EYE TROUBLE

[komori35]

one of my coturnix's eyes is having some mysterious trouble.  It's slightly swollen below the eye and the eye itself is rather watery.  Apparently it itches or is irritating to the bird, because he keeps scratching it with his foot.  i think it may be a plugged duct, which happens when the system that drains the eye gets a foreign object in it and, well, plugs up.  he cant see very well out of the afflicted eye, because it's watery and must be blurred.

i know all kinds of animals including humans can get plugged ducts; i think he got his because i have him on wood shvings and he's usually on wire.  a bit of wood dust must have gotten in his eye.  how do you treat this? or does it go away by itself?

                                                                  -komori

[blackswamp]

If you can keep ahold of him, you might try flushing the eye with a stream of saline solution, or even clean water.  But you will have to be cautious as to where/how you are pouring, or you may end up drowning him.

blackswamp

[komori35]

saline solution...so maybe, the same sort of stuff you use for contacts (not aosept, but that all-purpose saline cleaning solution) or the stuff you use when your eyes dry out?

thanks,
-komori

[casnyder]

Medical supplies will sell sterile saline solution reasonably cheap.

I would think that 1 part pickling salt (no idodine, no anti-caking checmicals, etc) to 19 parts water (ie 5%) could be boiled and allowed to return to room tempeprature to achieve the same effect.

[komori35]

ok, will do.  thanks!

-komori