Ok, He is picking at the stitches and his scabs. He is beginning to look kinda raw. i prob should have been on top of this but im telling ya the last 4 or 5 days i have been brought to my knees with a killer toothache!!! Anyway ive seen the dentist and am improving so now am trying to get back on top of this. I called the vet and he said to mist him and put benedryl in the water. He figured that they were itchy and dry. Which is what i figured. So ive done that but im not convinced that this will slow him down enough to prevent him from opening himmself up and then die yet. SOOO,,Im needing advice on a makeshift collar. The vet said that if the benedryl didnt work then that is what we would have to do. Well, I cant get there til maybe monday and he could have eaten himmself up by then. And surely I can do something myself. He said not to put anything on the sore itself or to cover it. So im waiting for advice from all you doctor moms.

My quaker did this when he hurt his leg, he kept picking at the scab...too curious for his own good I suppose. I kept making lille cone collars for him out of small pieces of cardboard until he learned how to take them off, then I ended up taking him to the vet, who fashioned him a neck brace made out of a styrafoam cup and vet tape, it worked like a charm although my poor baby looked hilarious with his neck all stratched out in the collar, and he had a stiff neck for about a week after we took it off.

My vet is a little over an hour drive away. And im sure they could fashion one better than me. I just didnt think Id have time to get him there for a few days. But i may have to try cause I dont feel that this other remedy is gonna be enough soon enough. 2or 3 days a ago, maybe. But now im feeling he needs a little more help than that. Thought maybe i could try to fix something til i could get there. Providing what i fixed didnt stay on long.

What I used was a thin piece of plastic sheet like they use for making stensils I got mine at JoAnns fabrics over in the quilting section I cut about a 8 to 9 inch circle out of it and then I cut a circle out of the center of it about the size of a 50 cent piece. I cut a slit from outer edge to inner edge and then I used duct tape to cover the sharp edges for the neck edge and the outer edge you can use medical tape too, but duct tape was all I had available at the time, Then I put it around the birds neck with the outside of the circle pointing toward the feet and over lapped the edges so that the neck opening wasn't too tight but tight enough that he couldn't pull his head back through and then I stapled and duct taped it closed and covered all the exposed edges with tape.

I made mine long cuz the bird was still able to pick at its legs where the problem was with a shorter one, and it worked like a champ Still allowed air to circulate around the body didn't rub on any of the sores and still allowed the bird to eat and drink. You gotta make sure the neck opening is tight enough they can't get their lower beak in under it.

Hmmmm. I wonder if the plastic milk bottle would be stiff enough to make the ring. Im sure 8 inches would be way to big for odie ..Maybe 4 or 5? He is just a little Gcc. I think I could do that. Ill see if i can find a staple gun that works.LOL i know I have tape. You say the outside edge back toward his feet. It looked somwhat like a cone then? Kinda backwards from what may be on a dog? I went just now and looked at Odie so im adding that even 4 inches would be too long. That would about cover his wings if its a cone. Is it more like Just a collar that sticks out all the way around like a clown collar?

Poor Odie!

When Casey's cast came off after her broken leg healed it was very raw and sore and we used Oxyfresh Pet Gel on it (recommended by our avian vet) and it worked quite well... I'm pretty sure it made her feel much better as it soothed the skin/wounds and it prevented her from picking at it.

Hopefully you can make/get a cone or something and he'll stop picking at it and let it heal!

Good luck! *Hugs*

If Odie is picking at his stitches I would reccommend getting him to a vet pronto for a collar. If he breaks the stitches they'll have to be redone and that will mean starting the healing process all over again. It's not worth waiting.

Puffy has a collar similar to the one Connie described but it faces the other way (ie same way as one you'd put on a dog). The vet put the collar on, when I picked her up from having stitches there it was...She's on her 3rd collar now....Collar is made from clear plastic

I would reccommend making the collar as light as possible - they're only little birds and an extra gram or two around their neck does make a difference to them. It's also important to make sure it's tight enough around the neck they can't chew on the base but not too tight it interfers with their crop.

You could also try a tube collar - I don't have any experience with these but they are made from foam and go around the neck - like some of those african tribes...

Good luck

Kate,

There are instructions on how to make a foam collar on the home page of this forum. I had one that was picking a sore on his legs so bad for months. Once I made this collar and covered it with material. He wore it for months but he is all well now.

I made it out of foam piping that insulates water pipes. I cut it about 5/8" wide. Then covered it with a real thin sock material. This pipe opens on one side. So you can slip it around his neck easily. We used white medical tape to tape it closed. It took a few weeks of improvisions but we finally got it right and he could do anything but chew on his body with it on. Let me know if you need detailed instructions.

kate i hope odie will be alright im so worried bout him