but if your bird is prone to eating threads you will need to keep them away from her and watch her carefully.

To make you feel better now just feed her some almond butter for a few days. It will adhere to the thread and carry it right through the digestive system.

You can also feed her some peanut butter...that'll grab on onto the thread and get it through her GI tract...you'll have be on poop patrol..

Thank you both!! She is a cockatiel, but I love her so much I constantly worry about little things like this! I’ll get that butter from the shops today will it pass through her whole without being digested? What if I don’t find it in her poop? I’ll give her the butter but relieved it’s not serious. I don’t normally let her play with fabrics but she outsmarted me this time

 

[Hankmacaw]

Two of my birds were impacted more than once (my female GW had PICA). When you examine her poop, put it in a plastic sandwich bag so you can smoosh it around to check for the string. You may never see it, but it will go through.

I wanted to mention too, if you have a happy hut for your bird, get it out of her cage now and throw it away and never put another one in there. We have had numerous birds on this forum die from impactions from chewing on happy huts. It is common and I wish more people knew about their danger.

 

[Columba]

Two of my birds were impacted more than once (my female GW had PICA). When you examine her poop, put it in a plastic sandwich bag so you can smoosh it around to check for the string. You may never see it, but it will go through.

I wanted to mention too, if you have a happy hut for your bird, get it out of her cage now and throw it away and never put another one in there. We have had numerous birds on this forum die from impactions from chewing on happy huts. It is common and I wish more people knew about their danger.

Thanks, I’ll try that! I bought some peanut butter (couldn’t find almond) today but she’s not keen on it. Do I have the only bird who doesn’t like PB? But I’ll keep trying and maybe she will get used to it, or I’ll put some on a treat stick, but just a little as it’s really fatty. When looking online about her eating thread, I did see several posts warning about those toys! I only give her wooden or paper toys but she did have a soft hut I put on top of her cage for her to sit on. That’s gone now

 

[Hankmacaw]

Nope, none of my birds actually ever liked peanut butter.