Reply With QuoteI'm 35 minutes from the nearest pet store and they're closed anyway.
Gina fell earlier, and now she has what appears to bea a feather bleeding, I need ideas. No vets in my area
I'm 35 minutes from the nearest pet store and they're closed anyway.
I sent my better half to wal-mart to look for some styptic powder. Gina seems to be calmer now. Hopefully it was a false alarm. I'm watching her close.
I've just heard stories about bleeding feathers killing birds.
I've got the styptic pencils on the way, but I don't think they'll be necessary tonight. I haven't seen any additional drops, but she still seems to be favoring that wing (to be expected).
Thank you (and CD) so much for my little flipping out moment.:blush:
You can use baking powder, flour or corn starch to clot blood. But that will not help as a blood feather that is cracked and bleeding down its length can not be clotted.
You must solve the problem by using some pliers and grab the feather shaft near the skin, maybe 3/8" away, and yanking it out as if plucking an eye brow hair/eyelash thing or pulling off a bandaid thats stuck to some hair. Just yank with speed while applying slight pressure with a finger to the base of the feather shaft against the skin so the skin has no chance of tearing too.
The feather hole thing(cant think of the actual name right now...) after yanking may bleed for about 2 mins or some but if dabbed with the flour it will stop.
Make sure to wash you hands and arms throughly before doing this and have your toweling assistant do the same!
Speaking of towling assistant.... I know now that Gina doesn't like my girlfriend touching her while she is laying on her back. (she lets me lay her on her back) I was trying to look at her wing, and my better half touched her, soon after there were 2 in the house that were bleeding :huh:
I hope Gina is getting better. Chances are all will be OK.
Broken/bleeding blood feather should ONLY BE PULLED as a LAST RESORT. Pulling out a feather can cause the birds major trauma, pain and can make them distrust you. Most broken bloods will heal on their own, no need to pull them out unless bleeding is rather profuse and cannot be stopped. In the wild they sustain injuries and are able to take care of it on their own. People who have owned birds for many years will encounter a broken/bleeding blood feather and will confirm that there generally is no need to pull out a feather unless the bleeding is quite bad and cannot be stopped.
Another important note, styptic powder/pencil should only be used on bleeding toe nails, never to stop a bleeding feather. This is important as the styptic powder chemical can permanently damage feather follicles so that they may not ever grow back properly. The recommended blood feather remedy is corn starch and/or flour to promote clotting. If that does not work, then pulling may be the only option.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/07/02 08:17
Dblhelix is exactly right. DO NOT pluck the damaged feather, Gina will lose it eventually, and painlessly, if left alone. The bleeding has stopped. If it starts again you can deal with it now you know how.
Poor Gina has suffered enough trauma already without doing something so potentially dangerous and definitely traumatic and painful.
I always pull them. It stops the bleeding and you dont have to worry about it starting again.
PS you can use flour to stop the bleeding. Or a bar of soap. However I have only used soap when I had no flour in the house.<br><br>Post edited by: Tari, at: 2007/07/02 11:51
Oh My God...hmy: I would have been up all night just watching in fear of it starting again!
But then, I am the type of person that wakes up at 1 in the morning and starts thinking about high priorities at work, on new projects were designing or "Bugs" we need to fix and end up going into the office at 4am :woohoo:
I hope your little guy is just fine this morning.
Is he still favoring that wing?
Good Luck - Dan<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2007/07/02 15:26
Within all of us is a varying amount of space lint and star dust, the residue from our creation. Most are too busy to notice it, and it is stronger in some than others. It is strongest in those of us who fly and is responsible for an unconscious, subtle desire to slip into some wings and try for the elusive boundaries of our origin. ~K.O. Eckland, "Footprints On Clouds"
Dayo in flight....
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