# My cockatiels broke its leg



## mee001 (Sep 16, 2012)

We just got him today from a breeder. he's about 3 to 4 months old..this cockatiel wasn't used to having the bar cage because his had paper at the bottom. thing is when the breeder put him in its new cage it got really scared and kept jumping around. i think he broke his leg in the process. he's okay with me petting him but gets defensive if i try to get anywhere near its leg.he doesn't want to eat anything or drink any water. he doesn't move its left leg and is leaning on its right side or has his left wing help him to balance as he lays down. what can i do to help him??


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If the leg is really broken you need to get him to an avian vet ASAP to set the leg. Otherwise it might heal incorrectly and cause lifelong problems. If you tell us your location we can help you find a vet. 

A bird that is sick or injured needs to be kept warm. You can put a towel or cloth across one end of the cage and shine a lamp on it so the heat passes through the cloth and into the cage. You only heat one side of the cage so the bird can move to the other side if he gets too hot.

Can you post a picture of the bird so we can see what he's doing?


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Your cockatiel needs to see a vet. We can't determine whether or not your bird broke its leg, and a vet needs to assess it and splint it if it is broken, as well as administer pain meds.


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## mee001 (Sep 16, 2012)

tielfan said:


> If the leg is really broken you need to get him to an avian vet ASAP to set the leg. Otherwise it might heal incorrectly and cause lifelong problems. If you tell us your location we can help you find a vet.
> 
> A bird that is sick or injured needs to be kept warm. You can put a towel or cloth across one end of the cage and shine a lamp on it so the heat passes through the cloth and into the cage. You only heat one side of the cage so the bird can move to the other side if he gets too hot.
> 
> Can you post a picture of the bird so we can see what he's doing?


i live in Baldwin Park California..i will post a picture shortly


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## mee001 (Sep 16, 2012)

mee001 said:


> i live in Baldwin Park California..i will post a picture shortly


he's just laying down...his flying is normal, he picked this bowl to lay down and doesn't want to move from there so i've let him rest there


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Definitely get the bird to a vet ASAP! If it's not putting any weight at all on the leg, there's a good chance that it's broken. I took in a budgie with a broken leg, and the vet splinted it and it healed in three weeks. It's now been a month and he's almost 100%. The vet did warn me that it's very important to act quickly in these types of situations, especially with birds.


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## mee001 (Sep 16, 2012)

echolalia said:


> Definitely get the bird to a vet ASAP! If it's not putting any weight at all on the leg, there's a good chance that it's broken. I took in a budgie with a broken leg, and the vet splinted it and it healed in three weeks. It's now been a month and he's almost 100%. The vet did warn me that it's very important to act quickly in these types of situations, especially with birds.


okay, i will..thank you so much!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Just to be sure you know: lots of dog and cat vets don't treat birds and don't really know anything about them. So you have to make sure that any vet you choose is an experienced bird vet.

Baldwin Park is in the Los Angeles area. There's a list of California avian veterinarians at http://www.aav.org/search/results.php?filter=state&q=ca&Submit=Search and a list of Southern California vets at http://www.thewestvalleybirdsociety.com/Avian_Veterinarians.html Several of them have emergency services which you will probably need since it's a weekend. 

There's another list with a map and reviews at http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=avian+vet&find_loc=Los+Angeles,+CA

This forum recommends a couple of specific vets: http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community/showthread.php/42705-Bird-vet-in-LA-Area


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Your bird is gorgeous, and the picture doesn't show any obvious sign of injury or illness. The feathers aren't puffed up and the bird looks very alert and energetic. But the symptoms of not walking on the leg and using the wing to lie down are not good at all, and you really need to talk to a vet.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I would definitely get to an avian vet since it's not putting weight on the leg. That's a very pretty bird, and I would hate for it to have a misaligned leg for the rest of its life. Best of luck to you!


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## mee001 (Sep 16, 2012)

*Thank you all*

thanks for the help everyone, ad the websites...i found an animal hospital open today and they checked my cockatiel. His leg wasn't broken but his muscle was strained and he was in a lot of pain..they took xrays and gave him some med and he will be okay :]]


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

thats good news it is not broken! just make sure he rests that leg and doesnt over do himself, keep him in the hospital cage for now  no perches in it, just let him rest it until he is better


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## stevechurch2222 (Sep 25, 2011)

Glad to hear he going to be ok.Keep us informed on his recovery.


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## tweety2012 (Jul 29, 2012)

My sylvester broke his leg about a week ago... I got him to the vet they splinted it gave him meds and he's kinda using it now... he goes tommrow for check up hopefully splint comes off...keep him warm and make sure he's eating we had to put sylvester in our lap to get him to eat at first...I hope he's okay...


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## Erinsmom (Sep 7, 2012)

I am so glad to hear its not broken.....hope he feels better soon!!


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