Urgent URGENT

[Brooklyn]

URGENT PLEASE HELP!!
My green cheek conure got into a big mistake 2 days ago. He is caged with his mum and dad and is 5 months old. His dad suddenly snapped and attacked him. He ripped his whole top beak off. He was immediately rushed to our nearest vet who said they were unable to do anything for him as they are not avian vets. The closest avian vets are 500km away. They said to just feed his any mushy food we can think of. He has been eating veggies and fruit that have been blended in our blender. I also got him some no waste seed and vitamin and mineral pellets. They have been blended into a powder and given to him. The vet gave him a pain killer and he is happy as. He’s climbing around and acting like nothing is wrong. He is drinking water and licking his liquid fruits. He won’t touch the seed or pellet powder. He is still pooping normal and other than clearly seeing there is something wrong, he seems fine. My concern is, i don’t think he is able to survive on just The fruit and veggies. I’ve tried giving him baby food and he won’t touch it. So I was wondering, can a green cheek live off of lorikeet formula? Or would he be better off being put onto hand raising formula? Which one has the better nutritional value for him to be able to live on? I’m going to try giving him cooked pasta and egg tomorrow as I’ve heard they can have that. Any suggestions please?
And please no judgement for not being able to get him to the avian vet. It’s a long way and with the coronavirus around, we are on lockdown and are not allowed to leave our houses other than for buying food and no further then an hour away.

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm sorry your bird got hurt. I will tag some people. @Birdbabe @Hankmacaw @Mizzely

 

[Mizzely]

Lorikeet diet would be too high in sugar for a conure. I would work on getting him into hand feeding formula, or add some bird vitamins to one or two veggie feedings a day. The vitamins option though it is too easy to overdose or under feed, so would only be while you are transitioning

 

[webchirp]

Def handfeeding formula...emeraid from a vet if you can. Since you say KM away, I'm assuming out of the states? If you can get emeraid...2ml twice per day would give him all the nutrition he would need. Not sure what the equivalent of handfeeding formula is. Also, you will need to keep an eye on him from now on as they can develop bacterial infections easier.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Like @Mizzely says there is way too much sugar in Lorikeet food. Hand feeding him baby bird formula is much better. When he gets older you can put pellets and veggies in a blender an feed him with that. Don't forget that he may need supplemental water. Keep his beak very clean so an infection doesn't start

Hopefully, the beak will grow out on his own, but if it doesn't there are many cases of vets making a replacement beak with a 3D printer. Maybe when this entire virus mess is over you can look into that.

 

[Birdbabe]

What the others say,baby bird formula if you have or can get it,,poor baby, I dont know if the beak will grow back, I think we have a member who had a bird with no or barely any upper beak, just cant think of who it is.

 

[Brooklyn]

Thank you all so much. You are amazing. I will definitely get hand raising formula today. I can’t believe how happy he is considering what has happened. He definitely isn’t ready to give up! I am in Australia we have a gel stuff called critter care, it is a supplement for small animals that aren’t eating well or need that extra boost of supplemental food. I’m going to look into that as well today and see if it would be suitable to give him a small amount daily incase he needs that extra bit of nutrients. I have been keeping his beak clean with a q-tip and warm water. I have been cleaning it every hour to make sure it stays nice and clean

 

[Brooklyn]

Like @Mizzely says there is way too much sugar in Lorikeet food. Hand feeding him baby bird formula is much better. When he gets older you can put pellets and veggies in a blender an feed him with that. Don't forget that he may need supplemental water. Keep his beak very clean so an infection doesn't start

Hopefully, the beak will grow out on his own, but if it doesn't there are many cases of vets making a replacement beak with a 3D printer. Maybe when this entire virus mess is over you can look into that.

Thank you! I was wondering if a beak replacement would be an option. As soon as this virus has settled down, I will be taking him to the avian vet to make sure I am doing everything correctly for him

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

@Shezbug is in Australia... she may be able to point you in the right direction for supplies and help. Can you share some photos of his beak?

 

[Shezbug]

You are actually allowed out of your house for any kind of vet care you may need, so, if you can get an appointment you will have no worries travelling there for that. The only place around here that sells my dogs biscuits is a vet clinic that is nearly an hour away (also where my dog goes for any issues as I do not like the treatment from our local vets in town) I have already checked about travel to the vet clinic as I had to take my dog there recently and I was also concerned about her food as I will not feed her supermarket rubbish and it is fine going to the vet regardless if it is an emergency or not.
I am not entirely sure what supplies you need however there is a thread with a few links for Australian stores Aussie members where do you shop for bird supplies?

If you can not get the formula I personally would just powder the pellets you have and mash some sweet potato mix the two with some boiling water and stir till you get the consistency you like then let cool to nice temp and spoon feed- Burt can not resist this especially if I put a little RPO and Almond butter/paste in with it. I have found that if you use boiling water on powdered pellets they continue to soak up the liquid so by the time the boiling water has cooled to a nice temp the consistency should not change so you will know then if you need more water or a touch more powder for your desired consistency.

Also if you know the AV you have chosen is the closest to you that is great, but, if not, we may be able to help you locate closer ones or other ones if you let us know your area. I was told by many people I would have to travel into Melbourne to get to an AV..... I found a great one less than half that distance away from me.

 

[Brooklyn]

Oh thats

You are actually allowed out of your house for any kind of vet care you may need, so, if you can get an appointment you will have no worries travelling there for that. The only place around here that sells my dogs biscuits is a vet clinic that is nearly an hour away (also where my dog goes for any issues as I do not like the treatment from our local vets in town) I have already checked about travel to the vet clinic as I had to take my dog there recently and I was also concerned about her food as I will not feed her supermarket rubbish and it is fine going to the vet regardless if it is an emergency or not.
I am not entirely sure what supplies you need however there is a thread with a few links for Australian stores Aussie members where do you shop for bird supplies?

If you can not get the formula I personally would just powder the pellets you have and mash some sweet potato mix the two with some boiling water and stir till you get the consistency you like then let cool to nice temp and spoon feed- Burt can not resist this especially if I put a little RPO and Almond butter/paste in with it. I have found that if you use boiling water on powdered pellets they continue to soak up the liquid so by the time the boiling water has cooled to a nice temp the consistency should not change so you will know then if you need more water or a touch more powder for your desired consistency.

Also if you know the AV you have chosen is the closest to you that is great, but, if not, we may be able to help you locate closer ones or other ones if you let us know your area. I was told by many people I would have to travel into Melbourne to get to an AV..... I found a great one less than half that distance away from me.

Oh thank you so much!! My vet told me we were unable to travel such a distance at the moment for animal medical care. I am just about to leave and drive into my local pet produce store. I have just called and they have hand raising formula and a product called avian critter care which has all of the nutrients he needs. As soon as I’m back, I will grab a close up pic of his beak

 

[Shezbug]

If you are crossing borders you will be stopped and most likely not allowed. But depending on what state you’re in depends on how strict the stay at home rules are. However, it is my understanding that being allowed to take animals for vet care is an Australia wide thing.
Which state are you in?

 

[Monica]

Besides the fact that lorikeet food may have sugar in it, it's also not formulated for parrots who eat a non-nectar diet. At least, that's a possible concern.

Granted, handfeeding formula isn't healthy for adult birds long term either.....


But if I were to recommend either one, I would recommend handfeeding formula as a temporary supplement to the diet. You could also look into a neonate formula or perhaps a breeders formula. If the food is large in size, crush it down/make into a paste and feed via a spoon.


Depending on where he lost his upper beak, it may or may not grow back. Yes, you can get prosthetic beaks for birds.... however, if there is *ANY* growth to the beak, it would need to be replaced every 3-4 months at least as the old piece would likely fall off and a new one would have to be made. The only time a prosthetic beak would be beneficial is when there is no growth.

My mitred conure is missing half of his lower beak due to an injury caused by a much larger parrot. (his fault...) I had asked a couple of vets about a prosthetic beak and both advised against it. The injury happened when he was 12 years old, which is about 14 years ago now. (before I adopted him) Although I do feed him cockatiel sized food, besides beak trims he really doesn't get any special treatment.



I hope your little one is doing well!

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Would be nice to have an update and a photo.