# Lutino Cockatiel's eye REDDER!!!



## BirdBoy (Jun 15, 2011)

Hello, I thought I would join here for help. I have a white lutino cockatiel and I am extremely worried that my chest hurts for this guy... First of all, it's his birthday today.
When I went to the cage I noticed around his left eye was much redder than the other one, in fact the other one looks just the same as everyday. Here is a picture that I was able to take: 









Sorry if it's not too clear but he never stays still... As a matter of fact, he still seems like his usual self. But it's his eye what worries me. I see bits of discharge/liquid type stuff on the bottom of the lid and I don't want to do anything wrong to blame myself even more. I don't want anything happening to his big beautiful eyes and it's just not fair for this thing to happen on his special day. 

Is there anything I can do at home because it's impossible for me to see a vet since there are none around me.
How should I wash his eyes? I read somewhere else that you could even use artificial eye droppers that's used on people but I don't want to take any kind of risks. He's too precious and I know that I won't even go to sleep because of this. 
How in the world could this have happeneD? Could it be an..infection? Seeing him is breaking my heart apart


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I'm not an expert on this but it does look like there is an injury or irritation to the eyelid. The eye doesn't seem to be watering which is good. The thread at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=20766 has some information on home remedies (post #8 by Susann aka srtiels) but I don't know if they are appropriate in this case. Susanne might be able to tell you more if she visits this thread.

If it's just a slight injury like a scratch it should heal by itself in a short time.


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## BirdBoy (Jun 15, 2011)

Thank you, I thought of cleaning the eye with cotton swabs but is it safe to use?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I looked at the photo more closely and it looks like there's a small bump in the middle of the red area on the lower eyelid. I don't know what it is, but if this is the cause of the problem then washing with a cotton swab probably won't help. Better wait for advice from someone who knows more about what's going on.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

P.S. If you don't want to wait for someone knowledgeable to come in, there are websites with online veterinarians that you can ask and get a quick reply. You may have to pay a small fee. I've never used any of these sites but I once talked to someone who did and they said it was helpful, and they only paid $10. I'm not completely sure which site they used but I think it was this one: http://www.justanswer.com/bird-vet/ If you google for online avian veterinarian you will find more. 

If you do this, be sure to send them a link to your picture so they can see the bird's eye.


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## BirdBoy (Jun 15, 2011)

tielfan said:


> I looked at the photo more closely and it looks like there's a small bump in the middle of the red area on the lower eyelid. I don't know what it is, but if this is the cause of the problem then washing with a cotton swab probably won't help. Better wait for advice from someone who knows more about what's going on.


Yeah, that bump is actually where the stuffy liquid is at, it's like taking up space and I want to clean it up but I am not sure if I really should use cotton swabs for this...


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

could it be a bug bite? just wondering if thats a possibility


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## jerry2006 (Oct 10, 2008)

Do you have an avian vet nearby-I think it would be best!
Jerry in Philly, pa-USA


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## BirdBoy (Jun 15, 2011)

What a coincidence, I also live in Philadelphia, PA but I rather not go to the one that was nearby me because they're the ones who did the absolute harm to my other cockatiel (I rather not talk about it) 
I just tried to get the stuff out using cotton swab but he's the one who keeps taking it from me to play with it. He doesn't stay still and I certainly don't want to touch anywhere that I shouldn't. He's too precious for me.

Also, I am planning on going to Petco. Could anyone suggest what I should be getting from there? Maybe they have eyedrops for this condition?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The problem is that we don't know yet what this condition is, and the eyes are so sensitive that I don't like the idea of messing around with them until we know what the appropriate treatment is. srtiels is probably the best person on this board to give advice. She's here almost every day but hasn't logged in for a couple of days now, so something might be going on that will prevent her from posting for a while. If you don't trust the local vets then asking an online vet is probably the second-best choice, at least until Susanne checks in.


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