# Injured Quail



## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

ok i know this is not a pigeon but it is important anyway...
i have an INJURED JAPANESE QUAIL. there are several large scabs on his head, he is being attacked by his mate.  so i isolated him and observed him for a bit, when he drinks the water sometimes leaks out, or maybe it is clear mucus. 
he is acting normal at present...i was about to start him on antibiotics until i realised that i didn't know the dosage...
listed below is a link about jap quails
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee164/claireonah/100_03442.jpg
this is the picture of my quail 








please help


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## Keith C. (Jan 25, 2005)

I would place neosporin on the scalp wound. 
I would give sulmet in the drinking water only if seems lethargic and puffed up. You can get sulmet at most feed stores. Follow the dosage for chickens and turkeys.
Before placing him back with his mate let him heal up and trim the thin tip of her upper mandible (top of the beak) to prevent her from pecking him again.
Be carefull when trimming the beak not to cut her tongue.
If you cut into the quick dip her beak in cornstarch to stop the bleeding.
The golden Manchurians were always my favorite type of corturnix quail.
You might want to check that you have a true pair.
The males will have a foam ball at the vent that will expel when you push lightly above it.
Keith


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Answer to questions*

yes, i have a true pair. it looks like a role reversal; now the female is chasing the male everywhere. when she makes this 'growling' then he runs around the cage like crazy. 
do you think that he will last the night or should i buy the antibiotics now? the scab is not an open wound; it is a scab. 
he used to release foam with his leavings, but that has ceased now. 
he is not lethargic, but he does not vocalise anymore. 
what could have caused such a large injury?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I would not put this one back with the mate just yet but rather let the wound heal.
Could any other creature have gotten into their cage and done this such as a rat or other?
It could be they don't have enough room. It probably really hurts. I would get the antibiotics tonight.


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Answer to questions II*

no, they definetely have enough room. they live in a rabbit hutch, approx. 90cmx45cmx45cm.
i don't think that a rat could have gotten in, but maybe some kind of bird could have pecked him, he likes to 'look' out of the cage bars.
the mate has boarded with some bantams for the night. (they don't seem to mind her).By the way, i only have Baytril at the moment...i don't think that that could suffice...


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

That is a pretty bad wound to his head. Our vet does recommend oral Baytril for wounds and Silver Sulfadene as a salve to put on the wound. If you can weigh the little quail, someone can help you with the Baytril dosage.


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## Keith C. (Jan 25, 2005)

It's also possible that he was startled and flew straight up and bashed his head. 
Button quail, which are closely related, do it a lot.
When I was raising them I put plastic webbing on the lids of the aquariums I kept them in, so that they would bounce off harmlessly.
Before that I had to stitch a few scalps together.
Your quail might have first bashed his head and then had the female pick at it because the blood and exposed meat tasted good.
Keith


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I had a lot of success keeping them in small flocks with one male to three females or so. Same with the buttons. And they do have a big "boink factor" though not as much as the buttons, so try padding the top of the cage with something.  Good luck to him.


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Answers III*

i will try to pad the cage, but his quail rarely flies at all...and if he does it is usually some kind of 'hovering' without touching the ceiling. I am thinking foam...but is there any better alternative for padding? 
I only have one male and one female, though i have a bantam which sometimes moves in with them (i keep her in the yard unless it is raining).
P.S How to weigh the quail; he runs real fast and it is really difficult to catch him. 
from memory (don't trust me yet) he ways about the same as an adult ringneck dove...


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*next day...*

here is picture of him the next day... scab has healed over and he is eating better...
i am still installing the cage padding (using layers of bubblewrap for the time being...where can i buy thick foam?
i tried bunnings, but that was a total waste of time. 
















Is there anything else i can do...i am still worried about him. i know that there aren't many people who check this forum regularly, so i am putting a link in the general discussions (sorry Admin/Mods but i need advice even if this is in the wrong place!)


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I neglected to say that I've had this happen with mine before and Neosporin fixed it right up. It wouldn't hurt to have him on a heating pad on low with a towel over it, if you have one. But he should be fine. You can get foam usually at a fabric and/or crafts store, sometimes there are even foam shops that have nothing but. They don't hit their heads from flying so much as jumping straight up when they are startled or hear a loud noise. I didn't have that problem too much with the coturnix, but with the buttons they do it a lot. I did have some coturnix like yours who would jump straight up into the ceiling if startled.  So it can't hurt to have the padding. Good luck!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You don't generally have to worry about skin infections with birds owing to their elevated metabolism. When I get a scalped baby anymore, I don't even bother unless skull is showing and I can easily pull the skin back over it.

Pidgey


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*Thankyou Pidgey*

thanx pidgey, i was worried he may not last the night, but HE DID! 
WOOHOO, he was eating like normal this morning, and he wasn't leaking anymore...but i'm still gonna keep his mate away for a few days, until he grows some more of his feathers back.
Do you think i should buy some calcium for him?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I'd just do the normal stuff. I don't see any evidence that the skin was actually ripped--it's just looking kinda' angry and should heal completely in time. I'd tend to expect new feather growth in less than a month. You're referring to the bird as a "he" for which the natural assumption would be that his attacker is a female... 

...so this guy's REALLY henpecked, eh?

Pidgey


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## Snowy_pied_chic (Feb 19, 2009)

*day 3*

here is a picture of him on day three. the scab is now black and healed over all flesh. one bit of the edge has already started to peel off! he seems alright now... 








thanx for all the great help, it is much appreciated. 

P.S now the foam is installed, my female seems to like hovering up to the top to try and peck it (it is yellow and 1cm thick)


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