[Bonster]

We recently adopted a Pineapple Green Cheek Conure. Due to COVID, we didn’t see the bird prior to it being brought to our home. Immediately, I noticed a tiny white dot in her eye. I asked the breeder and she claimed ignorance. I’ve been monitoring it for a few weeks and it wasn’t getting worse but now it seems to be growing just a bit. It’s not in the centre, but a bit off-centre. She tends to keep the eye closed quite often so it’s obviously bothering her either from the vision change or perhaps discomfort. I am fairly certain they housed many babies together and this one was the landing pad for another one which caused a puncture from one of their needle-sharp talons. I wasn’t about to take her off to the vet when she arrived because she was so stressed out already. She’s now calm enough I probably could take her to the vet, but our Avian & Exotic pet vet here tends to either say “I don’t know what it is, monitor it.” or she does expensive tests first with the same outcome. I’ve never had a positive experience there and other vets here don’t deal with birds very often, so I wouldn’t expect them to know better. The only thing I would expect from a vet is possibly a steroid ointment for the eye which I’m not sure would help at this point.

Has anyone ever had a bird eye puncture? My searching the web hasn’t produced anything useful.

 

[Mr Peepers]

We recently adopted a Pineapple Green Cheek Conure. Due to COVID, we didn’t see the bird prior to it being brought to our home. Immediately, I noticed a tiny white dot in her eye. I asked the breeder and she claimed ignorance. I’ve been monitoring it for a few weeks and it wasn’t getting worse but now it seems to be growing just a bit. It’s not in the centre, but a bit off-centre. She tends to keep the eye closed quite often so it’s obviously bothering her either from the vision change or perhaps discomfort. I am fairly certain they housed many babies together and this one was the landing pad for another one which caused a puncture from one of their needle-sharp talons. I wasn’t about to take her off to the vet when she arrived because she was so stressed out already. She’s now calm enough I probably could take her to the vet, but our Avian & Exotic pet vet here tends to either say “I don’t know what it is, monitor it.” or she does expensive tests first with the same outcome. I’ve never had a positive experience there and other vets here don’t deal with birds very often, so I wouldn’t expect them to know better. The only thing I would expect from a vet is possibly a steroid ointment for the eye which I’m not sure would help at this point.

Has anyone ever had a bird eye puncture? My searching the web hasn’t produced anything useful.

Welcome to Talk Parrots.

I would take the bird to the vet and see what's going on. If she's got her eye closed then there is an issue and you need to get it checked soon.
I hope there is a simple ointment and an easy recovery as well. It's horrible the breeder didn't notice this or fess up and say they will help you deal with it. I know how expensive avian vets are and tests can be incredibly expensive.

Please let us know what your vet thinks.

 

[Bonster]

Welcome to Talk Parrots.

I would take the bird to the vet and see what's going on. If she's got her eye closed then there is an issue and you need to get it checked soon.
I hope there is a simple ointment and an easy recovery as well. It's horrible the breeder didn't notice this or fess up and say they will help you deal with it. I know how expensive avian vets are and tests can be incredibly expensive.

Please let us know what your vet thinks.

Thanks. I am very aware of that advice and she is scheduled in for a visit, but I still doubt they can do much for it. I was hoping to find someone with experience with this specific injury, but after submitting the post I noticed you seem to be the only on here.

 

[Mr Peepers]

Thanks. I am very aware of that advice and she is scheduled in for a visit, but I still doubt they can do much for it. I was hoping to find someone with experience with this specific injury, but after submitting the post I noticed you seem to be the only on here.

LOL ... yup ... I and a couple of other members are the only ones on here currently ... this board was an offshoot of some annoyed members who didn't like another board many years ago. In time people moved on to newer boards with more updated features. This board just moved up to a new system last week so we hope for new members to join and move on with the upgrade and changes. I do hope you will post with us and let us know how your new bird friend is doing.

Best of luck to you and her ... I hope it won't be a difficult issue for her and you with her eye.

 

[Bonster]

LOL ... yup ... I and a couple of other members are the only ones on here currently ... this board was an offshoot of some annoyed members who didn't like another board many years ago. In time people moved on to newer boards with more updated features. This board just moved up to a new system last week so we hope for new members to join and move on with the upgrade and changes. I do hope you will post with us and let us know how your new bird friend is doing.

Best of luck to you and her ... I hope it won't be a difficult issue for her and you with her eye.

Thank you. I hope the board grows to be popular again!

Just at the vet now. They took Mango inside. I was a mess yesterday worried it would be horrific but I’m trying to just wait and see what they tell me.

 

[Mr Peepers]

Thank you. I hope the board grows to be popular again!

Just at the vet now. They took Mango inside. I was a mess yesterday worried it would be horrific but I’m trying to just wait and see what they tell me.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you both ... hang in there and stay strong. Your lovely Mango needs you to be ready for her!

 

[Bonster]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you both ... hang in there and stay strong. Your lovely Mango needs you to be ready for her!

Thank you. She’s hanging in there. She has a regimen of medications that cost almost as much as the vet visit itself. I hope they do the trick. The doctor wasn’t holding out a lot of hope, but she didn’t want to make a promise that it could be fixed. 10 days of this treatment and we shall see where it ends up.

 

[Mr Peepers]

Thank you. She’s hanging in there. She has a regimen of medications that cost almost as much as the vet visit itself. I hope they do the trick. The doctor wasn’t holding out a lot of hope, but she didn’t want to make a promise that it could be fixed. 10 days of this treatment and we shall see where it ends up.

I am keeping my fingers crossed all will be well. Best wishes to you and your little girl!

 

[Bonster]

I am keeping my fingers crossed all will be well. Best wishes to you and your little girl!

Thank you! My little adorable bird has changed drastically in the last 24 hours. At first, it seemed the treatment was having little to no impact, but after 9 days of antibiotic ointment and oral antibiotic, she’s perked up a lot. Her eye is no longer kept shut most of the time. She’s keeping it open and it’s wide and bright like it should be vs swollen, irritated and only partially open. She bathed her head for the first time today which is new because she avoided dunking her head until now, even though she has often taken two baths in one day. My only theory on that is she was protecting her injured eye and now it feels healed to her. The specialist we were referred to is VERY expensive, so I’m pleased to say I don’t think we need to make that visit.

 

[Mr Peepers]

Thank you! My little adorable bird has changed drastically in the last 24 hours. At first, it seemed the treatment was having little to no impact, but after 9 days of antibiotic ointment and oral antibiotic, she’s perked up a lot. Her eye is no longer kept shut most of the time. She’s keeping it open and it’s wide and bright like it should be vs swollen, irritated and only partially open. She bathed her head for the first time today which is new because she avoided dunking her head until now, even though she has often taken two baths in one day. My only theory on that is she was protecting her injured eye and now it feels healed to her. The specialist we were referred to is VERY expensive, so I’m pleased to say I don’t think we need to make that visit.

GREAT NEWS!

I'm so pleased to hear she has perked up and is having a bath and doing well. Bright open eyelids are good news.

How had she taken to your hands on treatment. I know you mentioned she was a new pet ... did she hate you touching her to apply meds or did she seem to understand you were taking care of her?

I'm really happy you don't have to deal with the expensive specialist now ... I'm keeping my fingers crossed she will continue to get better and you will be on your way to bonding and finding out how much fun your new bird will be in your life.

Please keep us posted.

 

[Bonster]

Thank you! My little adorable bird has changed drastically in the last 24 hours. At first, it seemed the treatment was having little to no impact, but after 9 days of antibiotic ointment and oral antibiotic, she’s perked up a lot. Her eye is no longer kept shut most of the time. She’s keeping it open and it’s wide and bright like it should be vs swollen, irritated and only partially open. She bathed her head for the first time today which is new because she avoided dunking her head until now, even though she has often taken two baths in one day. My only theory on that is she was protecting her injured eye and now it feels healed to her. The specialist we were referred to is VERY expensive, so I’m pleased to say I don’t think we need to make that visit.

Considering we got her only one month ago as of tomorrow, she did remarkably well. She hates the taste of the antibiotic, but I can still feed her the meds with her perched rather than in a towel. She is on a recovery formula to put on some weight and she finally decided she likes it the other day so she’s eager to take it. The ointment and eye wash are the hardest to do, but she was a trooper. This bird has such a great personality. She’s a real sweetheart!

 

[Mr Peepers]

Considering we got her only one month ago as of tomorrow, she did remarkably well. She hates the taste of the antibiotic, but I can still feed her the meds with her perched rather than in a towel. She is on a recovery formula to put on some weight and she finally decided she likes it the other day so she’s eager to take it. The ointment and eye wash are the hardest to do, but she was a trooper. This bird has such a great personality. She’s a real sweetheart!

Excellent news to hear she's not a screaming fighting biting terror when it comes to meds.

For having her just a month she must realize you are in this for her and she is ready willing and able to be a sweetie to you so you can help her get better. I am so happy to hear she is doing well.

Keep up the good job! We all look forward to hearing more about her settling in with you and her recovery. In time (if you'd like) it would be lovely to see a photo of her as well.

 

[Bonster]

Excellent news to hear she's not a screaming fighting biting terror when it comes to meds.

For having her just a month she must realize you are in this for her and she is ready willing and able to be a sweetie to you so you can help her get better. I am so happy to hear she is doing well.

Keep up the good job! We all look forward to hearing more about her settling in with you and her recovery. In time (if you'd like) it would be lovely to see a photo of her as well.

I agree. She definitely knows we have her best interests at heart. She was also very good for her trip to the vet. I couldn’t believe how calm she was. I will give an update later for sure. Still a little uneasy about her future, but we will likely do a follow-up visit in the next few days to keep up the progress.

 

[Mr Peepers]

I agree. She definitely knows we have her best interests at heart. She was also very good for her trip to the vet. I couldn’t believe how calm she was. I will give an update later for sure. Still a little uneasy about her future, but we will likely do a follow-up visit in the next few days to keep up the progress. View attachment 24255

Awww ... look at that baby face. She's adorable!

 

[Bonster]

Well, Mango is still not better. The vet gladly took her back for a ‘recheck’ which was a bit cheaper than the original consult, at least. She then offered to do about $300 of tests to find out if she had a respiratory infection when there is no reason to believe she could have one. She said she has no idea of what to do with the eye, but the appointment was made with the premise that she had other treatment options beyond what had been done already. When I called her out on it she said she never promised anything. The trouble is, taking the appointment is insinuating they can do something for Mango. Now we are looking at surrendering her to the animal shelter so that they can take her to the eye specialist. We are already out $1000 and can’t afford another amidst unemployment.

 

[Mr Peepers]

Well, Mango is still not better. The vet gladly took her back for a ‘recheck’ which was a bit cheaper than the original consult, at least. She then offered to do about $300 of tests to find out if she had a respiratory infection when there is no reason to believe she could have one. She said she has no idea of what to do with the eye, but the appointment was made with the premise that she had other treatment options beyond what had been done already. When I called her out on it she said she never promised anything. The trouble is, taking the appointment is insinuating they can do something for Mango. Now we are looking at surrendering her to the animal shelter so that they can take her to the eye specialist. We are already out $1000 and can’t afford another amidst unemployment.

Oh no ... This is not good. I do hate when vets can't deal with an issue and then claim more tests are needed and something else might be wrong. It's a crap shoot every time until you can find a good vet you can trust.

Are there any conure breeders other then your original breeder you can reach out to?

Any conure clubs?

I would check with the local Humane Society and ask them if they can assist you ... you will catch a break in costs and they are usually pretty decent people to deal with.

Keep us posted. I'm sorry this isn't working well for you both.

 

[Bonster]

I have tried to reach out to a few breeders. I was surprised to not get some good information from them. I am part of a local group for parrot owners but it is rather small. There’s just a few avian-capable vets around this city and only one that specializes in exotics.
The Humane Society will take her as a surrender and then they can work with the specialist vet to care for her properly. I don’t know for certain that they would, but they could.
If the original vet I called had been honest and said they don’t have the ability to treat the eye, I would have gone to the other vet and in the process I would have found out about the eye specialist they have there. I’m not the only one who has mentioned that vet has a habit of draining wallets. I turned down hundreds of dollars worth of unnecessary work, but not everyone knows what’s necessary. In the end, they run a business, so they ultimately have interest in revenue.
For now, Mango seems happy and pretty comfortable. We shall see what the coming days bring. There’s a chance she can recover at home.

 

[Mr Peepers]

Keeping fingers crossed for Mango. Hang in there!

 

[Bonster]

Thank you. She’s definitely a member of the family. I basically keep her with me all day because it’s like she has birdy separation anxiety. She’s loving the birdy bread I made for her and she’s eating much better lately.

I’m in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Where are you?

 

[Mr Peepers]

Thank you. She’s definitely a member of the family. I basically keep her with me all day because it’s like she has birdy separation anxiety. She’s loving the birdy bread I made for her and she’s eating much better lately.

I’m in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Where are you?

I want some birdy bread .... I love the hot peppers and the seeds stuck between my teeth. I'm happy to hear you are spoiling your baby!

As for home .... I'm in Toronto Canada .... you know, the Capital of Canada. 😂