# Cockatiel got stepped on?



## happybird (Jun 16, 2012)

Hello everyone.

The only reason I decided to join this forum was just so that I could get your advice on what to do with my bird.

She's a six month old cockatiel named Noorie who I've had for three months. I had a cockatiel for about a year before this one, so I have somewhat experience.

Yesterday, my eight year old sister accidentally stepped on Noorie (while wearing shoes! ) and caught her wing. This happened last night and poor Noorie was very shocked and upset, hissing repeatedly and breathing very heavily. She was holding her wing awkwardly and lost many feathers. After the incident, she became very exhausted all of a sudden and after calming her down she immediately fell asleep while perched on my finger (she never _ever_ sleeps when she's with me!)

I put her to bed, and she was too weak to venture to her food bowl or her water dish or move to her favorite corner of her cage where she usually sleeps. 

I thought that by the morning she would've regained some energy but she's in almost exactly the same condition as last night. She's tired and weak, inactive and lazy and unenergetic. 

She's normally very energetic and hyper and loves to sing but she hasn't made a peep ever since the incident and refuses to fly or groom herself (she loves to fly and spends a good portion of the day grooming herself usually!)

I know this may sound cruel but I actually purposely poked her just to get a reaction out of her (under normal circumstances, she would squawk loudly and bite me, or hiss) and all she did was give a very feeble squawk and a feeble attempt to bite me.

Also, all of her droppings have been very watery. I managed to get her to eat and drink by feeding her from my hand and making her drink from the sink, but I'm worried.

The vet isn't an option because it's 6 pm right now and all the vets I know close at 12 on Saturdays, and are all closed on Sundays tomorrrow. I could probably get her to a vet by Monday.

I apologize for the extremely long post, but I wanted to include all the details. I appreciate your help.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Try to find an emergency veterinarian. It sounds like she has been injured. 

Until you can get her to a vet, you need to keep her warm. Put a towel or cloth across one end of the cage and shine a lamp on it at a distance that is close enough to let the heat from the bulb pass into the cage but not so close that it sets the towel on fire. Only one side of the cage is heated so she can move to the cooler end if she gets too hot.

Pedialyte can help improve the energy level of sick or injured birds. Pedialyte is used mainly for sick human babies. If you don't have any, it's easy to make a substitute with simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen. If you can't get her to drink it, you can soak some seeds in it and let her eat them off your finger. Gatorade will work too if you have any of that.

These links have recipes:
http://birdboard.com/forum/topic/8602093-rehydration-electrolytes/
http://clearingmyemptynest.blogspot.com/2009/02/oral-rehydration-solution-homemade.html


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## happybird (Jun 16, 2012)

Her condition is improving! She's jumping around and becoming a bit more active as well, and not immediately falling asleep.

We have Pedialyte at home, but how much should I feed her?


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

Just dillute some in water and offer it to her. It's just an energy boost to help her recover.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Let her drink as much as she wants. It doesn't take much to make a difference and a few drops is all you need if you want to put some directly in her beak. If she takes a little and acts better afterward, you don't need to give it again unless she takes a downturn.


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## happybird (Jun 16, 2012)

I fed her some drops of Pedialyte diluted with water with a dropper, she's doing better now. She started grooming her injured wing and even made an attempt to fly today. She also began to sing.

Thanks for your help!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Pedialyte has salt and sugar in it - these ingredients play a vital role in restoring the electrolyte balance but obviously you don't want to give her vast amounts of it. But it might be helpful to give her a little bit more tonight before bedtime and again in the morning if she isn't back to normal. And please do get her to a vet as soon as you can to make sure that she's OK.


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