Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 6/25/2007

Question
hi, i think my budgies leg is broke cause i sat the cage down on his leg and didnt see him. above his toes its like a red purple color and he cant move his toes at all so i wrapped a small piece of gauze with some tape to try to stablize it. He keeps trying to take it off. I dont have a vet around me so im trying to do what i can from here. He moves around the cage climbing with the 1 leg and eatting and very active still so my question is. Will he die cause of the broken leg? and should i keep it wrapped? and if so how long should i keep it wrapped? because i have 2 other birds with him in the cage. thank you

Answer
Hi, John,

You need to take your bird to an avian veterinarian for a medical evaluation.  If the leg is broken, nothing you are doing will help.  The leg will need to be set properly by a bird vet.  I can't say if the bird will die or not because I don't know the full extent of injury.  If the bird develops an infection or something, it's possible it could die.  This is why you need to take s/he to the bird vet.  I recommend you remove this bird to a cage of its own until it heals and get the bird to a bird vet.  Check this website for avian vets:  www.aav.org

Chrys