# Clyde hit a wall :(



## mikec2003 (May 28, 2011)

She was playing on the floor, like she always does in the evenings, and I have no idea what got into her, what spooked her but she took off like a madman and went into the wall, well that scared her more and she flew off into the connected kitchen and hit another wall.

She came to a stop on the floor where I was able to grab her and restrain her till she calmed down. She did have a drop of blood on her left wing, that i stopped with pressure and a paper towel as a bandage. 

She didn't seem to be in any pain if i touched her on her body, she didn't cry out when touched or anything, just her normal nips because she doesn't like to be touched except her head and neck, and then she flew back to her cage like she normally does when she wants to go to her cage.

what has me concerned is that for a few minutes, perhaps five or so, she was shutting her eyes like she was sleepy, but that let off after a few minutes, and she seemed fine, climbing around her cage and stuff, like normal, so I put her to bed at her normal time (8:30). Perhaps the eye shutting is not so different to when we have headaches and like to shut our eyes

If I still lived in Tallahassee, I'd have taken her to an emergency vet, but unfortunatley, where I live now, there are no avian vets at all near me, so i'm going to have to go at this alone.

I guess my question is, do you think she will be ok? She seemed ok, but birds are great at hiding illness and injury. and If she's ok, im thinking of clipping her wings now, but not sure if I'm just overreacting


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Since she didn't cry out when you touched her, I don't think anything's broken. Birds run into things all the time. I think she may have been slightly dazed though by the crashes and that's why she closed her eyes. If she was fine afterwards and she's fine tomorrow she should be OK, but its best to keep an eye on her just to be sure.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

I've observed the eye-shutting after a crash before, and it's always been okay in my birds. Since she stopped doing it after a few minutes, she was probably just a bit dazed. Think about when you hit your head, and you have to kind of shake it off. Keep an eye on her balance and her alertness. If she's still climbing and perching fine tomorrow, all should be well. If you see signs of unsteadiness, lethargy, or nausea, then she may need to go to the vet for an assessment and treatment with anti-inflammatories. 

As far as clipping, that's entirely up to you. Most crashes don't lead to any serious consequences, but I personally cannot bear to see my one poor flyer crash repeatedly. If you want a compromise, you could start by clipping only the first 2 or 3 feathers. That will slow her down, but still allow her to fly. It may help prevent her from picking up enough speed to crash seriously.


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## mikec2003 (May 28, 2011)

that makes me feel a little better. I think she'll be ok, it's just horrifying to see her panicked like that and hitting things. I hate to see my little baby bird scared or in pain, makes me feel like I did something wrong. I want to check on her right now, but I know not to interrupt her sleep, especially tonight.

and I'm still not sure on the clipping thing, on one hand, I don't want her to get hurt again, on the other, I don't want to take away the freedom she enjoys by flying. Perhaps I'll just see about a mild clip, just so she can't gain altitude.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

I know exactly what you mean, but it sounds like she'll be just fine. Try to take a deep breath and get some sleep yourself. Also give yourself some time to calm down before you make a decision about clipping. Personally I think there are very good justifications both to clip and not to clip -- I actually have one clipped bird and one flighted bird. But think it through first. The great part about it is that if you do clip and decide it was a mistake, the feathers will come back in pretty fast.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

By the way, just because there isn't an avian vet near you, there may still be a non-avian vet that will see birds or do phone consults with a specialist. I'm not saying that I think you need a vet tonight, but you'd do yourself a big favor to call around and do some research as far as your vet options in the near future. That way if something like this happens again, you'll have a plan, and you won't have to deal with the added panic of not having medical care lined up.


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## mikec2003 (May 28, 2011)

You're right, there is a vet right down the street. I think I'll call them in the morning and at least see if they handle birds at all, or at least can point me in the direction of one. I just prefer an actual avian vet since birds are so different from mammals.

well, thanks for the advice and comforting, I'll keep you all updated tomorrow, whatever the outcome is.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

I know what you mean, but sometimes experience is more important than certification. Some vets may have lots of experience with birds, but because they haven't expended the resources to take the official board exam/become a member of the professional association, they can't call themselves "avian" vets. There's a good example of this at the practice I go to now -- they have one very experienced, certified avian vet, and a younger vet who is not certified, but who trained extensively with the older vet. I actually prefer to see the younger one, because I'm confident in his skills and find him to be more personable than the vet who is actually certified. It would be great if you could find someone like this, who likes birds and sees lots of them, but may not be formally certified. Calling around is a great idea.

And definitely do keep us updated! My birds and I are sending you and Clyde good thoughts.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> I know what you mean, but sometimes experience is more important than certification. Some vets may have lots of experience with birds, but because they haven't expended the resources to take the official board exam/become a member of the professional association, they can't call themselves "avian" vets.


My vet is this way...her father and her are both just regular vets but both will also see birds for regular check-ups and such. If anything weird pops up she has the # to an avian specialist in Seattle who consults with regularly. And they are amazing with my birds.


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## mikec2003 (May 28, 2011)

Well, the morning has come and Clyde seems to be back to her old self, independent and happy, and begging for her morning scritches, and what can I do but give in to her demands 

She seems to be just fine, and I was just being an overreacting birdie parent. But I still am going to call up the local vets, as she's about due an annual checkup anyway


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm reading this post late but wanted to add that my Sunny did the exact same thing when I first got him. Crashed into a wall and was closing his eyes and I was frantic. Completely convinced he had a concussion or injured his eye, etc. But like Clyde, he was fine after a little while and like everyone else said, was just dazed. I too thought about clipping his wings at the time. However, I think Sunny just needed to get used to the house and practice his flying more. I'm happy to say we've had no more wall crashes (knock on wood) and am glad I opted not to clip. Maybe wait to see how Clyde does and then decide. Had Sunny continued to have crashes, I would have clipped but luckily he got better at flying. And I'm glad to hear Clyde is fine today.


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## mikec2003 (May 28, 2011)

Thanks for the concern  I have decided to see how things go the next few days and then decide to clip or not, but right now it seems it was an isolated incident.

on a side note, I did find two tail feathers alongside the couch, guess she knocked them out...Is there a feather fairy, that leaves millet under her pillow?


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

mikec2003 said:


> on a side note, I did find two tail feathers alongside the couch, guess she knocked them out...Is there a feather fairy, that leaves millet under her pillow?


I am absolutely sure she wouldn't mind if there was!


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