My bird's tail feather came out!!!!!!!!

[Darth_Kitten]

it's just one.....but....am I just panicking for no reason?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Young parrot I take it

Yes you are... birds DO MOLT every six months or so....

Also they grow back even if you accidentally removed it.

Now if this was a NEW feather there might be a little bleeding as those do have a blood suply...direct pressure works wonders, but careful of beak, you may want to wrap junior in a towel... but ONLY DO THIS if this was a new feather...no need to traumatize junior unecesarily.

[XanaDUer]

2. Is there bleeding?

If not, then it's probably okay. May need to see a vet if you're not sure. :shrug:

[Darth_Kitten]

9. No bleeding that I can see.....

this feather looked slightly bent for a few days.....I was wondering about it, but now it's out, and Murphee seems to be just sitting on her perch, and again, no blood.

forgive me, guys, I'm just new at this and bound to be a little panicky. (new bird "mom")

[Cappurr]

3. What kind of bird?

Any other molting? And are you sure Darth Kitten knows nothing about this?

I had love birds. They lost tail feathers frequently

[XanaDUer]

5. My love bird would not only lose tail feathers

but rip up his newspaper and stick strips of it up into his tail feathers!

Weird.

[blondeatlast]

4. Not to worry, as long as there is no blood. Very normal.

Did you give him a little rub for me?

[DEMActivist]

6. Yeah, my macaw just molted her largest 2 tail feathers

It's molting season. Nothing to worry about unless you see blood.

Realize that birds have no "clotting" abilities so if your bird is bleeding, you have little time to react.

Have some cornstarch on hand at all times and use it as a steptic. While most vets tell you steptic is fine for the bird, realize they are chewers with a passion for keeping their feathers clean. When they inevitably start to chew off the "dirt" on their feathers, the corn starch is harmless.

[Darth_Kitten]

11. This molting....

it's a natural process, and they don't usually loose blood?

[Dookus]

13. yes, very natural

and no, they don't bleed.

BTW... are you going to clip her wings? Have you learned how to do it?

[Darth_Kitten]

16. I will take her in to get her wings and nails clipped....

I don't know how to do it, and I was planning to take her in within the next few weeks. More than a few places here that offer the service. :)
Maybe I'll learn to do it myself, but for now, I'll leave it to the professionals. :hi:

[Dookus]

17. yes...

I was going to suggest that. Go to a professional the first few times. But it really isn't hard to do yourself, as long as you know how.

With my cockatiel, I found he preferred ME to do it. He didn't like the trip to the groomers, and he would scream like hell when they did it. When I did it, he sat quietly.

[Darth_Kitten]

20. hopefully I'll learn......

to do it properly...... :)

[Dookus]

23. it's really a piece of cake....

when you get your bird groomed, notice exactly where they trim the feathers.

Then, when you're ready to do it, wrap the little thing in a towel with a wing extended out of it. One quick snip with sharp scissors should do it. Then do the other wing. Takes all of 30 seconds.

As for clipping nails, it's basically the same rule as applies to cats. Buy a little cat or bird nail clipper and just take a little off the ends. You can usually see the quick in the nail, and avoid it easily.

I ONCE went a little too far and got some bleeding, but it didn't seem to affect him at all. He healed right up.

And yes, heed the advice to get some styptic powder for just such an event.

[Darth_Kitten]

24. it's the sharp instruments that worry me......

don't want the little sweetie to jerk or something and get cut. That's MY major worry. :(

[Padraig18]

7. Grab the super glue!

I think it's normal, actually, as long as there's no bleeding. :)

[THUNDER HANDS]

8. I would

Clearly the plucking is going very slow. I suggest preheating the oven to 350-degrees and double-time it until the oven is ready.

:)

just kidding, I have no knowledge of birds.

[sistersofmercy]

10. Did it fall out or did she pull it out?

Stress can cause unusual molts but they do molt quite frequently when young, also seasonal molts. If you see your bird plucking her own feathers go to an avian certified vet. Buy a buddy hut for your bird it's the best purchase you'll make for her. If you don't have one, PM me and I'll give you my vets number, they'll be happy to take an order over the phone.

[Darth_Kitten]

14. Thanks for all the concern and info, guys....

as usual, you guys are the BEST!!! :)

[Dookus]

12. probably nothing to worry about...

happens all the time.

[haele]

15. If I remember, it's a cockatiel, correct?

They shed tailfeathers when it's time for a molt, so it's no problem at all.

Heck, mine decided to dart under my foot as I was putting down the dog's dinner plate one time (he likes to "share food" with Shari), and I ended up stepping on his tail, pulling out all his tailfeathers.

That didn't hurt him (except for the initial shock) and you should have heard the cussing! It also didn't halt his flying about any, either. Poor bald-butt birdie!

Ah well. They grew back within three months. And he still doesn't hesitate to try and get to the dog's dinner before the dog does.

As long as there's no bleeding, and he's not all hunched up with his feathers ruffled, he'll be okay.

Haele

[flamingyouth]

18. Molting

It gets a little more intense after times of stress. Be not alarmed, my darling.

Unless she's bleeding or something.

At any rate, keep some styptic powder in your house. You can get it at a pet store - it will stop any bleeding from when the little angels (devils) pick at themselves.

Buster went through this phase - after taking him to the emergency vet one night to the tune of like $150, I figured this out on my own.

Good luck!

[Dookus]

19. BTW...

One thing to be very careful of that a lot of people don't know.

Be very careful if your bird goes or lives in your kitchen. If non-stick pans get too hot, they give off fumes that we can't detect but which are fatal to little birdies.

[Darth_Kitten]

22. Yes, that's on my checklist....

I'll be sticking to cast iron pans, etc, from now on.

[dweller]

21. You cannot, i repeat

cannot hold him by the tail that way!!
:)

probably molting, as most have said above.

We clean a few feathers out each week with the cage cleaning. It's normal.

btw, our Pearl is brooding 3 eggs. It's the first time she's ever sat on them for any period of time. She usually ignores them, and i shine a flashlight on them to see if there's any vialbility to them. Eventually toss them. But these 3 she won't let me near yet. I have to get them in some pine shavings soon, if she'll get off them long enough.
ever seen a baby cockatiel? not a pretty sight...but this could be interesting.

good luck with Murphee.
dp