May need some suggestions in how to CATCH

[Charis]

Keep an eye out...but maybe she will be ok and you won't need to intervene.
If nothing else, it's a lesson in patience

[Jaye]

Yes, definitely. Incidentally, she's still pooping fine and they look normal.

Besides things such as fluffed feathers, tired demeanor, closing or half-closed eyes, and general loss of coordination/apparent weakness in flying...what would other signs be of which I should be aware ? Are there more subtle things I should keep an eye out for ?

Or does that cover it ?

[Jaye]

OKay....sssssooooooo.....we are at day 16 since she was injured....and I had just been keeping an eye on her this past week...she stayed put most of the time but would come down to forage and drink some water from the water dish on my steps. Still seemed alert...but no doubt she has been losing weight.

I also noticed she seemed to be sleeping more during the day. She did spend time preening uder the injured wing, and I found some injured feathers on the porch floor over the past week.

Just kept feeding her the seed doused in medicam.

Today at about 6 I was on my way out to pick up my GF....and she was down on the porch floor with some other 'homies. One of them, Fatty....was giving her a hard time (he's a bit of a pompous bully) and I kept shooing him away.

She kept looking longingly up at her eave spot...but wouldn't take off. I walked a bit down the street and kept an eye on her...she wasn't jumping/flying back up to her spot. Fatty came back and was bugging her again, so I shooed him away and she tried to take off and fly over my head...but she could only get about 6 feet in the air then came down on my neighbors portico. I approache her closely...which would usually make her take to the air...and she didn't.

I figured, she was surrounded by solid wall on 3 sides...and she can't get airborne quickly...so I ran to my garage and grabbed the soccer net. Came back out, and approached her.

She didn't put up much of a fight. She stayed on the floor, and I threw the net over her. Pretty easy catch, actually....no drama.

She's in a nice box in my heated laundry room now, with food and water. I have a heater in there so it's nice and warm. I examined her and gave her some meds (medicam and cipro). I also syringe fed her a bit...although she didn't like that...she took about 2 cc's of handfeeding formula.

I also gave her about 1cc of Pedialyte. Rinsed and examined the injured wing. The damage is very local...it appears the abrasions I saw 10 days ago have actually healed and the scabs have fallen off. there are nice new feathers appearing. There appear to be no breaks in the skin or exposed bone of any sort. Flexing it/extending it in and out shows no wierdness. But in the general location of the carpal, underside of wing, there is a 'nub' which is scabbed over. The nub is facing towards the birds body..whereas the carpal bone usually faces outwards towards the wingtip, yes ?

Hard to see what's going on...there doesn't seem to be any skin puncture there, and the surrounding skin and feathers look pretty darn good, actually... but the nub is scabbed good so it's impossible to see if what is underneath is soft tissue damage, or bone.

I cut off the primary feather which had apparently been twisted all the way around and stuck out funny (the obvious one in the pic)...I didn't want to pull it out...I just cut it so it wouldn't get in the way any longer, when she turns and moves.

I may try to post a pic tom'w. I will probably bring her to my avian vet w/i next few days, too.

She is alert...eyes look good...poop looks good... feather looks good...she had some fight in her when I toweled her to handle her....she's just quite skinny now.

OK, I am going to bed.....thanks for everyone's help and support.

If anything I mentioned here brings up an urge to respond...please don't hesitate (I only sound like I know what I'm talking about).

[Trees Gray]

Hi Jaye,

Thank you for watching over this little one.

I'm glad you were able to get her, as it sounds like there may be an infection going on possibly the scabbed up (nub) area. I'm glad you have a good avian vet to take her to. Please keep feeding her and weigh her to make sure she puts weight on. Is the keel bone very sharp?

Please do keep us updated.

[Jaye]

Hi. Thanks. The keelbone isn't "very" sharp...but it is beginning to become noticeable.

She is still very alert....she squirmed out of my grasp this AM and is moving around well. here's a pic of the injury. At first I was worried it might be a bone, but feeling beneath the feathers here bones in that area seem to be where they should be (at least based upon my knowledge of wing bones).

She took the formula and meds much better this AM...I am also giving her seed and will set up a better cage in the next couple of days.

I feel better now that I know she is getting full doses of the meds. Nutri-stat will be coming in mail today or tom'w, so I will start mixing that in w/ the formula to get her weight up. I will also make a vet appt. today.

[Trees Gray]

Thank you for all your care. I'm glad an avian vet will be looking at the wing.

[Charis]

I knew you'd get her.
Great job!