Follow-up CenterThreads made in the Emergency Room forum will be moved here by staff as a way to follow-up with members after their budgie emergency.
This keeps the E.R. for only the most current emergencies.
Hi If someone could please help I would be greatly appreciated, a couple of days ago I noticed a black lump on my Budgies head (photos attached) has anyone seen anything like this? It's hard to the to touch and is solid black, I dare not pull it away as I can't tell if it is something stuck to his feathers or if it's some sort of growth
From the photos I'd say that black thing you see is most likely dried blood from a pin feather which has ruptured.
If your budgie is more of a messy eater, another possibility could be a seed that somehow ended up there and got stuck (this can also happen after a vomiting episode, to have a seed or two stuck on the face/head area), it could be rapeseed which is common on canary seed mixes.
Since you are able to handle your budgie and are in a better position to carefully inspect the area, you would be able to see if this is truly the dried scab from a broken pin feather or not.
If you don't feel comfortable in further inspecting the area for fear of injuring your budgie, then having your budgie seen by an avian vet specialist would be the best course of action and will hopefully put your mind at ease.
Best of luck with everything!
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RIP sweet Tito (Summer 2008 - January 17th 2013).
You are missed and never will be forgotten.
I agree completely with Aluz. I would observe him/her to see if it either falls of by itself or if it really is stuck to the feathers/is a growth, in which case an avian vet visit is probably the best option.
I'm sure it's nothing serious; you can try offering him a shallow pan of water to see if s/he'd like to bathe in it which could loosen it from the feathers. If he doesn't want to bathe, that's fine. Some budgies aren't too keen on water, and it's important not to force him.
Meanwhile, be sure to browse through the stickies of the forum as well as the Budgie Articles as you'll find lots of information to keep you posted on the very best of budgie care! After reading through everything, please be sure to ask any questions you may have as we'd love to help.
Keep us updated on your budgie's condition and I hope everything goes well!
Cheers!
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~StarlingWings~
and Princess Mallorn!
Thank you to Deb for her wonderful Faery magic
Thank you so much for your responses guys, so we've been able to inspect him abit better tonight and it does in fact seem to be dried blood, he's not a big fan of baths but we've been able to dab it with a wet cotton bud and that has broken it up to an extent, there a remaining which is stuck to some pin feathers so this will likely grow out on its own, the good news is there is no sign of any fresh bleeding
I'm glad the mystery has been solved! Soon enough your budgie will no longer have the feathers stained with dry blood.
If your budgie likes veggies, you can hang a dripping wet leafy green on the cage's bars, that could entice him to freshen up and bathe on the wet leaf and the blood on the head would more easily disappear.
__________________
RIP sweet Tito (Summer 2008 - January 17th 2013).
You are missed and never will be forgotten.