# Sticky feathers?



## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

I'm a bit worried about Polly.....when I took her out this morning I realised that some of her feathers on the back of her neck, a few on her face and some on her wing were kind of 'hard', like something sticky has gone on them. Is it possible that she's vomited?  Or maybe regurgitated? She's acting normally as far as I can see, the only thing I can think of is that she ate a lot of raw broccoli last night, especially the stems....but I don't think that would make her sick?. I don't understand that if she has vomited, how did it get onto the back of her neck? Also, on her wing I saw what looks like a seed surrounded by a kind of gunk....I've taken a picture although it's not too clear. Any help would be much appreciated!


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Might be sick i duno i haven't seen my tiels be sick, is it possible that its just water and seed to make it sticky


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...it looks like vomit on the wing. When A bird vomits it comes up forcefully and the bird will sling it's head back and forth to get it from it's mouth and the stuff gets slung all over the head and body.

I would strongly suggest that you see a vet ASAP. Many times this can be an inflamation in the crop from bacteria or yeast.


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Thanks for the quick reply, I'll try and get an appointment for today. My poor Polly, I'm so worried


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

ah i only seen this on my budgies but they wasn't sick they were feeding each other 
hope polly is alright


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Good luck with your Appt. 

I'm not sure of the cause, so can't suggest what might help. You can describe to the vet what is going on and ask them if there is anything they would like you to do till you get Polly there, such as warmth or making sure she's drinking, etc.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i hope she gets better soon. my toby had vomitted when he was ill. they fling it everywhere...


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Thanks everyone  Her appointment is in an hour, I'm so nervous, I hope she'll be ok  Her mirror and the wall beside the cage has vomit all over it


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

yep, they get it everywhere. i hope shes ok and the vet appt goes good


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Well I'm just back from the vets, I took her to a normal vet because there are no avian vets up here  He listened to her heartbeat and weighed her (she's 90g apparently) and also checked her keelbone. The vet told me that she looks healthy apart from her left nostril which is a bit blocked....he said this could be due to lack of vitamin A, so I've to buy her some vitamins from the pet shop. I told him about Polly's broccoli eating marathon last night, and he said that she could have been sick from just eating too much (she doesn't normally eat that much broccoli). Does this sound right? He didn't look at her poo or anything, so I really hope she's not got an infection. The vet gave me worming drops for both Polly and Henry since they haven't been wormed yet....I've to give Polly 6 drops on the back of her neck and Henry 5 drops since he is smaller. She seems to be ok right now, she's preening herself and eating, so hopefully this was just a one off!

PS the vet bill only came to £22 which I was very pleased with  I was dreading a big bill!


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Ohh I've just been reading about worming birds on this forum. Apparently it could be harmful to my birds because they have not actually been diagnosed with worms  So I think I'll pass on the worming treatment for now! Polly is napping on the perch with her head tucked behind her at the moment, I hope she'll be ok :blink:


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

£22 think it cost £27 for cookie. I agree i wouldnt give polly any tablets as not proper avian vet  Broccoli to blame then ha ha


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Yeah I think it was the broccoli to blame, well hopefully it was the broccoli!! She seems to be fine otherwise


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Mine love broccoli aswell lol


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## Jess (Jun 20, 2010)

Here's a list of avain vets I found on the parrot society website, don't know if any are near you. If you haven't got an avain vet one that can deal with birds is better. To be honest it doesn't sound like the one you went to was much good, hopefully the sickness was a one off but if she continues to be off colour take her somewhere else asap.

http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/index.php/Scotland_Avian_Vets/163


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

The closest avian vet on that list is in Edinburgh, which is 130 miles away from where I am  Thanks for the link though. She seems to be fine right now, eating, drinking and playing as usual, so I'm really hoping it was a one-off. If not then I'll take her to another vet (there are only 2 or 3 where I live!)


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

You may try calling the avian vet and explain where you are, and ask if they know of any vets closer to you, there may be.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

my birds DEVOUR brocholli. tiny little lovebird will finish a whole 2 inch long stem of brocholli and the crown of it and not get sick. i dont think it was too much brocholli. and vitamin A deficiency? no drops to water, bacteria grows in it too much and you could be giving the bird too many vitamins without meaning to.

get her to eat more veggies with vitamin A. carrots, dandelions, brocholli, and parsley are good, spinach is good... 

but i dont think the clogged nostril is vitamin deficiency. clogged nostril and vomitted together isnt a coincidence. id get her to another vet


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## shelagh (Nov 2, 2010)

While I agree that the clogged nostril/vomiting is a serious concern, I do think the excessive consumption of broccoli probably contributed to the ill belly. Was the broccoli organically grown? If not, was it well-washed? I've also had my tiels puke after gorging on a new and wonderful food; if it's a 1-time thing, I wouldn't worry so much. However, it's better to be safe than sorry...


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Hmmm I do think it was the broccoli, because even though I have given her it before, she's not touched it/only nibbled at it, whereas the other night she devoured it like crazy. The first time I gave her spinach about a month ago she had weird poos after it, but then she was totally fine, so maybe it's just new foods? The broccoli wasn't organic, but I did wash it....maybe I didn't wash it well enough? 

As for the blocked nostril......the nostril has been like that since I got her over 4 months ago. I actually posted about her nostril before here http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=17907 She has one nostril that's bigger than the other, and this is the one that appears to be blocked.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Well at least she is alright now


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Yeah, well she definitely appears to be ok now. She hasn't been sick again, and she's eating/drinking/playing with her toys as normal, and her poos are fine. If I notice anything strange then I'll definitely take her to the other vet!


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## f1canary (Mar 19, 2011)

That's a worrying thing having pet birds being sick you don't know what courses it till you go to the avain vet. At least she's ok now


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

I know, I felt sick myself with worry! I'm still keeping a close eye on her so hopefully she'll be fine


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## f1canary (Mar 19, 2011)

if it was the broccoli my advice is not to give too much next time it maybe too rich for her stomach. All birds have sensitive stomachs too as well as humans


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## crinklepot (Nov 18, 2010)

Yeah I'll make sure to not give her so much next time  I was just so proud of her eating a ton of broccoli and thought I was doing the right thing lol


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