My cockatiel has a blood clot from a broken blood feather. What to do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 6 months old
I think my cockatiel pulled out or broke a blood feather last night. It bled quite a lot but stopped quickly, so I left him in a dimly lit cage to recover and watched to make sure it didn't start to bleed again. This morning, there is quite a big blood clot in his crest which he keeps trying to scratch at. I'm worried that if he knocks it the feather might start to bleed again. What should I do?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on February 25th, 2018
I wouldn't worry too much about this. Once the blood feather is removed, the body naturally seals off the area and cuts off the blood supply. He would have to do some severe damage to himself in order for it to bleed as much as it did. There's little chance that a bird would cause this much harm to itself, so I would not worry about it. These pulled blood feathers start to look normal after a week or so. If there are further concerns, then I'd recommend taking him to a vet for a consult. I hope that helps and all is well with Paco.
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on September 21st, 2017
As long as there is no active bleeding, you don't have to do anything. Birds will lose "blood feathers" (those with a blood supply) occasionally due to trauma, rough handling or pecking. It will typically clot on its own if the entire feather comes out. If not, the remainder of the feather must be plucked. A styptic powder, such as Quik Stop, can be used with gentle pressure to stop active bleeding. If none is available, plain corn starch will work.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on December 10th, 2018
I am sorry that this happened to Chipper, and to you - broken blood feathers can be quite scary. Most of the time, once the bleeding has stopped, the danger has passed. I didn't see you mention where along the shaft of the feather the break occurred. The reason I bring it up is that if the feather was broken very close to the skin, the flour may irritate the feather follicle (this is the area where the feather grows from within the skin) and could damage it. If it has broken at this area, I would recommend taking Chipper to a veterinarian as they will be able to clean the area to decrease the chance for inflammation and irritation at the site. This can be done tomorrow, as I don't want Chipper's blood pressure to raise while he is clotting the blood at the broken feather site tonight. The increase in blood pressure from handling and traveling could make him bleed again, but by the morning the clot should be formed and stable. With regards to Chipper being okay - thankfully birds can lose a great deal of blood and still be okay. They regenerate their blood cells at a much faster rate than mammals do (like us!) and Chipper will start replenishing his blood supply as quickly as tomorrow! I hope that helps to answer your question, and I wish you and Chipper the best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Hi. I got an 8 month old male lutino cockatiel. Few days ago i found blood on the perch in the cage, but i let it go. But today i found a feather in the cage filled with blood. What should i do?
I have a cockatiel and one of his wing/blood feathers broke and he's started bleeding a little bit, we applied flour to try and stop the bleeding and it's seemed to work for now. Do you think he'll be okay?
My bird looks like it has a blood feather (or a blood stain) on it's right wing. I've very lightly brushed against it with a soft towel, and I saw no red stains on it. I don't know if it's just a blood feather, or actual blood. Should I try to bring
My parakeet has bent his blood feather, the bleeding has stopped should I do anything about it?
My cockatiel bird has a feather bleeding from its tail and it looks long and bleedly I'm really scared and afraid because I've been reading about blood feathers and how dangerous it can be , it's currently 11:42pm in California we're I live and I'm r
Hi I'm. Joel. My budgie ajs lost her feathers and blood feather what do I do she's not bleeding as it's stoped I think but I'm worried
Hi there! My cockatiel accidentally flew into a blanket while out of the cage for the first time and he got caught inside it. I quickly got him out and checked to see if he was alright.. he has blood coming from his wings and a loss of balance. I'm n
My bird has a broken blood feather, what should I do. Do I need to take her to the vet?
My cockatiel is growing a few blood feathers and seems to be constantly picking at them. He has previously had a broken blood feather during a night fright, but managed to pull it out himself. How do I treat these new ones without hurting him?
I recently adopted a male budgerigar and it seems to have a blood feather. However the bleeding stopped long before I noticed it. Charlie was only bleeding minimally and does not pay any attention to the feather, despite it sticking out at an odd ang
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
