Help! Quail mauled in rat attack. Lost an eye

[elanski]

A quail has been attacked by a rat. In fact she was the only survivor out of 5. I thought she was dead too but noticed she was still breathing. It wasn't until I got her inside I saw she has lost an eye. Her back is also quite badly hurt. I stopped the bleeding with one of those swab things and flushed the wounds best I could with Leucilin. Thats all I had on hand. I want to try to give her a chance but I'm worried now I've done the wrong thing and she is suffering and will still die anyway. Would I be best to end it for her now? If I need to, whats the kindest way to do it? She seems able to move her head, legs, and wings but can't stand or walk. What else can I do?

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

oh gosh poor thing. Keep her in a warm, dark and quiet place to recover while you wait for experienced quail owners. Hope she is ok!

 

[SilverBirds]

Can you post any pictures?

 

[Boppo]

Give her a chance - let her rest and recuperate in a warm, quiet, dark place where she can feel safe. Try putting mixing into her water:

1. some electrolytes (either for poultry or Pedialyte or even Gatorade)
2. a tiny bit of sugar or honey (just a drop of honey or two or a pinch of sugar)
3. a quarter cup of WEAK green tea (green is better for this than black tea, so try to get some. They are selling it in teabags at supermarkets now. The caffeine in green tea is absorbed more slowly and is less of a shock to a system, but it will give her a bit of a boost):

into the water for her and dab a little on her beak.

I have been astonished at quail coming back from attacks where I thought they were goners. They are tough little birds. Can't hurt to let her try for life.

 

[Boppo]

Let us know how she does.

 

[Nabiki]

Pictures would help. Quail can be quite hardy and survive injuries that look awful. Make sure the sound is clean, then put her in a warm hospital pen. I would use a heat lamp to make sure she's warm.

If you have some Nutri-Drench, that will give her some energy. If she doesn't show interest in her regular food right away, you might try some boiled, crushed egg yolk.

Good luck!

 

[elanski]

Thank you for you responses. Sadly, she died overnight.

I hate nature sometimes.

 

[Nabiki]

I'm sorry for your loss. I love pet rats, I hate wild ones.

 

[SilverBirds]

So sorry for your loss. She might have had internal problems that could not have been fixed.