Post Surgery Care tips

[RebeccaZM]

So to make a long and stressful story short, my 7 month old cockatiel Obi-Wan will most likely be having 'surgery' in the coming days to remove his blood feathers (not permanently), all are broken, on both wings. We spent yesterday and last night at a family member's apartment because we had to have some elements in our furnace replaced (fumes and all that), and the whole day he did wonderfully, talking and serenading my brother. This morning he had a night fright in his bigger travel cage and I think due to the new/unfamiliar environment he didn't calm down right away when he heard my voice, usually he calms as soon as he hears my voice. The bleeding was minimal and stopped quickly but the vet applied styptic powder just in case, and said rather than risk him hurting them more and bleeding again, he would like to put him under some anesthesia tomorrow (depending on Obi's stress) and remove the broken feathers and let him grow new ones.

I was planning on having him sleep in his smaller carrier until he is healed, it's a standard ventilated pet carrier with a grate front, it looks like this.
PETMATE Ruff Maxx Dog & Cat Kennel, Off White/Green, 26-in - Chewy.com

Does anyone have any tips for how to make his healing process as comfortable as possible and how long he might be feeling tender afterwards? I knew beforehand how clumsy baby birds (especially cockatiels) are, does anyone have any tips for keeping him safe while his new flight feathers grow in? Aside from bubble wrap that is, lol (kidding). He is a cuddler but not big on having his wings touched. What would be a good way to work with him on having his wings checked/handled in the future?

Thank you!

 

[Ripshod]

Despite the 'surgery' term being used there really is no surgery involved. The vet will simply pluck the feathers in a situation where should the feather break off leaving the root in the follicle the vet would be able to quickly intervene and remove the stub. To you it'll be a simple reset back to when the feathers were moulted, so aside from his recovery from any sedation used your care would be just the same as a normal moult.
Should the vet need to make an incision to release a feather it'll be tiny and will only need to be monitored and kept clean.

 

[tka]

How many stubs are being removed?
What is his normal cage like?

As @Ripshod said, this is really very minor surgery. I suspect that keeping him in his travel cage might be more stressful than helpful. You can rearrange his normal cage - make sure there are perches so he can move around easily and you might want to remove the highest perches.

 

[RebeccaZM]

Thank you! After monitoring him for a day the vet determined his feathers were looking great and he was able to come home! I padded the bottom of his cage with some towels covered with paper towels and removed his toys for the night. He spent the night in his normal cage and is doing great, thanks everyone!