Lovebird with swollen cheek

Question
We rescued two Lovebirds about five years ago, we do not know their history or age. Over the last few weeks one of the birds is showing a swelling to the right cheek (the mate often plucks feathers from her cheeks).

The bird is acting perfectly normal in all activity and appetite. We have never been able to handle the birds and they have a large indoor aviary cage. I am concerned catching the bird and taking it to a vet may prove very stresfull for a bird that is never handled.

Answer
The swelling is probably caused by an infection. If the mate plucks out the cheek feathers, it probably caused a break in the skin and is infected. You can talk to your vet about it to see if they can prescribe you some antibiotics, but no matter what,  you'll have to catch the bird to at least administer the antibiotics. If you're worried about stress, there are all natural stress relieving products (make sure it IS all natural-you should be able to pronounce all of the ingredients) that will help on the trip to the vet. As long as you catch the bird in a towel and let the vet know that the bird is NOT tame, everything should work out nicely. You can even buy special food with medication in it (need a vet prescription) if you can't give the bird antibiotics easily.