BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Birds Cordon with a broken wing? *worried*

Hey ya'll....

Well, it seems that a couple of days ago Piper (my female cordon) sustained either a sprained or broken wing. I treated her in a tiny hospital carrier cage for about 48 hrs - lotsa seeds, millet, oyster shells, pedialyte and gatorade - because I thought she was sick and weak and needed electrolytes. But I have discovered she is unable to hold her wing normally, but is oriented and able to perch normally. She can barely fly and now its pretty obvious that she is dealing with pain and perhaps stress from the injury rather than any illness. Any advice and/or insight is much appreciated. I have moved her to a bigger cage where she can hop around on low perches, but I don't really know what else I can do. Should I let her stay separate and not interfere with her own healing process or does she need intervention by having her wing "set"? A local finch expert told me that it would likely heal on its own and that it would probably take 5 to 6 weeks.

Desperately wanting to help her through this and return her to a normal happy life, as I am most attached to Piper -

Shannon <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Although I have heard about wings healing on their own if the bird is kept in a tiny space where movement of the wing is limited - I would suggest getting advice and treatment from an avian veterinarian.

I agree that a vet would be best..... I have had difficulty getting even basic advice from vets concerning finches- especially those the size of Cordons. I know of an exotics vet who *may* be willing to take her and even set the wing, but he is outrageously expensive. I will pay to save her pain - I would never put the money first. I am trying to determine if it is broken vs. sprained. And I have recieved conflicting advice from 2 specialists. One who believes I should not hesitate to take her immediately to the vet and the other who believes I need to keep her in a smaller cage and let it heal.

I don't know for sure if it is broken. A few hours ago, she flew up to the top of the cage I have her in and settled into a fake plant I was using to give her some privacy/security. I know at the very least it must be sprained. She uses it, but not very well. I hope that the pain and stress doesn't do too much damage till I can get her there tomorrow.

For any folks who pray, please say a prayer for a tiny little blue bird named Piper.

Thanks so much,
Shannon

Mavis -

I talked to an avian specialist vet today. I am bringing Piper to the clinic first thing Monday morning for xrays and splinting/bandaging. Piper is not getting any worse - and actually is eating/drinking and hopping around, so I am going to wait till Monday unless she worsens. If she starts to go downhill, then I will take her immediately at the emergency cost. But the vet and I are talking on the phone alot and she feels Monday will be fine. She ONLY treats birds - she is the best choice and I am pretty confident that Piper will get the best care and recover if I stick with this vet.

Anyone who reads this, please pray for Piper - little blue-cap cordon bleu with a busted up wing. I love her dearly and cannot bear to lose her.

THANKS SO MUCH! :angel:

It sounds like you're doing the best for her. I sure hope she is back to being happy & healthy again real soon. Please let us know how she is after her examination.

Late Sunday night Update:

Piper is not completely out of the danger zone, but she is doing MUCH better. I have moved her into a cage that is well adapted to limited use of her wings. I set it next to her regular flight cage and she really perked up when she saw her mate, Peter. They sit as close to the bars as they can - and Peter is constantly calling to her. She has quieted down in many ways, but still gets to a point where she seems to pant a bit when breathing. I am not taking her to the vet as I have recieved wise advice that it would probably do more harm than good with the additional stress and handling her. Times like this I wish my little birds were a bit bigger and used to be held! LOL

Mavis - Thanks for responding to my questions so quickly and being such an encouragement... It has helped me alot to know there is someone out there who cares about what happens to my little bird!

If God truly knows when a single sparrow falls, then I bet He is taking care of a little blue bundle of joy who has fallen and is fighting to get back up!

Hi Mavis!

Good news - Piper has FULLY recovered!!!

It only took a few days in a small isolation cage with enough perches for her to be able to get where she wanted without using that wing. I also used a ceramic heat emitter and kept her close to her regular cage so she and her mate could be near one another (reducing stress). She was improving in stress and was trying to use her wing more in the small cage, so I swapped her with her mate so she could have some time in the flight cage - with some extra perches to get her started. Within the first few hours, she was flying short distances and looking less stressed. By the next day, she was using her wing normally, flying rather than hopping and calling to her mate. So, two days later I let Peter back into the cage and they are back to normal... Lots of cuddling, flying, and dancing (Peter flirting and wooing - LOL). It must have been a sprain, and taking her to the vet would have been the worst decision - she more than likely would have been further injured or even stressed out to the point of death.

I have been told I was "lucky." More like BLESSED to have supportive friends, family and wise advice. Not to mention a lil guardian angel who seems to take very good care of Piper!

Thanks for your help!!!

Thats great news Shannon. Thanks for letting us know.