Blood in Cage

[Biggles]

Last night when I went to check on the budgies last thing I noticed spots of blood in the cage. There was one big smear on the edge of one of the food dishes (where they like to stand) and a few that looked foot shaped on their swing. I wondered if one of them (probably Rose as she's the one who likes the swing best) had cut their foot.

I couldn't see any evidence of where it came from.

I've had a look this morning and Biggles has lost several wing feathers overnight-which I was expecting at some point as he'd lost them from the other side last week (I think he has French Moult) but none of them look bloody.

Biggles has a small smear under one wing (not the one that lost the feathers) and Rose has a tiny dash at the back of her neck. Both look like they are on the outside of the feathers rather than coming from there.


But there are drops all round the cage, including on the top bars (which they don't climb on usually) and the top of one of the water bottles (which is higher than the cage).


They're both eating fine, singing, actively moving round the cage (although I think Biggles is feeling a bit put out that he can't fly again). Rose is currently doing 360s round her perch, so no signs of being in pain.


There's nothing that they could have cut themselves on as far as I can tell. Nothing new in the cage.


Any suggestions? And how can I prevent (if possible) this happening again?

[samwiseg]

It sounds to me like a blood feather has happened here. This is quite common but sadly nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. As every feather has a blood supply sometimes if its not fully ready to come out but does by either accident or the bird preening it out it will act like a hose and just drip.

Usually if I find blood in the cage like this I first check their vents to see if it has come from there after that relief I check their feathers.

Best thing you can do is as soon as you find the blood feather is to use cornflour to stem the flow of blood as losing blood (despite only a little) can be detrimental to the bird.

[Marianne Marlow]

I've had budgies bleed from toes, blood feathers, cere, side of face and a lump near the vent.

Are they okay with being handled? if not then best just keep an eye on them ad they seem to have stopped bleeding.

[Hezz]

A broken blood feather is the most usual cause of a random bleed, especially from birds with french moult, simply because their feathers are less robust, and often at odd angles that do get knocked.

All new feathers, while developing, for a period of time have a source of blood running through the quill. As the feather matures, the blood supply decreases until it stops altogether. This all occurs while the feather is still in the pin feather stage. All blood feathers are pin feathers; not all pin feathers are blood feathers ie have a blood supply. A blood feather is perfectly normal and does not bleed unless it is damaged.

Unfortunately there is not much you can do to prevent them happening in the future.

[Shirls]

Also blood gets sprayed round the cage/floor/wall when they shake/fly or flap whatever it was that caused it, sometimes it really does look like a masacre. As has been said, it is probably a blood feather and you may not even find where the blood came from.

[Biggles]

Thank you! There doesn't seem to be more blood around. That's very reassuring.

[ladybird]

Samwiseg, just in case I ever need to use it, you say use cornflour......do your mean just sprinkle a bit on, or use it as a paste?

[Hezz]

Aug 31, 2019 12:10:26 GMT ladybird said:

Samwiseg, just in case I ever need to use it, you say use cornflour......do your mean just sprinkle a bit on, or use it as a paste?

You pack it into the broken feather. If a paste works better for you, that's okay too as it doesn't really matter. All you need to do is stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding is stopped, you may have to pull the rest of the feather out. sharp edges can cut the skin under the wings or catch on other feathers. Depending on where the broken feather is, the bird may not leave it alone unless you pull it.

Cayenne pepper and black pepper are better clotting agents, but anything bird-safe that will plug the bleed is what you need. Use whatever is closest on hand.

[ladybird]

Thank you Hezz, very helpful as always 👍🏻

[Hezz]

ladybird, I will amend my comments to say that most sites will advise you to pull the feather first and then pack the follicle with whatever you have, if it is cornflour, applying a small amount of pressure. If you are not confident with pulling the feather, pack the broken end immediately to stop the bleeding, and you may then need to get the feather pulled by your vet or someone who is confident to do so, once the bleeding has stopped.

The more agitated you are, the faster the bird is going to lose blood - your anxiety will be picked up by the bird, which will raise its heart rate, causing the blood to be pumped faster. In this kind of situation keeping calm really is important.