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Budgie broke toenail

10K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  FaeryBee 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi everyone, our poor Trix has gone and broken one of his toenails while flying around and it has started bleeding. I've used a bit of flour and also Cayenne Pepper and the emergency room said that he should be fine as long as the bleeding stops.

What does mean exactly though? Does that mean so long as it's not dripping or free flowing? When I look at his foot there's a bright red spot where the nail used to be but it doesn't look like it's flowing or anything.

The emergency room also mentioned that infection was the other thing to look out for. Is there anything I should do to ensure he doesn't bleed out/get infected or anything else?

I've attached the best photos of his foot that he would allow me to take.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BZPQAqw8XUavawyCxx-E-g1dbemw3bSYvQ

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zmyAbMggvX3VdxKC3EWPsk7Ihic7TqkbcA

Any suggestions/help is greatly appreciated!

For what it's worth he seems to be his usual self, chirping away and eating food.

Sorry to flood you guys with posts but I've been able to take a much clearer, closer, shot of the wound. You can even see the slightly coagulated flour on his other feet, poor baby..

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-1mSKIPcgHFwtI3CFlJvhfqo8ROcNY-l8w
 
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#2 ·
The bleeding needs to stop and clot. You may see a spot on the toenail until the clot forms properly. It is important that the blood does not continue to drip from the wound. Budgies can bleed to death very quickly. If you have styptic powder or a styptic stick, that will cauterize the wound better than flour or cornstarch.

Keep him quiet so he isn't flying around and reopening the wound.
Generally, with a broken toenail there is little chance of infection as long as you keep the cage clean and free of droppings that the bird would be walking in or perching on.

I'd also suggest you replace the dowel perch(es) in your budgie's cage for natural wood perches to help prevent pressure sores. Please take a look at the information in these links:

http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/31719-essentials-great-cage.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/340418-pressure-sores.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/335937-avian-first-aid.html
 
#3 ·
Thank you so much for the response! There was definitely no blood dripping from the wound and he's fast asleep now. I'll go check on him before we go to bed as well but cautiously I would say that a crisis has been averted.

We have been looking into getting natural wood perches - we just haven't found any that fit the cage as yet but I'll definitely make that and getting Styptic Powder a priority this weekend.

Thank you again.
 
#6 ·
Thank you so much for the response! There was definitely no blood dripping from the wound and he's fast asleep now. I'll go check on him before we go to bed as well but cautiously I would say that a crisis has been averted.

We have been looking into getting natural wood perches - we just haven't found any that fit the cage as yet but I'll definitely make that and getting Styptic Powder a priority this weekend.

Thank you again.
If I may say, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Natural Bird Co for natural perches. When I used them, I found there was excellent, caring customer service from real fellow bird lovers, and quality custom-made items.
 
#5 ·
Quick update on Trix - woke up this morning and it seems he's doing fine.

What was a slightly bright red dot at the tip of his broken toenail last night, is now a dark reddish/maroon spot at the tip of his broken toenail so that tells me it has successfully clotted.

What will happen with the clotted part? Will it just grow out with the nail or are we supposed to clip it off over time?

Also, how long should we wait before we let him out of his cage again. He usually gets hours outside of his cage everyday so even 1 day of rest will probably make him quite irritable.

Thank you again for your help FaeryBee!!
 
#7 ·
I agree with Susan, Natural Bird Co makes custom perches to fit any cage if you can't find one on their site that does :) And they ship to AUS, too!

I'm glad that the bleeding has stopped now! It will heal on it's own, but I wouldn't let him out of the cage for a day or two to let the would start to heal without the danger of him clipping the clot off while he's out and about.

I hope he continues to be fine! :fingerx:
 
#8 ·
Thank you so much for the Natural Bird Co suggestion! I have spent just 5 minutes looking at their website and I have already found 4 or 5 items that would be perfect! It's so hard to find good natural perches in Australia (at least where I live) in pet stores.

Trix is going to have quite a shock when we starting putting all these new perches in. A few weeks ago we replaced one of his toys that was getting old and he was terrified of the thing for 2 whole days!
 
#9 ·
I'm glad to hear Trix is doing well now. (Sorry I haven't been on-line today as I have out of town guests.)

When the new perches (and/or toys) come, place them outside of Trix's cage in his line of sight (near the cage) for a few days before introducing them into his cage. That will make them much less "scary" for him when they enter into his "safety zone". ;)

Best wishes!
 
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