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- 10/11/11
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I wanted to post this in case anyone else ever encounters it. If this happens to your bird, you need to get him to a vet as soon as possible.
My little 11 yr. old green cheek/maroon belly conure got a seed stuck in his choanal slit (upper palate) last night at around midnight. This little bird is my buddy and I have had him since he weaned as a baby. I knew what had happened immediately as he started clawing at his beak and face, shaking his head, drinking lots of water, and then grabbed a peanut shell to rub his beak. Very quickly he started making these gurgling noises as the soft tissue swelled around the seed. I called the on-call vet several times, but no answer. Luckily I have been through this before with Rocky and each time he has made it through the night fine. At about 1 AM I gave up on the vet. The last time this happened at night, I called the er vet clinincs. They had admitted that they know nothing about birds, and all they could do was put him in an incubator until a qualified vet could see him the next day. Since Rocky was still eating and pooping normally, I decided to wait until AM.
I did not sleep well at all knowing he had to be very uncomfortable. I got up early and called the neighborhood avian vet. He was not in today. His colleague did not feel comfortable treating him. The second avian vet I use has moved to another state. She had to put him under anaesthesia the last time this happened to get the seed out. Her colleague was in and could see him, but he is not an avian vet. I decided to try him first, and if he wasnt comfortable with it, than I knew one more avian vet I could try. I had used this vet one time for my caique and he was great. His office assured me that he is very good with birds and does surgeries all the time. I raced across town expecting this to be an all day ordeal, as the last couple times this happened, they had to keep him all day. Well, he got me into an office right away. He took Rocky out of the exam room, anesthesized him, and got the seed out in less than 10 mins! He was WONDERFUL (Dr. Svdoba in Phoenix). He also gave him a shot of steroids and gave me some antibiotics to give him. He showed me the seed that got wedged up there and it was quite large. He said that it was a matter of time before it abscessed and he died.
Apparently, the upper palate of parrots (or at least green cheeks) is V-shaped. We discussed why this keeps happening. Rocky's palate may be wider than normal, or for some reason his tongue is pushing the seed back there. He said he may be stacking seeds in his mouth. The one thing I know is everytime this has happened, it has been at night in his night cage. From now on, I will put only pellets in there.
Since I had them groom Rocky (including his wings), I let him ride on my shoulder for the drive home. You have never seen such an affectionate bird! Nonstop kisses and snuggles. It was like he was telling me thank you. I am so relieved that my little guy is back to normal.
Anyway, if you see your bird pawing at his face and shaking his head repeatedly, this may be the cause.
My little 11 yr. old green cheek/maroon belly conure got a seed stuck in his choanal slit (upper palate) last night at around midnight. This little bird is my buddy and I have had him since he weaned as a baby. I knew what had happened immediately as he started clawing at his beak and face, shaking his head, drinking lots of water, and then grabbed a peanut shell to rub his beak. Very quickly he started making these gurgling noises as the soft tissue swelled around the seed. I called the on-call vet several times, but no answer. Luckily I have been through this before with Rocky and each time he has made it through the night fine. At about 1 AM I gave up on the vet. The last time this happened at night, I called the er vet clinincs. They had admitted that they know nothing about birds, and all they could do was put him in an incubator until a qualified vet could see him the next day. Since Rocky was still eating and pooping normally, I decided to wait until AM.
I did not sleep well at all knowing he had to be very uncomfortable. I got up early and called the neighborhood avian vet. He was not in today. His colleague did not feel comfortable treating him. The second avian vet I use has moved to another state. She had to put him under anaesthesia the last time this happened to get the seed out. Her colleague was in and could see him, but he is not an avian vet. I decided to try him first, and if he wasnt comfortable with it, than I knew one more avian vet I could try. I had used this vet one time for my caique and he was great. His office assured me that he is very good with birds and does surgeries all the time. I raced across town expecting this to be an all day ordeal, as the last couple times this happened, they had to keep him all day. Well, he got me into an office right away. He took Rocky out of the exam room, anesthesized him, and got the seed out in less than 10 mins! He was WONDERFUL (Dr. Svdoba in Phoenix). He also gave him a shot of steroids and gave me some antibiotics to give him. He showed me the seed that got wedged up there and it was quite large. He said that it was a matter of time before it abscessed and he died.
Apparently, the upper palate of parrots (or at least green cheeks) is V-shaped. We discussed why this keeps happening. Rocky's palate may be wider than normal, or for some reason his tongue is pushing the seed back there. He said he may be stacking seeds in his mouth. The one thing I know is everytime this has happened, it has been at night in his night cage. From now on, I will put only pellets in there.
Since I had them groom Rocky (including his wings), I let him ride on my shoulder for the drive home. You have never seen such an affectionate bird! Nonstop kisses and snuggles. It was like he was telling me thank you. I am so relieved that my little guy is back to normal.
Anyway, if you see your bird pawing at his face and shaking his head repeatedly, this may be the cause.
