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Worried about Chalkie

3K views 40 replies 15 participants last post by  catalinadee 
#1 ·
I would of posted this on a more suitable forum, but a birds a bird at the end of the day and other forums are very rude.

I noticed yesterday that Chalkie has got a lump on his cere. Usually he gets food (his chicks are yellow and so the fluff matches the colour almost) on his beak and face so I didn't really think much of it, hoping it was just food and he'd wipe it off as usual. I went into his aviary earlier to feed him and noticed it was still there. I had to grab him to have a closer look.

I don't have a picture as of yet, but personally to me it looks like perhaps a wart? I've looked and looked and looked and can't find anything on it anywhere... another thing is could possibly be is literally a bump? He often flies into the mesh really hard when wild birds fly past and land on the feeders in next doors garden so I thought he may have knocked it?

I'm going to ask John who I work for at the falconry centre what he thinks if it hasn't gone by then. But what do you guys think? He is perfectly fine in himself. He flies around (well, when he can be bothered... raptors are lazy!), eats like a piggy and shows no signs of illness :shrug:

I'm really concerned though. I have a much more close bond with Chalkie than I do with any of my other birds, yes I ADORE and LOVE everybody with all my heart but Chalkie is very special to me after the situation I was in, he was the only thing that really kept me going. If anything were to happen to me I don't know what I would do.

The vets in my area are dreadful and the guy who usually sorts out my birds health problems (like blood feathers and coping etc) has a terrible illness so I don't want to burden him. I have to wait until friday until I can talk to John.

Has anybody got a clue? or has anybody elses birds had anything similar? I don't know what to do. I wiped it earlier on with some nice clean water on a bit of tissue (which he then decided to attack whilst in my hand... OUCH) and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. I just really don't know :(
 
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#2 ·
Gosh, I'm afraid I can't help, but I sure hope he's okay! If he's acting fine and eating okay, maybe it's all right to wait until Friday.

I hope you fiind the answer and everything works out okay!
 
#3 ·
Hi Daisy,
I had a similar problem with a male,it was bruised and inflamed but went back to normal. I ended up tethering on a loop perch to prevent it, especially as he was in yarak. You could try experimenting with increasing his weight to make him less keen. Or tether as i did. Also wanting to free loft you could place a rubber lining on the inside of the mesh to prevent damage.

He often flies into the mesh really hard when wild birds fly past and land on the feeders in next doors garden so I thought he may have knocked it? Sounds like its nothing to bad as he has a healthy appetite.

If your still worried, this practice is brilliant. Specialising in raptors. Based in swindon, hopefully its not too far for you.

http://www.gwexotics.com/

Hope this helps.
Chris
 
#5 ·
Thank you Chris :) he has been tethered for some time before hand as I always flew him, but he was free lofted after he broke a blood feather (a really bad one!) and almost lost him then. We have double mess (the plastic mesh on the inside) on all the other aviaries because the Indian eagle owl I use to have would do the same.

He is at his fat weight. Very fat weight right now being as he hasn't been out in a long time. But soon I hope to get him back out in the field. He's pretty small 1.5 - 1.6 and at the moment he's about 1.11.

Thank you!
 
#8 ·
Thank you both :) I'm less worried now. I got some really bad pics on my iPod that I will put up later on.
 
#12 ·
Here are the awful photos, you can see it just on his cere





 
#13 ·
Here's an update: I ordered a pure stick of aloe from the IBR store and got it two days later. I applied it and checked back on it again today (I think I did it Thursday) and I'm actually amazed. The lump has started to go down! It really is starting to work. They do a lot of aloe products so when I get paid I will get some more things. It really works a charm! I also rubbed a load of it on his legs and feet because they're often very dry and now they look lovely :biggrin5: he needs a new pair of jesses though. Being as he has been loose in his aviary, I have had no need to bring him out and so I didn't grease his jesses (I usually buy 1 pair a year). I grabbed him Thursday to apply the stuff and before I let him go the one snapped straight off! Thank goodness I didn't tether him outside any time soon :yikes:. I'm going to get some completely new anklets, mews jesses, permanent flying jesses, tail mounts, a new swivel and I think I'll treat my self to a new glove. I do have like 4 gloves. A yellow one, which is battered beyond all repair, a black one which is so thick I can't really use it that well at all, a black and white one, and a tiny little one I use for tiny birds. Chalkie is a pain in the butt and will only, and I mean only, fly to or be handled by yellow gloves. Most gloves AREN'T yellow! I can't believe the people who had him only got him used to one colour. When I start manning him again I think I may use the black and white one, just so he gets used to it :shrug:
 
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#40 ·
Here's an update: I ordered a pure stick of aloe from the IBR store and got it two days later. I applied it and checked back on it again today (I think I did it Thursday) and I'm actually amazed. The lump has started to go down! It really is starting to work. They do a lot of aloe products so when I get paid I will get some more things. It really works a charm! I also rubbed a load of it on his legs and feet because they're often very dry and now they look lovely :biggrin5: he needs a new pair of jesses though. Being as he has been loose in his aviary, I have had no need to bring him out and so I didn't grease his jesses (I usually buy 1 pair a year). I grabbed him Thursday to apply the stuff and before I let him go the one snapped straight off! Thank goodness I didn't tether him outside any time soon :yikes:. I'm going to get some completely new anklets, mews jesses, permanent flying jesses, tail mounts, a new swivel and I think I'll treat my self to a new glove. I do have like 4 gloves. A yellow one, which is battered beyond all repair, a black one which is so thick I can't really use it that well at all, a black and white one, and a tiny little one I use for tiny birds. Chalkie is a pain in the butt and will only, and I mean only, fly to or be handled by yellow gloves. Most gloves AREN'T yellow! I can't believe the people who had him only got him used to one colour. When I start manning him again I think I may use the black and white one, just so he gets used to it :shrug:
That's the glove I was talking about, I was thinking of letting you choose which raptor you wanted and I will airbrush one on it so that you can hopefully frame it then maybe use it for fund-raising for the centre.



It may look manky but its getting better
He's such an amazing regal animal, simply amazing!

I remember living in the Malley country in Victoria, sitting on the big boulders out in the middle of the country and just looking up watching the Wedge Tailed Eagles! I would often have Sulphur Crested Cockatoo's, Galah's or some other flock critter sitting and waiting with me also! Was an awesome time to be alive :thumbsup:
 
#38 ·
Funny, I was thinking of getting up and trying to do that exact same thing! :rofl:

That is such good news Daisy, really made my day!

I have a question, I know I'm going to hit Google later and look up all of these new terms you are using, but what are you going to do with the old useless glove? And can you please show me some pictures of it!
 
#19 ·
Thanks guys :) yeah he has a liking for yellow gauntlets :shrug: I'm working on it though. He got a big hunk of beef for tea tonight and he is pretty happy :giggle:
 
#20 ·
So glad to hear the scary part is past. Amazing how it hurts
the heart to have such worries over our birdie friends, isn't it?
Glad you can relax now and Chalkie is going to be fine.
 
#21 ·
Thank you! Yeah it was making me so sick. I had been freaking out for days but it is starting to look a lot smaller :biggrin5: he seems happier too!
 
#23 ·
Oh yeah! My heart was in my throat! During the summer I am going to get him really fit again and start taking him out every other day :) I love flying him in winter because raptors fly really low to the ground due to using this 'cushion' of air that keeps them up, and when he does it he flies just above the snow and he sticks out so much. He's almost jet black with red wings :rolleyes:
 
#25 ·
We lost one at the falconry centre but got him down and that was Friday haha! The only reason they fly and return is because we provide them with food. And if you're recalling and stuff then they will see you place the food on your fist or on the ground etc. birds of prey are like eating machines basically haha!
 
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#26 ·
Chalkie's cere began to get much much worse. It scabbed and bled often and I kept up with the aloe treatment. I spoke to John and he said he sees it a lot with the Harris' hawks free lofted as they are most likely trying to attack peoples cats or dogs in the gardens (his aviary is really tall) and he's either fleeing from the neighbours dog and crashing into the mesh or flying really hard at the mesh to kill the cats. I'm going to put one side of his aviary (the one he sees the cats from) with the plastic mesh I use on the inside of my others aviaries. It worked really well before with Axel when she would attempt to get at me in the garden so I think it will work now. Hopefully he will be tethered again soon anyways, so it shouldn't have to last long. John said it would just scab off :)
 
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