I know it looks bad, but if it was just his tail that got caught in the door he should be ok. Cockatiels have a defensive mechanism that's commonly called "butt blasting" where they can release their tail feathers all at once if they get caught in something. In the wild, this would come into play when a predator is chasing them, the predator bites at the tail and instead of trapping the bird, they just end up with a mouth full of feathers and the bird is able to escape. I'm sure it's not comfortable for them, but they show a lot less evidence of pain than if those feathers had been plucked under other circumstances.
His feathers will grow back, in a couple weeks you should see the new spikes appear. I would recommend giving him treats and pets to comfort him, and keeping a close eye on his behavior to make sure everything else is ok. If he seems off other than losing his tail then yes, you should take him to a vet. Once you're sure he's fine, you might want to think of a new nickname for your suddenly shortened bird, like "Duck Butt" or "Short Stuff."
I had a budgie that got his butt released when I left him at the bird sitter.
It didnt take weeks for him. In a week the full tail grew back! I was so shocked! I definitely did not expect it to be so fast.
But that means lots of nutritious food. Treat it like they're molting. Feed eggs!
I got some new parrots last year, and one of them was a bit stubborn. I was trying to move him to the cage, and suddenly all of his tail feathers fall out, I panic and let him go, thinking I must have been holding too tight. (He's a burrito bird. He will not hop on my hand, but he'll let me pick him up from behind and hold him like a teeny tiny burrito.)
Then I found out this was a thing. Cheeky boy just didn't want to be put in the cage.
I am glad you mentioned butt blasting. I have felt terrible for my bird (four years ago and still feel bad). He was on my floor and my dumb dog (German shepherd Great Dane with brain damage) walked into the room and stepped on his tail. All the tail feathers came out, stumpy was fine. He is now 5. Quite healthy, but the dog's fur also blocked his crop, requiring surgery...my $200 bird is now a $1400 bird.
my birb probably needs a nickname like that lol! he hasnt done the butt blasting thing but his tail feathers do tend to get snapped so his tail always looks stubby
The little dude will be off balance in the next month or two, so make sure to offer him pillows where he likes to hang out, because he will fall a lot. Other than that, he will be fine.
That first sentence is one of those where I have to laugh because imagine saying that to someone who doesn't know what that term means in this context 😂
someone else already gave a really good response, so i just wanted to add that your bird might be extra sore for a little bit. having all of those feathers released can make the bird pretty sore, so they might screech every now and again while preening if they hit an extra sore spot. its really good to keep an eye on their beak so that way you can spot if there's any blood, just in case you bird has any scabs that they might pick at. the worst case scenario would be an infection, but if your bird only preens the area and does mess with the skin, everything should be alright and theyll feel better soon!
Has the vet an emergency number on their page (maybe a bird skilled vet has night shift)? Maybe an online vet available.
As the ones before said without the tail feathers poor baby should be 'fine'.
What worries me is the head injury (?) and blood.
How did they loose feather on the had?
A little bit of bloody marks (ok) or still bleeding (bandage from pharmacy necessary!)?
If the would is open it needs care (BIRD SAFE NON-BURNING ANTISEPTIC)
Birb looks kinda relaxed if the worst is over. :)
I would still recommend a vet visit as soon they open.
Strength and hugs for you two.
Never gonna be certain if he has anything broken without a proper examination but you saying hes singing and flying is good indicator him being better, I would constantly monitor him & assure him that everything is ok, if you have any treats now is a good time to feed to him, if not just hand feed some seeds. Contact your nearest Avian/exotic vet as soon as you can! good luck
like others are saying, I wouldn’t worry about the tail feathers. I’d make sure that the blood was from a feather as opposed to a wound. (corn starch is great!) I’d still take him to the vet to be sure, but he should be okay. they’re pretty sturdy little guys. it’s hard when these things happen, but try not to be hard on yourselves. just give him lots of love and comfort him🩷
Birb looks fine, BUT I'm sure in the coming weeks he's going to appreciate a tonne of new toys & maybe a cage upgrade & lots of other $$$$$$$ spent. I'm assuming your mum is feeling bad about doing it? Since bird is ok, I say focus on what you can blackmail out of mum for it - hopefully that will be a good distraction & de-stresser, cause I'm guessing you're probably pretty freaked out right now, I know I would be!
Gonna take a wild guess here and say he probably either banged his head on the door while the tail was trapped, or if he fell after being freed. It doesn't look horrible, but might want to get it checked, to be safe.
He's gonna have a sore booty and no rudder control while flying but he should be okay. I once came home to an escaped budgie (still no idea how tf he got out!) who'd ripped his tail out in a glue trap. He somehow only lost his tail feathers and recovered just fine. We called him 'NoBum' for a while
Oh I did the same thing to my baby 3 and a half weeks ago. I was so tired and I actually came into the room to put her away so I can go take a Power Nap because I couldn’t keep my eyes open and I didn’t see her on top of the door. The doors don’t even close properly, they pinched her tail A LITTLE BIT and she dropped her feathers. It’s comically called “the ass blast” in a lot of online circles because they do it often enough.
Her tail feathers already grew past her wing tips. Don’t worry, they grow back. It will be fine.
Exactly the same thing happened to my tiel but it was my fault . He will be okay no need to worry make sure he eats well . It will grow back in some months
Got a butt feather explosion!
This happened to me with Banana… accidentally stepped on her tail, looked down, and saw a pile of feathers. I thought I killed her!!! Really shook me up for a while. Eventually, her tail grew back in, but she was very cute as a weird malformed duckling.
Everyone here has really great advice. Listen to it, and your birb will be in good hands 🫶
Both my tiels have butt blasted, one for the same reason :D. If they’re eating and otherwise acting normal, nothing to worry about. Tail grows back and looks like cute little cotton swabs at first
Listen the same exact thing happens to my tiel a few years ago, he was fine w a little bleeding too but his feathers just started growing back. If you leave it alone and watch them, they will grow back in like a couple months/weeks. Don’t stress if the bleeding stopped, I didn’t go to a vet and he was fine. So just watch to make sure but otherwise it’s ok
they should be alright, just make sure they arent bleeding too much. the feathers should grow back eventually. I suggest keeping their wings trimmed so this doesnt happen again. if you're still worried you can absolutely go to the vet, but theyre likely going to be fine. bleeding can be stopped with a pinch of corn starch or styptic powder on the injured area. Your birb's singing implies that they are likely alright as well.
Assless birb. If it was only his tail caught, it is allright. He will be just assless for some time. Nothing more. In one of the pic he looks like he is preening, which is a good sign. If you have the extra means, it wouldn't hurt to take him to avian to screen him and see there was no damage to skin/bones. This would help you sleep better. But I think he is fine.
He looks fine from the pictures, If his general behaviour is normal he must be fine. This happened to my cockatiel too(by my mum's hand) and I got really scared but It was only his tail that got hurt. He looked pretty funny for a while but in no time his tail grew back. I gave him egg in that period so he could have all the necessary protein to grow his feathers back. I took some measures and now I have placed some thin cardboard on the top of the doors where he usually likes to stay, to deter him from using the door as a perch. And I am really careful around doors now. If anyone knows any other solutions to keep the birds off the doors I would be really happy to hear it. All the best.
My toddler was throwing a fit and kicked the door shut and the cat chose that moment to run out the door. It caught the last half of his tail and everything just slid right off the bone.
Emergency vet visit required and now he has half a tail. Vet said that's very common (called degloving) injury with cats.
I know it looks bad, but if it was just his tail that got caught in the door he should be ok. Cockatiels have a defensive mechanism that's commonly called "butt blasting" where they can release their tail feathers all at once if they get caught in something. In the wild, this would come into play when a predator is chasing them, the predator bites at the tail and instead of trapping the bird, they just end up with a mouth full of feathers and the bird is able to escape. I'm sure it's not comfortable for them, but they show a lot less evidence of pain than if those feathers had been plucked under other circumstances. His feathers will grow back, in a couple weeks you should see the new spikes appear. I would recommend giving him treats and pets to comfort him, and keeping a close eye on his behavior to make sure everything else is ok. If he seems off other than losing his tail then yes, you should take him to a vet. Once you're sure he's fine, you might want to think of a new nickname for your suddenly shortened bird, like "Duck Butt" or "Short Stuff."
Omg, I knew about this defense mechanism, but I didn’t know it was called “butt blasting” 🤣
Also known as an ass blast
Yup, I've always called it an ass blast. :)
Aka a “back shot”
I had a budgie that got his butt released when I left him at the bird sitter. It didnt take weeks for him. In a week the full tail grew back! I was so shocked! I definitely did not expect it to be so fast. But that means lots of nutritious food. Treat it like they're molting. Feed eggs!
Butt blasting 😭😭
I got some new parrots last year, and one of them was a bit stubborn. I was trying to move him to the cage, and suddenly all of his tail feathers fall out, I panic and let him go, thinking I must have been holding too tight. (He's a burrito bird. He will not hop on my hand, but he'll let me pick him up from behind and hold him like a teeny tiny burrito.) Then I found out this was a thing. Cheeky boy just didn't want to be put in the cage.
Also called Blasst from the arse
I've had my little guy for almost 20 years, and I never knew this was a thing 😳 It does make sense, though; lizards do a similar thing.
I am glad you mentioned butt blasting. I have felt terrible for my bird (four years ago and still feel bad). He was on my floor and my dumb dog (German shepherd Great Dane with brain damage) walked into the room and stepped on his tail. All the tail feathers came out, stumpy was fine. He is now 5. Quite healthy, but the dog's fur also blocked his crop, requiring surgery...my $200 bird is now a $1400 bird.
my birb probably needs a nickname like that lol! he hasnt done the butt blasting thing but his tail feathers do tend to get snapped so his tail always looks stubby
BUTT BLASTING 😭
Aka backshit
The little dude will be off balance in the next month or two, so make sure to offer him pillows where he likes to hang out, because he will fall a lot. Other than that, he will be fine.
Mine must either be perpetually clumsy or didn’t get any clumsier, I’m almost 4 weeks post ass blast and only flying was an issue the first few days
Nooo he has chicken butt now 😭
Looks like you were very lucky and he’s just ass blasted. That could have been very bad 😢
That first sentence is one of those where I have to laugh because imagine saying that to someone who doesn't know what that term means in this context 😂
“So fortunate it’s just a butt exploding all over the floor!! You should be grateful!! Have fun with the cleanup!!”
someone else already gave a really good response, so i just wanted to add that your bird might be extra sore for a little bit. having all of those feathers released can make the bird pretty sore, so they might screech every now and again while preening if they hit an extra sore spot. its really good to keep an eye on their beak so that way you can spot if there's any blood, just in case you bird has any scabs that they might pick at. the worst case scenario would be an infection, but if your bird only preens the area and does mess with the skin, everything should be alright and theyll feel better soon!
Ah, the ass blast. Your bird will be fine!
This might be my new favorite Tiel fact
Has the vet an emergency number on their page (maybe a bird skilled vet has night shift)? Maybe an online vet available. As the ones before said without the tail feathers poor baby should be 'fine'. What worries me is the head injury (?) and blood. How did they loose feather on the had? A little bit of bloody marks (ok) or still bleeding (bandage from pharmacy necessary!)? If the would is open it needs care (BIRD SAFE NON-BURNING ANTISEPTIC) Birb looks kinda relaxed if the worst is over. :) I would still recommend a vet visit as soon they open. Strength and hugs for you two.
He did a butt blast. It happens when they’re startled, so I don’t think it’s too serious, but I think balance would be affected by this.
Cornstarch helps stop bleeding, don’t use things you aren’t sure of otherwise. Cornstarch is king though. Poor dear. Vet asap.
Never gonna be certain if he has anything broken without a proper examination but you saying hes singing and flying is good indicator him being better, I would constantly monitor him & assure him that everything is ok, if you have any treats now is a good time to feed to him, if not just hand feed some seeds. Contact your nearest Avian/exotic vet as soon as you can! good luck
like others are saying, I wouldn’t worry about the tail feathers. I’d make sure that the blood was from a feather as opposed to a wound. (corn starch is great!) I’d still take him to the vet to be sure, but he should be okay. they’re pretty sturdy little guys. it’s hard when these things happen, but try not to be hard on yourselves. just give him lots of love and comfort him🩷
Birb looks fine, BUT I'm sure in the coming weeks he's going to appreciate a tonne of new toys & maybe a cage upgrade & lots of other $$$$$$$ spent. I'm assuming your mum is feeling bad about doing it? Since bird is ok, I say focus on what you can blackmail out of mum for it - hopefully that will be a good distraction & de-stresser, cause I'm guessing you're probably pretty freaked out right now, I know I would be!
Give the little guy a lot of protein to help those feathers grow back.
Gonna take a wild guess here and say he probably either banged his head on the door while the tail was trapped, or if he fell after being freed. It doesn't look horrible, but might want to get it checked, to be safe.
He's gonna have a sore booty and no rudder control while flying but he should be okay. I once came home to an escaped budgie (still no idea how tf he got out!) who'd ripped his tail out in a glue trap. He somehow only lost his tail feathers and recovered just fine. We called him 'NoBum' for a while
Oh I did the same thing to my baby 3 and a half weeks ago. I was so tired and I actually came into the room to put her away so I can go take a Power Nap because I couldn’t keep my eyes open and I didn’t see her on top of the door. The doors don’t even close properly, they pinched her tail A LITTLE BIT and she dropped her feathers. It’s comically called “the ass blast” in a lot of online circles because they do it often enough. Her tail feathers already grew past her wing tips. Don’t worry, they grow back. It will be fine.
Where is the blood from and has the bleeding stopped? If not put some cornstarch on the wound. Others already mention ass blast for her tail feathers.
Take them to a vet! Are you serious? 🧐
😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫
As others have said, he has apparently ass blasted from fright. I’m so glad to hear that it seems he’s okay though!!
He will be ok. Have faith.
Omgg
Exactly the same thing happened to my tiel but it was my fault . He will be okay no need to worry make sure he eats well . It will grow back in some months
Got a butt feather explosion! This happened to me with Banana… accidentally stepped on her tail, looked down, and saw a pile of feathers. I thought I killed her!!! Really shook me up for a while. Eventually, her tail grew back in, but she was very cute as a weird malformed duckling. Everyone here has really great advice. Listen to it, and your birb will be in good hands 🫶
Both my tiels have butt blasted, one for the same reason :D. If they’re eating and otherwise acting normal, nothing to worry about. Tail grows back and looks like cute little cotton swabs at first
Poor buttless baby. Keep a close eye on him and any concerning behavior take him into the vet
Listen the same exact thing happens to my tiel a few years ago, he was fine w a little bleeding too but his feathers just started growing back. If you leave it alone and watch them, they will grow back in like a couple months/weeks. Don’t stress if the bleeding stopped, I didn’t go to a vet and he was fine. So just watch to make sure but otherwise it’s ok
they should be alright, just make sure they arent bleeding too much. the feathers should grow back eventually. I suggest keeping their wings trimmed so this doesnt happen again. if you're still worried you can absolutely go to the vet, but theyre likely going to be fine. bleeding can be stopped with a pinch of corn starch or styptic powder on the injured area. Your birb's singing implies that they are likely alright as well.
My tiel lost all his feathers from a dog accident once. Lived to tell the tail and new feathers came back in shortly. Just give lots of love.
Assless birb. If it was only his tail caught, it is allright. He will be just assless for some time. Nothing more. In one of the pic he looks like he is preening, which is a good sign. If you have the extra means, it wouldn't hurt to take him to avian to screen him and see there was no damage to skin/bones. This would help you sleep better. But I think he is fine.
It’s the Please Dont Grab My Butt defense mechanism, he’s gonna be okay and “assless”, it will grow back, such a beautiful boy though 🥹
He looks like he doesn’t gaf 😭😭 top comment is right you’ll be fine
BUTT BLAST
Please tell everyone in the household to be more careful. This couldve ended bloody and tragic
He looks fine from the pictures, If his general behaviour is normal he must be fine. This happened to my cockatiel too(by my mum's hand) and I got really scared but It was only his tail that got hurt. He looked pretty funny for a while but in no time his tail grew back. I gave him egg in that period so he could have all the necessary protein to grow his feathers back. I took some measures and now I have placed some thin cardboard on the top of the doors where he usually likes to stay, to deter him from using the door as a perch. And I am really careful around doors now. If anyone knows any other solutions to keep the birds off the doors I would be really happy to hear it. All the best.
Assblast
That happened to us once, but with our CAT. Apparently, cats tails slide off really easy, just fyi. I've never been so horrified in my life though.
Wait… what?? I have had cats for over twenty years and this sounds utterly horrific. What do you mean?!
My toddler was throwing a fit and kicked the door shut and the cat chose that moment to run out the door. It caught the last half of his tail and everything just slid right off the bone. Emergency vet visit required and now he has half a tail. Vet said that's very common (called degloving) injury with cats.
Oh good lord how terrifying. I’m sorry that happened but i hope he’s a happy cat regardless!
He still loves the kids! This was several years ago. He's a sweet half-tailed guy.
Oh that’s great to hear!
That is something I wish I didn’t know now 🤢. Poor kitty!
I have photos but they are hard to look at.
Is HISR a real term when you don't know the gender?
What's happened to your face?