My bird's foot is bleeding and bruised. What should I do for her injury?

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.

It sounds like your bird may have bumblefoot, or an infection of the foot which can cause oozing of debris, pus, blood, etc. Other possible causes can include a sprain or break to the foot. If you see a visible wound, you can try soaking the foot in epsom salts and then using an antiseptic like blu-kote, however if it is badly infected or broken this is something that needs to be seen by a veterinarian immediately as severe infections can make a bird ill very quickly and potentially lead to death. Until you can get to your vet, keeping Sunapana warm and in a hospital cage without perches and with food and water dishes that are easy to is best.

Apply gentle pressure with a wet(cold water) towel and disinfect the area with salt water, or by using an hibiscrub or betadine solution (you can find them in boots - store). A check up then would be ideal to determine the underlying source of the bleeding and have appropriate treatment options.

It is good that you separated the bird being picked on. If he is actively bleeding, injured, or the sites of his wounds appear to be infected, then it is best to bring him to a vet and have him treated with antibiotics as needed. Until you can get to the vet, keeping him separate, cleaning any wounds of any debris or oozing, and preventing him from picking at the wounds can help some.

It would be best to remove your male budgie and thoroughly clean the wound/stop the bleeding with pressure. You can then place him into a hospital cage to allow the wound to heal/keep an eye on it without your female picking at it further. Once healed, you can then start to reintroduce both birds back into the same cage. Adding in extra food, water, perches, toys, etc can help decrease competition over resources which may help decrease fighting as well. If the foot is at all bothersome, Tweety can't place weight on it, or the wound appears infected, having a vet take a look in person to treat, clean and prescribe any medications is best.

Thanks for reaching out about Rodger. A veterinary visit is recommended to check for a fracture or infection from the missing toe. Either way, this is probably painful. A fracture needs to be set, just like in any animal. Infections need to be managed with antibiotics. Good luck.

Your bird may have a skin infection, like from a bacteria or fungus, or he may have skin mites causing him to be so itchy. I would recommend taking him to the vet to be checked out so that the underlying problem can be treated and he will stop being so itchy. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.