My bird was bitten by a rat and now seems very sick. What to do?

It sounds like he needs to be seen by a vet for treatment. The bite may have injured his neck/wing and/or he may have an infection secondary to the bite. A vet can take an xray to see if anything is fractured and prescribe an antibiotic, if needed to treat an infection. The fact that he is crawling around the cage and not eating is very concerning so please have a vet take a look at him as soon as possible. Also, keep him separated from the other bird so this doesn't happen again.

Thanks for reaching out about Ettienne. Cat bites are notorious for being dirty and causing infections. Systemic antibiotics are required as topicals will not penetrate into wounds. A veterinary visit must be scheduled for tomorrow, if an emergency veterinary clinic is not available this evening (preferred). Monitor appetite and activity. Good luck.

Poor girl. Rats can carry some nasty diseases unfortunately, so it is best to wash this area with betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water for now and then I would go to your local pet store and rinse it also with an oral rinse that contains chlorhexidine. Ask the pet store employee and they should be able to point you in the right direction. This should be washed daily and then I would recommend scheduling an appt with your local vet to have her wounds checked out further. She likely will need a short course of antibiotics and pain meds if needed. I hope that your furry friend Chullie turns out ok. Best wishes and take care.

You need to take your bird into a vet immediately to get checked out. There could be internal injuries from the bite, and the vet can treat her to prevent any infection from the bite. Please take her into a vet right away. Best of luck.

Poor bird! If the foot is at all infected, trying to find a vet that can help in person is best. However, until you can find one, it is a good idea to separate the bird from any cage mates to keep from being picked on, and move him to a warm hospital cage with larger, flat perches that will make perching easier on his feet. Keeping the foot clean and dry and using an ointment such as Blu-kote (most feed and pet stores carry this for use in poultry and other birds) can help prevent infection. You can also Google how to make a bird-sized Elizabethan (cone) collar to put on the bird so that he can't get to his foot and bite it while it heals.

If this is a rat bite there is a risk it will get infected, and it may turn into an abscess, or the infection may spread elsewhere, which can be dangerous to Bini’s health. Rats can carry a number of diseases that can be dangerous to humans as well, so I advise you to have Bini seen by a vet to address the potential bite. The area is likely very sore, and Bini will probably not let you clean it appropriately at home. Although rabies transmission from a rat bite is uncommon, it is not impossible, so your vet will need to address monitoring/vaccinating Bini accordingly. She may also need antibiotics, which can only be prescribed by a vet. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It seems like you have done about everything you can to get her to improve at home. At this point, she really needs to see a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They can check what the extent of the injuries may be to try to get her to improve. Keep in mind that dog on bird attacks can result in a lot of trauma. Best of luck!