My pet Cockatiel was attacked by an animal and lost his entire bottom beak. What can I do to help?

Question

Right now its being hand fed thinned oatmeal with avian nutrients. Will the bottom beak eventually grow back? What other foods can I feed him? Please help because a vet is not an option right now.

Answer 1

The poor bird !! Like everyone els said, it need a vet sooner or later. And not just a normal vet, it needs an avian vet. For the meantime, what you are doing is great, i can tell by your devotion and taking time out to feed it that you love it alot. It needs a vet sooner or later because it is very prone to infection right now, and any little amount of germs or bacteria could cause septicemia, ar even gangreen., and as a result it will die.

Look, the bird is in a lot of pain right now, and i know this sounds like a drag... But. If you go to an avian vet and explain the given situation, they will help you and let you pay the cash back over time. All vets have a soft spot for animals, thats the main reason that they become vets in the first place. Because of their love towards animals.

And if its transport issues, you can actually call the vet to your house. Ofcourse it will cost more in the long run, but its worth your birds life. He is in alot of pain and alot of shock, and yes the beak will probably grow back over time, if the entire beak membrane and core hasnt been ripped out, so dont give up hope! He needs you right now, and needs to know that you are there for him. Try not to let him see you are stressed. Animals can sense this, and  it will make the bird feel more uncomfortable.

HERE IS A LIFE SAVING TIP:

Go to your local drug store and get 40% strength pure peroxide. Take an ear bud, and dab some on the affected area, then rinse off. Repeat this twice in a row, 3 times a day. The mixture should be 50ml peroxide, and 50ml water. But for this case, make it 30ml peroxide, and 50ml water. Make sure you rinse it off with water afterwards. It will bubble and ooze if there is an infection.

STEP TWO:

You are doing great by feeding him. But remember that he is in shock, and his blood sugar is probably a bit low. He needs all the energy he can get right now. Get some 100% pure fruit juice(must be 100% pure), and feed it to him with a syringe every 2 hours or so, or you could go and get Glucose power from the drug store, and ask them how much you can give the bird, they will be able to tell you. It will help rebuild white blood cells.

As for the diet, get him some Avi Plus bird formula for cockatiels. It contains all the nutrients needed to help him survive.

Other than that, get him to the vet somehow soon!

Hope this helps you and good luck (P.S. Excuse the spelling, i know ive typed a book, but you needed help =])

Answer 2

If you cant afford a vet I think your best option is to put the poor thing down. If he was attacked by an animal there is a good chance that he could develop an infection- this will usually develop and kill a bird within a couple of days. And he must be in pain.

As far as I know its not posible to grow a beak back if it has been ripped off- there is actaully a disease here in Australia which causes this in our native parrots- in the wild they starve to death.

It sounds like youre feeding it the right stuff but hes gonna need that kind of care for the rest of his life- and he needs to see a vet straight away.

Answer 3

it will grow back... but if you cant take it to a vet, you shouldnt be owning it.  

Answer 4

If you can not afford to take the bird to the vet you need to find someone who can loan you the money.  The poor bird needs medical attention right away.   Besides the physical injury he may be suffered emotional and psychological trauma.  I hope he is Ok.  

Answer 5

is it the time or money? If it is money you need to figure something out or you shouldn't own it. if it is the time of day see if you can find an emergency vet or wait until the soonest possible time to take him/her and give her a huge amount of attention and hand feeding. I hope it is the time and not the money and i hop it gets better. oh yeah the beak! it depends how much got torn off. if it is just the tip (1/4 of the beak) then just hand feed him and it should grow (will be more or less depending on the bird) if it is more you have to contact a vet or even some shelters have vets that will take emergencys

Answer 6

PLEASE GET THAT BIRD TO A VET NOW!!!!!  What kind of animal attacked him?  He may be suffering from from toxicity already.  

I hate to sound cruel, but the answer is .. if you do not have the money to care for the animal that you shouldn't own it.

You need to keep him warm with a heat lamp next to his cage and you should be feeding him commercially prepared baby bird formula, if anything with either bottled water, lactated ringers, or Infalyte (which can be found in your local pharmacy or supermarket).  DO NOT give him any over the counter medications and get him to a vet immediately. There is no time  to waste,, the poor bird will most likely be dead or deathly ill by morning.

Answer 7

What you're doing is good.  Whether or not the beak will grow back depends on how much of it was torn off, but the oatmeal as well as veggies mashed up in a blender are good things that he can eat.  But he really needs to see a vet; that's got to be really painful and could very well get infected and require antibiotics.  Why can't you take him to a vet?

Answer 8

I agree completely with rosemary.

If it's entire bottom beak is torn off...you seriously need to take your bird to a vet.  You can pay off your vet bill a little at a time if you need it; if you really care for this bird, you need to take it to a vet as soon as possible.  Look at it this way:  if your jaw was torn off, what would you do?