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Urgent Open sore on back?

KatieKess

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Katie
Hi everyone!
My cockatiel Marvin has had very dry / itchy skin as of recently. I realized that the humidity in our home was very low- about 30%. I bought a hydrometer and am now keeping track of the humidity levels in his room, and I also bought a humidifier which is near his cage. I’ve been able to get the humidity to be fluctuating between 35%-40%. I know this is still bad, but I’m having a hard time getting it to raise and stay. I am misting the room 3 times a day with a warm mist sprayer, and showering with the the door open to release steam into the air. I’ve been also misting my bird at least once a day, but he hates it. Prior to his skin becoming irritated, I will admit he rarely bathed. Everything I try , he seems to hate! I also believe he is molting. So with the dry air, molting, and unfrequent bathing I am pretty sure this is why his skin is bothering him. However, my concern is that he has a rather large sore on his back right behind his neck, which he is constantly picking at. In the mornings I can tell it’s scabbed over, but he then picks the scab and I can see a small (very small) amount of blood. It’s not runny or anything like that, just enough that I can tell he’s broken the surface of his skin. This has been going on for a little less than a week, and he has a vet appointment scheduled for this coming Saturday. That’s the soonest I could get him in, unless I have to take him in as an emergency of course. But funds are tight and I am trying to avoid that unless it is necessary. He is acting completely normal , playing and eating , he just is very itchy. He does make a noise when he is picking at that spot, so I know it’s hurting when he messes with it. I’ve also tried spraying some moly ease on his feathers but it hasn’t seemed to help either. He was tested for giardia at the vets just a couple months ago, when he was experiencing a bald spot under his wing. That test came back negative, we were told it was potentially allergies and his feathers grew back normally. So I dont believe it could be any type of parasite? He will be going to the vets of course but I wanted to see what you guys thought in the meantime? And maybe if anyone has any tips on how to make him more comfortable and stop itching so much? thank you in advance!
He is 2 years old by the way, and yes, I know he is actually a she. We just call him a transgender bird, lol. I tried to get a picture of the spot but it is hard to see.
 

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Feather

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I’ve also tried spraying some moly ease on his feathers but it hasn’t seemed to help either.
I'm not familiar with this product. Can you tell me what it is? I'm assuming some kind of aloe spray? Put it away, please, you shouldn't be spraying him with anything but water.

My thought is maybe something happened to injure that area initially to cause him to mess with it. Could something have fallen on him, maybe a toy or a guillotine style door if he has them on his cage? Could also be/have been an ingrown feather he tried to take care of on his own.

I'm glad you're getting him to the vet on Saturday. I hope you get some answers.
 

Tiel Feathers

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Giardia tests need to be done more than once because false negatives are common. I hope the vet can figure out what the issue is!
 

sunnysmom

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I hope they can figure out what's wrong. I don't know if I would bathe him everyday. That seems like a lot to me. Especially if he hates it. If you have a humidifier, I think that would be sufficient. What is his diet like?

@Birdbabe ?
 

Zara

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I can´t say what is wrong with your bird because I´m not a vet, but my lovebird had a bit of dermatitis last year. At first the vet just refered to the site in question as ¨wounds¨ but later said dermatitis. It seemed like what you are saying about your bird except for the bald spot under the wing.
I wrote about it on here in a thread. We went to the vet numerous times, had an assortment of meds including one injection, got sprayed with an antibiotic spray by the vet a few times and had to be collared for some of the days as he wouldn´t stop picking. He made a somewhat speedy recovery following the vets advice.

I don´t have much advice for now, except (as Feather said) don´t spray anything on your bird. Try to keep their mind off picking at the site, picking risks infection.

The quicker you can get to the vet the better.
 

KatieKess

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Katie
I hope they can figure out what's wrong. I don't know if I would bathe him everyday. That seems like a lot to me. Especially if he hates it. If you have a humidifier, I think that would be sufficient. What is his diet like?

@Birdbabe ?
70% ZuPreem natural pellets, 25% veggie chop (mostly broccoli, carrots, sometimes a little spinach) and 5% treats (millet, seeds, nutria berries)
 

KatieKess

Sitting on the front steps
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Katie
I can´t say what is wrong with your bird because I´m not a vet, but my lovebird had a bit of dermatitis last year. At first the vet just refered to the site in question as ¨wounds¨ but later said dermatitis. It seemed like what you are saying about your bird except for the bald spot under the wing.
I wrote about it on here in a thread. We went to the vet numerous times, had an assortment of meds including one injection, got sprayed with an antibiotic spray by the vet a few times and had to be collared for some of the days as he wouldn´t stop picking. He made a somewhat speedy recovery following the vets advice.

I don´t have much advice for now, except (as Feather said) don´t spray anything on your bird. Try to keep their mind off picking at the site, picking risks infection.

The quicker you can get to the vet the better.
Thank you so much!
 

Birdbabe

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I know someone said no aloe spray, but I use raw aloe, do you have a plant you could get some fresh cut from and fresh " goo".. to put on the boo boo?..
Its non toxic, and may help relieve itchiness till you see the vet..either that or maybe some vitamin E oil? Prick the capsule with a sterile pin and put it on..hope your baby will be ok and heal quickly!
 
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