Bird injuries happen every day. Birds hit their heads and can develop head trauma, however, not all signs of head trauma are obvious. If you’re looking for signs of head trauma in birds this article looks into it
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Signs of head trauma in birds:
The word head trauma refers to a variety of injuries that can happen to the bird’s skull, brain, underlying tissue, and blood vessels. Signs of head trauma in birds include:
Strange eye movements:
A bird with head trauma will develop strange eye movements. The bird’s eyes will roll back if they have head trauma and the bird’s eyes may track back and forth if the bird has head trauma.
Difficulty perching:
Perching is normal and natural for birds, they learn to do this quite early on but may have issues with this after they suffer head trauma.
A bird with head trauma will not only have difficulty perching, but it will also regularly fall off its perch as well.
Wing droop:
Birds aren’t able to mask this sign of head trauma. Wing droop will usually develop after head trauma. Wing droop can also mean that the bird is sick.
Staying at the bottom of their cage:
A bird that prefers the bottom of its cage over being active and perching in its cage is a bad sign, this behavior can signal head trauma or illness.
Needing to sleep a lot:
A sudden need for the bird to sleep a lot is a bad sign. If the bird has head trauma, then the bird may sleep a lot right after the head trauma happens.
The bird may also develop an unusual sleep pattern after it suffers the head trauma.
Blood loss:
Blood loss in birds after a traumatic injury is common, you may find blood in the bird’s ear, mouth, nares, or in the anterior or posterior chambers of the bird’s eye.
If the bleeding stops, then you can leave the bird undisturbed and get it to a vet for an examination later on. Continuous bleeding requires immediate veterinary attention.
Other signs:
Unconsciousness, loss of coordination, circling, eye-rolling, seeming disoriented, can’t focus, seeming depressed, listlessness, head tilt, weak wing or leg, convulsions, and seeming stressed are all signs of head trauma in birds.
How to treat head trauma in birds:
The best thing you can do for a bird that you suspect has head trauma is to take the bird to a vet or to a wildlife rehabilitation center.
The people at the wildlife rehabilitation center, or at the vet, will put the bird in an oxygenated incubator and make sure that the bird is kept warm.
They will also monitor the bird and do a physical examination on the bird looking for any other issues like active bleeding, respiratory distress, and open mouth breathing.
Supportive treatments will be given to the bird if needed. Supportive treatments include anti-inflammatories, subcutaneous fluids, and/or intravenous fluids.
If needed, the professionals will perform surgery on the bird once the bird is stable, the bird may take 12-48 hours to become stable.
Birds taken to a vet, or to a wildlife rehabilitation center, will be treated for stress before they are treated for their injury. This is because the bird is more in danger of dying of stress-related causes than dying of trauma
How to transport the bird:
You need to be very gentle when you pick the bird up, make sure that you support the bird’s head as you pick it up.
Also, make sure that the bird’s head is in the horizontal position at all times. Letting the bird lay on its back will lower its blood pressure and kill it
Transporting the bird in a carrier is recommended, make sure that the opening of the carrier is secure but make sure that air can still get into the carrier.
The carrier should also be kept warm but not too warm. Do this by placing a hot water bottle, a heating pad, or another item that can hold hot water, under the carrier.
The carrier needs to be dark as well, if your carrier is not solid but clear, make it dark by covering 3 or 4 sides with a towel, doing this will reduce visual stimuli to the bird.
Talk to your bird as you travel with it, this is a lifesaver. The bird hearing your voice will give them a reason to fight for their life
What to do before the vet:
If you can’t immediately get the bird to the vet then you’d need to keep the bird in a dark room where it won’t be disturbed. Make sure that the area that you keep the bird in is quiet.
Keep the bird warm by placing it in a towel that has been in the drier for a bit. Do not feed the bird.
Doing the above will stabilize the bird and get it ready for the trip.
You’ll know that your bird is stable if its breathing is relatively even and it is responsive to your voice and to its surroundings.
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