Injured parakeet - attacked by his mate

[mdarko]

My parakeet, Salvador has been having health problems the last few weeks... his mate, Tinkerbell keeps pushing him off of the perch as a dominant behavior. We separate her from him, but we took our eyes off of them for a moment and now Salvador is hurt even worse. He keeps tilting his head to one side, cannot keep his balance (he was standing on a sock in his cage, he likes to nest in it, and fell on his head and could not get up, this keeps happening). He cannot fly but he can climb a little, up onto my finger, but trying to get down, he loses his balance and falls. We cannot afford an avian vet here, we are young and have suffered several economic blows lately. What can I do to help Salvador get better? So far I have put him in the small cage with padding on the bottom, gave him fresh millet and fresh water, and don't let Tinkerbell near him. He is eating and drinking plenty, but still cannot stand up on a perch without losing his balance and falling. Please help, it is greatly appreciated, as he is a very, very much loved pet!!

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M.]

I think that he may need an anti-inflammatory medication to try to decrease the inflammation from the trauma that he has received.  This would be a really minute dose.  I don't know how you would get this medication without going to a vet.  Is there a humane society that offers veterinary care at reduced cost near you?  Some vets have reduced exam fees for "exotic" pets.  I would try calling around to different vet offices.

Due to the hollow nature of their skulls trauma to a parakeet's head can easily cause brain trauma resulting in vestibular, or cerebellar problems and ataxia.