Broken wings are traumatizing for cockatiels, especially wild ones that often depend on flight for survival. Cockatiels are vulnerable birds, and they can easily get injured. As vulnerable birds, they can break their wings in several different ways. But how can you tell if a cockatiel’s wing is broken?
In this article, we will help you know if your cockatiel has a broken wing and what to do to help it. We will discuss the symptoms, causes, what to do, and treatment. Read on to learn more!
How Can You Tell If A Cockatiel’s Wing Is Broken
If you notice that your cockatiel is struggling to fly, and its wing is drooping down, then your cockatiel may have a broken wing. A cockatiel’s broken wing won’t sit as normally as the other wing will. But, if a cockatiel’s wing is severely broken, then the wing may be bleeding, and you may notice that the cockatiel has a wound. However, you can always help your cockatiel by assessing the situation quickly.
Cockatiels are very smart birds, and they will try to mask their pain and their injuries. Therefore, you need to be cautious and monitor your bird from time to time.
However, it’s common for cockatiels to be in a state of shock when they are injured and need help. A cockatiel in shock may appear puffed up, wark, and unresponsive with slow breathing and close or squinted eyes with a crust on them. It may not be moving at all.
They could be in shock from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the severity of the injury. If a cockatiel tries to fly but can’t, that’s a sign that the cockatiel needs help.
How Do Cockatiels Break Their Wings?
Wings are an essential part of a cockatiel’s body. They use their wings for different things like flying, protecting their young, keeping themselves warm, and as a way of attracting mates during the mating season.
But unfortunately, they can easily get injured and break their wings. The cockatiel often breaks its wing while doing something related to flying.
One of the most common reasons why cockatiels break their wings is crashing.
Your cockatiel may crush into windows quite often. In fact, more than one billion birds die in the US every year because they fly into windows.
Also, cockatiels can crash into walls, ceiling fans, and mirrors. If this crash doesn’t kill them, the cockatiel may break its wing or other body parts.
Besides crashing, your cockatiel may also break its wing if it falls off its perch. This often happens if a cockatiel lost its balance.
No matter how much we’d love our pets to get along and love each other, some pets that aren’t very interested in their natural wild animal instincts will kick in.
As a result, if your cockatiel encounters another pet, like a dog, cat, or a large bird, then it may be attacked, and this attack may break its wings.
Another factor that causes cockatiel to break their wings is cars. Cars can be quite dangerous to cockatiels. If a cockatiel is getting hit by a car, then your cockatiel may break its wings or even die.
Also, if the car hits your bird, it is likely injured in other places as well.
What To Do If A Cockatiel Breaks Its Wing?
The first you need to do is help your cockatiel stay calm. It may be scared and in pain, so it is your responsibility to help them overcome this problem as well as possible.
To help your cockatiel to calm down, you need to make sure that it rests in a comfortable and warm place, perhaps in its cage or box.
Make sure there are no other stressful triggers around the cockatiel, like loud sounds, other pets or people, etc.
Now that your cockatiel is a little calmer, you’d need to take the bird to the vet.
But, if you can’t take the cockatiel to the vet immediately, then you may need to tend to the cockatiel yourself. Start by stopping the bleeding, applying gauze to the wound site, and applying pressure.
After the wing has stopped bleeding, you need to retain the wing to prevent the cockatiel from using it and injuring it even further. Do this by wrapping the cockatiel’s wing. It would help if you did this.
You can also use a little honey as a natural antiseptic on the wound.
It would be best if you started cleaning the wound and wiping all of the blood off the wing.
Move on to wrapping the bandaging tape on the cockatiel, starting at the cockatiel’s back, then wrap the tape over the broken wing, then on the cockatiel’s chest, and then up to its back.
Wrap the medical tape over this to secure it.
Note:
When trying to tend to the cockatiel, be careful not to strain the cockatiel’s breathing. Also, ensure that you stay as calm as possible because your cockatiel will not react well to you if you are stressed.
Can A Broken Wing On A Cockatiel Heal On Its Own?
A cockatiel’s broken wing can heal on its own only if the break is not severe.
If the broken bone is the radius, which is a minor break, then the wing will be able to heal itself. But, if a different bone is broken, the only way that the cockatiel’s wing can heal is if the break is tended to and repaired by humans.
Nature is a tough place, and if the cockatiel is left with a broken wing, there is nothing in nature that can help it.
How bones heal themselves:
On the cockatiel’s forearm, there are two bones, the radius, and the ulna. Both are situated between the cockatiel’s wrist and elbow; the tinner of the two bones is the radius.
If the radius bone is broken, but the pieces of broken bone do not move away from each other, the cockatiel can heal this bone.
Healing happens when calcium builds up in the spaces between the pieces of a broken bone. The calcium fuses the elements together, bridging the gap.
This injury is minor, and thus the bone and wing can heal. But, if the break is severe, then the broken bone will not be able to heal itself.
In addition, if the pieces of broken bone separate and pierce the cockatiel’s flesh, healing can be difficult.
How Long Does It Take For A Broken Cockatiel Wing To Heal?
If the cockatiel’s wing is wrapped up well enough, then you can expect the cockatiel’s wing to heal within a few weeks at a minimum. That is if its wing is not seriously broken.
But, if the wing is severely broken, a full recovery can take up to six months.
The cockatiel’s healing process is somewhat similar to our own, though it may have a stronger immune system in some ways. In addition, some cockatiels may heal independently with just some home care.
However, it is crucial to get the cockatiel to a vet as soon as possible for treatment.
It’s important to see your vet if something seems wrong with your cockatiel’s wing. However, only a vet can determine how extensive the injury is with an exam and x-rays.
A vet can also prescribe pain relievers and other medications your cockatiel may need to ease discomfort while they heal.
For most cockatiels, care and rest are all they need to be able to flap their wings again.
Can A Cockatiel With A Broken Wing Survive?
If you’ve ever broken a bone, you will know how traumatizing the experience can be. When cockatiels break their wings, they feel traumatized as well.
Wings are necessary for flight and the survival of the cockatiel, so breaking it would be a pretty big deal.
If you own a cockatiel, or if you found a cockatiel with a broken wing, you will want to know if the cockatiel can survive.
In short, a cockatiel with a broken wing can survive, but it also depends on how severe the damage to the wing is. Best-case scenario, if the cockatiel isn’t injured too severely, the cockatiel can survive. On the other hand, if the cockatiel is badly damaged, you need to take it to a vet if you want to survive.
A cockatiel with a broken wing will survive depending on the severity of the injury. The most important thing to do is to ensure proper handling of the cockatiel to avoid pecks and scratches.
It is also necessary to wear gloves or use a towel to cover the cockatiel and safely transport it to the vet.
