Lovebird with broken tail

Question
Hello,

My lovebird injured himself while I was away.  Nearly a week ago, Rafiki must've fallen during his rambunctious playing.  My mum discovered him huddled and listless, with a lot of blood loss.  She took him immediately to our avian vet, who diagnosed the condition as a "broken tail."  The tail feathers themselves are not broken; rather, it is the area right below the vent and above the tail feathers on the underside of the bird.  The vet prescribed an antibiotic to be given in the water, a topical cortical ointment to be applied to the area several times a day, and for the bird to be kept in a warm area.

Since this time, we have faithfully followed these directions, and Rafiki is eating, drinking, and the food is processing through as normal.  The area appears to be healing nicely.

However, his temperament is completely altered.  I arrived home on Thursday, and have as yet to hear him make any of his normal singing and happy chirps.  He is usually such a spunky little guy, with loads of personality.  He has splayed legs, so normally has a funny gait, but now appears much more awkward.  He will have bouts of climbing around, eating, etc., but soon retreats to fluff up and close his eyes.  I understand that the blood less must've caused continued weakness, but for how long should I expect this to last?  

Normally both Rafiki and my cockatiel (Rafiki's best friend) have their cages moved up to my room where we all sleep at night.  However, I now put them in a seperate room where I can keep the temperature warm enough for them with a space heater.  Last night when I went in to check on Rafiki, he was near the bottom of his rope toy, not sleeping at the top of his house as is his normal wont.  Altogether, he seems non-energetic, listless, and at times, disoriented.

Am I doing everything I can to help him?  I have had parrots for most of my life, and have never had an experience with the broken tail condition.  Any advice or information on the subject would be most appreciated.  I adore the avian members of my family, and can hardly stand to see my littlest guy so altered!

S.

Answer
Hi, Shannon.  Thanks for posting.

You must realize this injury has been a traumatic experience for your bird.  I'm sure he doesn't feel well during this recovery period.  Moving about might be difficult for him until he's completely well, especially with splay leg.  The splay leg problem itself most likely makes the injury even worse because his gait is already off some and standing and moving around could be very difficult for Rafiki.  Give him all the time he needs.  He'll let you know when he's feeling better.  I can't guesstimate how long it might take...depends on the extent of his injuries and how well he heals.  Your avian vet might be better able to answer this question.

Just love him and make sure he stays warm and comfortable through this experience.  If he begins to lose weight and/or stops eating or gets any worse, be sure to contact your bird vet immediately.

I hope he recovers completely and soon.

Chrys