Raw, Itchy Bum

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- Ooh, good thinking on the cupcake papers! I didn't even think of those tiny ones!
I know Publix has the cupcake papers with the cake decorating stuff (in fact, I might have husband pick up some frosting! Cupcakes sound great!)

I'd given her probiotics yesterday, when I'd stopped the antibiotics.
I wasn't giving them now since I've re-started antibiotics. I figured it would be pointless since antibiotics would just kill off all the probiotics organisms!
But I've never heard that the probiotics would prevent the antibiotics from working properly! That's good to know!

I too am worried about further irritation from egg laying. Stretching red, swollen and irritated tissue doesn't sound comfortable or beneficial to the situation.
I know they need to be healthy to lay eggs. I'm not sure if she was sick enough last night/yesterday morning to trigger her body to quit with the egg production. That could be another problem -- if she has an egg cooking, that's robbing her body of energy and nutrients.
Excluding anything that's already cooking, I can't imagine she'd lay another one. She's too unwell right now.

That's great thinking on possible irritation from a yeast die-off. That's really possible.

She's been basking in her heat lamp all night, hopping around to eat.
She seems *really* hoppity! It's a bit odd. She's bopping around and seems really "bouncy".
She's also been standing all night, rather than sitting, so I guess that's a good sign too.

[Corkysgirl]

I think she's feeling better if she's hoppity, a very good sign. I think she's not sitting because her butt's sore. In that one picture you took she seemed to have her butt very high in the air...like it really hurt her. I hope there's no egg cooking...and that's so good she's under the heat lamp.

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- I hope you're right!

It's funny you said that you thought her bum seemed to be high in the air in that photo. I was thinking the exact same thing, but thought maybe I was imagining things!

[MiaCarter]

Got a photo!


If you can believe it, this looks pretty good. Not as inflamed as last night.

It actually looks like she's about to lay an egg. It's hard to tell by the photo, but that white area is really prominent and super egg-shaped. Almost certainly an egg cooking.
If that's not an egg, then that would mean her skin is quite pale, which would be shocking considering all the redness last night.

Any ideas on how to get that dried blood off?
She'll be like this forever if I wait for her to preen and bathe it off. She's not a full-body bather.
Best idea I had was to wait until she's better, then hold her in my hand with her bum in warm water for a few minutes.

[Corkysgirl]

That's so good it looks better. If there's an egg...it's gonna come out. Better it's not as inflamed. I've run mine (sore butt females) under warm salt water, squeezing a cotton ball over it...over and over again, then using the cotton ball also to wipe. So it was the method to run the water over and the method to rub because it was so soft. Really make sure the water is sterilized when you do that area. You don't want to introduce any bacteria...or virus to that area. When you do, just keep her really warm. I always held mine over the full spectrum bulb afterwards but not very close...to dry. Water is a conductor of heat so too close will burn them. Extra moisture remember will help her pass her egg easier. Moist towel over the cage...in case she's going to lay an egg.

[KarenB]

Oh my gosh, what a saga! I am learning so much, though. Praying for your little Priscilla!

[MiaCarter]

KarenB -- A saga is right! (Though I much prefer to read others' sagas rather than writing my own! LOL)

Definitely a learning experience! I daresay that this is how I've learned nearly all my pet care knowledge -- the hard way! I like to believe that it all happens for a reason, so if nothing else, it's a learning experience that I can share with others.

That's actually how I got into pet writing years ago and I did the math recently and calculated that my online articles alone had something like 20+ million views over the past decade! So even if just a small portion found something helpful in those articles, then that's still millions of pets' lives improved as a result of my experiences! Crazy to think of it that way....and I've got to. Otherwise I think I'd go nuts with all the special needs pets, if it was all in vain/for nothing.
Hey, if nothing else, I suppose it's good blog fodder.

[finchmix22]

Sounds like she needs time and rest. I would soak her bum in warm water twice a day. It could be the egg laying reopens a wound in the vent area, so watch her with this egg. Also, if the vent has neosporin, it will prevent future infection and may help ease the egg out of her body. I hope she keeps improving.

[Corkysgirl]

MiaCarter How is Priscilla doing?

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- Seems better!!
Definitely not worse!

She did pass her egg. No problems, thank goodness.
No new blood spots anywhere in the nest or on the paper towels on the shelf and floor. So that's wonderful.
I was worried the egg would re-open a wound and cause more swelling and redness.
But the redness and swelling has gone WAY down.
It's about 80% better in this regard.

I had her out to spritz with hydrocortisone spray and butter her bum with ointment and noticed that she's somehow managed to preen away a few chunks of dried blood. No idea how she got those chunks out of the feathers, but it looks better in that regard. Hopefully, she'll get the big chunks out so I'll only have to rinse her to clean away the remaining residue.

She really does need a bath, though. I was looking at her under the light and she has drops of blood *everywhere* on her feathers -- her back, her head, her wings. It looks like she did a booty shake while she was bleeding and spattered herself.

So thankful the bleeding is stopped. That was the most worrisome. I can't imagine she'd last long if she had another day or two like yesterday.
One idea I had was to put the bath inside the cage. Fill it with warm water. Then pop her in and put a piece of cardboard over the door for a minute or two. I'd make it deep enough to at least get her bum rinsed. Not sure if that would be more stressful or less stressful than holding her and cleaning her by hand. Probably quicker to do the bath idea.

[Corkysgirl]

That's so great that she is getting better, not bleeding, passed her egg without further damage. The antibiotics are probably what she needed. Something I do to keep my birds from getting out....assuming that's what the cardboard is for...while I have my arms in the cage, I drape a heavy cloth over top the cage hanging down over the top of the cage, over my arms so it closes the gap. You may have a better idea of how to keep the cardboard in place. I'm not getting the picture. About the bath, sounds good but I would wait until you were very sure she's out of the woods. No sense stressing her just to make sure she looks better. She'll be so much better soon! I'm so happy to hear she's better!!!

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- Ah, you're right. I didn't explain that well.

The little bird bath is like a little box. Here's a picture:
http://www.amazon.com/Penn-Plax-Bird-Un ... h+for+cage

So I can put it inside the cage on the cage floor and then pop her in for a minute or two so she washes up. (She won't go in on her own. She only dunks her head/chest in the water cup. Always has.)
I could probably even just use my hand to cover over the opening to the bath to keep her in there to soak her bum for a few moments.

My guys are actually really good about the cage door. When I'm cleaning their cage and doing breakfast and dinner, I leave it wide open and they always stay in. Exception is Squeepers, who will pop out to come get a jump on the egg food and cucumber! LOL
The cage door is on the lower half of the cage and the nests and perches are in the upper half, so it works nicely. I can clean and do my thing in the lower portion and they stay in the upper portion.
I think they're well conditioned to know that food's coming, so they don't want to go anywhere! (But when there's no food involved, you open that door and they're gone!)
I chop up veggies and dole out foods from the various containers in the bird room, rather than in the kitchen. When they're having free flight time, they always migrate back when they see the food has arrived! LOL

[Corkysgirl]

Oh...I see, that's a good idea! That's funny shes sticks her head/chest in but doesn't bathe. Mine either bathe or don't...no head or chest. Cute! I thought you meant you were going to try to put cardboard on the large door opening...if it's like mine...and I picture it tipping in...falling over. Never would work for me. Mine are escape artists! They would say, "Keep that food warm...I'll be right back!" If I open their doors on either side of their cage, I have to drape heavy cloth overt o prevent escaping. They will fly to the other end and I have to put my arms in both doors leaving too big a gap...if that makes sense. They are so fast flying out, it amazes me! Did you see my post about Ellington being blind in one eye? I'm not happy about that!

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- Oh no about Ellington! I didn't see that post yet! I'll search it out!

I know the feeling. My Yorkie is going blind due to diabetes. It's awful. I think I'm more bothered than she is, though!

[Corkysgirl]

I knew something was wrong with it. I guess I didn't want to really look at it...didn't have to courage until tonight. Not fun having two birds with eye issues. I feel so bad for him. If he was just blind it would be one thing, but it bothers him because he can't hold it open. And...my old bird's eye looked bad again tonight for the first time. There is no other recourse of antibiotics to give her. Well...tomorrow I will check them both out and see what to do next.