# necrotic feather, help?



## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

tsuka broke another blood feather again, which wasnt abnormal... but when i checked his other wing there was this nasty weird growth coming out of the follicle. i removed it and it was gross. can someone tell me what this was? i have photos added.

i labeled some things in a few photos.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

From looking at the pix's (GREAT shots) it looks like he has banged his wingtips enough that there is some follicle damage that is causing him to grow in abnormal feathers.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

its the same wing as the other deformed feathers, which he still gets that are the same two feathers each time.
these are all the deformed feathers. i have them grouped and numbered. the number stands for the amount of times the feather came out and i have them grouped with the same feather...


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Was he clopped when you got him? And if so did the clip look OK, or had he already had banged up wing tips? If the problem started when he was young he may have caused some permanant follicle damage they prevents normal growth of new feathers.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

also, what do i do about this thing if it shows up again? the dark crusty part is rock hard. no wonder the other day he was acting ill and not doing much. he hasnt sung much either.. he started whistling and beak banging this morning tho so im sure he feels much better. but will it happen again?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

You'll have to keep an eye on new feather growth. Since there is follicle damage, if the end of a follicle shrinks and closes up it can cause feather cysts under the skin. Thats what this feather looked like, meaning thatswhat had started to happen to it, but it had even pressure from growth inside pushing it out, but had started to die off prior to emerging from the follicle.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i clipped him when we got him as he wasnt tame and we did it for taming purposes... it was a little shorter than i liked but he had a few feathers come out like that that were clipped, as you can see feather 1 in the second group. he was badly plucked by his parents when i got him though and he came from a chain smoker's house.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ok, so it WAS a feather cyst. if it shows up again i think i'll bring him to the vets to get it sorted and removed. i'll start putting away money for it. poor guy. he ticks me off but i do really love him. hes my problem bird as he has so many problems compared to dally. dally has none at all. hes got respiratory problems from the cigarrette smoke, hes got an old eye injury where hes missing a small part of his lower eye lid, and these molting problems.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Poo baby  It may also be poor genetics that is causing alot of his problems....though he is a very handsome bird.

A very short clip, and night panics, or trashing and banging around while new feathers growing in can contribute to follicle damage.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

he's very prone to nightfrights. since i got him in august he has had over 10 nightfrights, 2 very major ones.
could be genetics too. his mother was a whiteface cinnamon pearl split pied, the father was pearl

i would have loved to breed him but i cant with all these problems. he has very nice splits i would've bred him to a whitefaced female. but hes pigeon toed (its cute and funny but not exactly desirable) hes got a quirky difficult personality, a bald spot and he has all of these problems.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Oh no Tsuka has been through alot with his feathers ... I hope this is the last one


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i hope so too. he's gonna give me grey hair... and im only 19!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

It sounds like the night frights are the cause of his follicle and flight feather problems. It will probably be a life-long problem, inless he starts to really mellow out while molting and not bang, disturb, or pick at new feathers growing in. I have found that sprinkling Brewers Yeast (found at a health food store) on anything he will eat helps reduce stress while molting, and is a good nutrional supplement...sprinkled on food a couple times a week.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i'll go check our health store today for it and pick it up. a lot of his food has brewer's yeast in it as i give them avicakes when they molt. avicakes has it in there but i'll get the actual stuff, especially if its going to be a lifelong problem


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I wonder if this is why he is so mean because of the irrating feathers


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

im actually wondering as he was in a good mood this morning...


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

by the way, sorry for another question, but will this affect his flight at all? ive been trying to get him flighted again so he can fly around with dally but each time he gets close to being flighted he knocks out his new flights in nightfrights. he takes out like all of his feathers.... if these feathers keep growing in gross and falling out or what not, is there a possibility he wont be able to fly?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...the molting would have made him real cranky. The Brewers Yeast should help to also mello him out some. 

AND...if you get stressed, just eat a tsp. of it. It is also good for humans, sprinkled on salads, in soups, on eggs, etc.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

hmm.... good to know. i do get stressed a lot, tsuka being a new bringer of stress. but its a good stress from him. its me worrying about him. hes my problem birdy...


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I would not try to encourage him to fly until any new flight feathers are completely grown in. Until then let him be a grounded bird, and walk to get around.

During a molt you might want to position all his perches so that they are away from the sides of the cage, so that there is less chance of banging them up. Also he might need total 24/7 lights on during a molt so that he does not get night panics.

In otherworks, consider him your 'special needs boy'


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

he gets a nightlight on every night and right now his sleeping perch is his fleece ledge i made him. he loves it and its soft all around so he doesnt jam his feathers into the cage bars.










he breaks blood feathers in stupid ways too. the first one he jumped off my hand and broke it.
second he broke some in a nightfright
a lot were actually broke during his flapping moments when he likes to run around or flap like a nut. thats how he broke last night's blood feather, flapping like a nut


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Poor Tsuka


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

actually wonder if i splint his wings would it help prevent damage while molting? i know how to make cardboard splints to keep the wings immobile. i learned while doing some wild life rehabilitation. ive had to make a split for a starling fledgling (named lucky but sadly he didnt make it. died of ruptured air sac cuz a dog got him)


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i drew up some quick diagrams of what i mean. would this help?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The split or just a soft wrap with Vet wrap to keep the wings imobile might help...BUT try it several times before he starts to molt to condition him to be used to it so that he doesn't fight it or panic.

Also when molting in new flight feathers you might want to get him used to a cage that has minimal things inside (like less toys or anything close to where he perches/sleeps) until the feathers grow in.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

he's usually out of the cage.. i'll remove some toys and make up some splints. i'll pick up some vet tape too. i should have enough... they'll have to be changed daily as he likes to shred cardboard. a favourite of his.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

LOL...keep us posted on how you Special Needs boy does  Good luck.

Most pearl males are laid back loving and problem free...He must not have read the manual


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

LOL yeah he's a nervous bird. im gonna go get what i need and fix up his cage. i want to get him a new cage. the biggest cause of his night frights is the cats. daystar and gylfie like to sleep on top of his cage. no matter how high i put it they always find a way to get him. i may buy him a small sleeping cage when we move out this weekend and put his sleeping cage in the bathroom. i can close the door at night so the cats dont go in there. that may help with night frights.
his cage now is 30"x18"x18" but i want to get him a nicer one one day. something taller so the cats cant jump onto it.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

What you might do is put a large piece (bolt it to the cage) with several inches of overhang. on top of his cage if the cats are getting on it so that they can't reach in and he doesn't see them. Plus you don't want any bacteria from the cats to get into any open cuts or areas where the feathers came out and cause infections.

Or if you get a new cage...one that has a solid sloped roof.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

they dont reach in his cage. the bar spacing is 1/2 and they arent interested in him. they like sleeping on the heating pad ive had on his cage. over the last few nights ive been covering his cage and then adding boxes on top. looks goofy but it works. but new problem, they go onto dally's cage instead, which is taller. they are such little brats. its the kitten and my one and a half year old. my elderly cat doesnt go anywhere. shes too stiff and fat to jump up lol i think if they keep it up i'll just get a sleeping cage. the cats are hard to change their mind. the kitten has a one track mind and is very stubborn. the water pistol doesnt work with her as she likes water. dally doesnt get nightfrights, even if the cats jump onto her cage. her cage with the stand is roughly 60 inches tall and they still find ways...
its more the sudden jolt to the cage that panics him in the night. both of them are not afraid of the cats. daystar can sit and watch dally as she forages on the bottom of the cage and she just walks up and looks back at her. my birds arent that bright lol but the cats just like to watch. they never touch. jessie is scared of them tho, which is hilarious.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

well he hated the splint and it took an hour to get it on him and lots of bit fingers.... hes a little brat. but i emptied the cage out a bit. is this good? i left his favourite cardboard shredder toy next to his ledge and removed a rope perch...


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

im really irritated too cuz when i told my dad about it he told me i should kill him and make him into stew. he makes me so mad sometimes and this is why im really glad im moving out in a few days. he treats my birds like ****. he thinks theyre just throwaway pets that can be replaced. its sick. one time i left dally home for a weekend and he didnt feed her or give her water. so i dont leave them alone no more at all. because of this. if something happens he doesnt give a hoot


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

and the splints. i took them off after awhile but he was getting used to them fairly quick. not falling as much.








just shaking himself off...

i didnt secure them to his body because it messed with his balance to much.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Awwww Tsuka you look so adorable


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ya but hes not a happy bird. he did NOT want me handling him, did NOT want the splints on, did NOT want to co operate at all. tsuka chewed the scissors, the cling wrap, the cardboard splints, my finger, the zipper to my sweater... all in all he wouldnt sit still and i couldnt do it myself that well... i was sooo frustrated lol. as i said my dad doesnt care and wont help... so i have to do all this myself until i move in with my boyfriend. he helps and he understands (tsuka's his bird as tsuka chose him lol)


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Awww some parents are like that my mom told me to get rid of my rabbits as she said i could have tina and patch


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i hate it....  he treats my pets like dirt. poor tsuka has feelings and is a living being no matter how small he is. i love the little bugger even when he shreds my fingers (even if i yell at him then lol)


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

same with the bunnys they make so much mess and naughty sometimes but still love them to bits


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

I was going to ask you how on earth you were going to get the splint on. Arnie would scream blue murder and would fly away from me if I tried anythign like that lol


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ill give you the answer--not easily! he doesnt sit still. its like he has adhd like me lol


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## lordsnipe (Nov 11, 2010)

im surprised you got him still enough to pull out that blood feather and take the photos!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

he's used to blood feathers lol and hes had so many its like nothing. restrain, check, tweezers, pull, pressure stop bleeding, clean up, done. it gets very easy. its easier with someone else to restrain him. i did all this alone


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Does any tiel sit still unless they're napping? lol... Arnie must have adhd too. When I try to pet her wings to train her for a harness she wiggles away, bites, growls, runs in circles, flaps and generally makes the biggest scene. She's such a little drama queen. I don't know how you got your tiels used to harness, but well done I say especially with Tsuka!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

tsuka took to it right away, as dally did. mine are hand made by me. theyre like a sweater instead of a leash. less pressure on the breastbone if they bolt. tsuka's quirky about a lot of things. one thing, he hates his wings touched and this makes the splints hard. each time id get one on id start working on the other. then hed move and knock the other one off lol


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

omg your thread scares the crap out of me!  I hope Aero never breaks a blood feather....its sounds and looks terrifying!! and what if it happens when im asleep or not home? Jeez he hasnt even started molting and im terrified already


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Wow, did he not talk to you after that?


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Arnie's yet to have a blood feather - it scares me too.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

sarah, this wasnt a normal blood feather. this was something completely abnormal i never want to see again...
but blood feathers are scary. he breaks a lot of them but obviously this new problem is the result of that. but hes weird. if it happens when your not home, well thats inconvenient but it happens. tsuka had a few like that and those two were the worst. just remove the feathers and clean them up. i leave a night light, the tv and sometimes the radio on in case the cats knock the tv out (they pull the cords) overnight. its very rare my two have night frights for no reason. ive only ever had that happen once.

belinda, tsuka wanted headscratches after. hes very forgiving really, just very tempermental


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## tielmom (Aug 4, 2010)

I must admit I was very alarmed when looking at your thread...that is very scary...the pictures totally caught me off guard...I am so glad that Tsuka is okay after that. I am amazed that you were able to take such great photos and tend to him in the manor that you did...great job


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

as ive said, im used to it lol he breaks them so much its almost a weekly routine. i took a pic of the blood feathers ive dealt with. im still missing about 6 more as my boyfriend dealt with those ones last week.

notice all but two feathers are all from the same wing... the other two, ones a tail feather the others the other wing. 









this morning hes doing well. wing isnt bugging him, its not swollen or showing signs of infection. hes singing and back to his old self, only not as aggressive


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

oh bless him


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ya but this experience really makes me NOT want to be a vet. working with stubborn attention deficit animals is not my thing lol hes so fidgety its cute... but i can get so mad at him especially since my fingers are NOT chew toys. he has plenty of those. he gets lava rock toys that i make and he takes chunks out of those.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I hope he calms down now


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

he seems to have. im really wondering if this is whats caused his nasty mood this week. frankly, if it was, i dont blame him. i never heard him shriek that loud when i pulled it out. he's a crybaby though. he shrieks at you if you simply restrain him. its a funny angry sound he makes. but pull a blood feather and its like bloody murder i swear. this thing was worse! ive never heard such a sound so it must've really hurt but hes feeling so much better now. im glad as hes really wanting headscratches now and hes not attacking dally as much when i let him into her cage for visiting time.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I hope it was down to his feathers and not a mean birdie


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Aw he's saying thank you for making him feel better!!! This is all so amazing...is it wrong for me to say I'm glad you're moving out so you'll have someone who supports you and your birds better than what you've been getting? I don't know what I would do without my little guys!!!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ya we're all moved in, birds playgym is set up and everyone's good. tomorrow we're gonna try to put the splints on him again to help him get used to them. he's a funny little bugger. hes still not as mean as he was. still a tad nippy but i think its more lack of sleep and change of environment. ya now i have help  im glad to be out, to be honest. away from cigarrette smoke so tsuka's health will improve, my asthma will improve and i can finally get rid of this chest infection. im gonna get a chest x ray to make sure its not pneumonia. ive had it since october and its a rattle cough and when i breathe in its rattled and gravvelly some mornings. ive been on antibiotics, it didnt help. so now it too can improve


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

O wow that doesn't sound good, it might be bronchitis...I used it get that once a year when I was a kid like clock-work, I had it so bad one year I had to sit in the office for an hour with a respirator in my mouth pulling in this air stuff. Hope you get better soon!!!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ya me too. the antibiotics were for bronchitis, ive had it before and thats what theyve put me on. they didnt work this time. so im gonna go back.

tsuka's doing pretty good. hes in a better mood, singing even more even. he sure was talkative this morning. checked the wing, still no sign of infection despite lack of antiseptic creme since my boyfriend forgot to bring it back and brought it to the new appartment instead. im impressed with his improvement and healing wing. tomorrow we will try the splints again since i have help.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Well that's good, maybe this will help improve his mood....they might have to give you a higher dosage of antibiotics since you've had it before you might've built up a tolerance level. No fun...or it could've gotten worse but I hope not!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i dunno. i just want it gone. im tired of waking in the morning unable to breathe right.


he seems so much better. he even entertained my boyfriends family today, which shows his good mood.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Things are looking good for Tsuka then  its about time too, poor Tsuka he has been through alot


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## Daharkaz Angel (Aug 31, 2010)

I just want to say WELL DONE on those shots and handling this situation by yourself!! Your are my hero!! I also learnt from those pics =)


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Just a random thought. Could Tsukas meaness and flighyness be a result of your father teasing/scaring him when you were not looking or around? From my experience most pearl males are loving birds, and maybe with the move he may show his real personality.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

no my dad was indifferent to them, ignored them. i rarely left them alone there. so i highly doubt he was bothered by my dad. he WAS bullied by HIS parents which i think contributes to his bullying of dally--and i dont blame him. its common psychology. if you're bullied theres somne chance of you becoming a bully. i understand it. im thinking the molting. he started molting a month after we got him so it could be that. we didnt have much time to see his sweet personality. i know he can be. he loves scritches and attention and people but he can be mean. im guessing its just molting. hes calming down. he was a parent raised bird and never handled before we got him at 5 months old. within minutes he didnt mind us holding him and he stepped up ok. he didnt run away from us but he was skittish in the cage. but hes not like that now. he comes to you when you open the cage door and when ur doing somthing he walks over and keeps bugging you for scritches and then nips if you dont pay him attention lol. im pretty sure its just molting.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Hopefully with the new place he may settle down.

Question...I was looking at his cheek patches in your signature, are his square instead of round? You can tell he is split to WF because of the yellow streaking thru the orange color.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

that and on the cockatiel mutation calculator i know his splits. his mother was cinnamon pearl whiteface and his father is pearl split pied. i put them in and the only male pearl that was split pied was also split cinnamon (x2 whatever that means) and whiteface. he does have rectangular cheek patches. i personally think hes very pretty. even if he never adjusts his attitude he has a welcome and loving home. he'll always be welcome here. i know hes split pied btw cuz he beak never went fully dark and has a dark tip and one very faint stripe on one side and hes got light toenails and feet. and the oblong stripes in his juvenile flights. thats how i figured hes split pied and i used that to figure out what he'd be split to. so hes got some very nice splits but he has too many faults to breed, even if i think the faults are cute (the pigeon toes. i gotta find a pic of that...)


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The pigeon toes can also be a result of him not getting enough nutrients or a good balance of nutrients in the food fed him while in the nest.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

wouldn't surprise me. his previous owners didnt even have a cuttle bone in the cage and some of the perches were all broken and gross.

im gonna get the photos of the parents that the lady sent me....


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Cookie likes to sleep in his dish or use the wooden perch, did have the rope which was a swing but they wanted the budgie plastic perches instead  i cant win lol.
Anything that is budgies they want lol


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

here's his mother
sorry theyre blurry but this is all i have

















the father. he looks really tattered










tsuka before we got him


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

If the toes were from nutrional defeciencies while in the nest they are *not* an inherited trait that can be passed along.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

dont know if they were. she didnt tell me much about his history. i even asked for a hatch date and she wouldnt tell me. she just told me |"hes 5 months old"... it would be important enough to me to know their hatch date.... i had to guess a day


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

His mother was kinda small, probably from WF to WF pairings. And the breeder compounded the problem by breeding pearl to pearl. In the next generation, if you ever mate him *stay away* from any pairing with a pearl. Too many generations and they get smaller, and the losses in the nest are higher.

How old was the father? He looks like he is starting to show a slight yellow suffusion to the chest which can be a sign of liver problems, which could be from the small caging and lack of much movement.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ya chances are i wont be breeding him. but if i did i'd breed him to a normal whitefaced female, maybe split pied or a normal grey. i'd rather breed dally for the longfeather gene. i'd love to breed her to a pied or a lutino, but pied would be a better match as the crest would be even stronger. the lutino pairing would be easy to sex the babies.

im wondering bout that. he was the only baby available so im wondering if the others died in the nest


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

They don't look very healthy poor birds


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

which is why im glad to have tsuka. i would never allow that condition.... i love my birds they get cuttlebone AND mineral blocks. they get various perches, they get fresh food, water and seeds, avicakes when molting, scrambled eggs weekly, lots and lots of toys, daily time out of cage for several hours and lots of cuddles. i love my birds very much and want the best care i can give them


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

From the pairing of his parents, if he was the only one then there is a good chance the others may have died in the nest.

Dally would be great with a pied or normal or normal pied. I would avoid lutino with her because many times pearl in combination with lutino can result in some thinner feathering behind the crest. Tsuka would be good with a nice large normal Whiteface or Whiteface pied....or even a cinnamon pied.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

but breeding is a faraway idea for me. id rather not. i live in a 1 bedroom appartment and dont have the space if i dont find good loving homes for the babies. so i wouldnt be breeding any time soon. maybe when im older and have a house and the space, i'd love to since genetics interest me.


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