Injured/infected Preen Gland

[Shaneljp]

Hello all! I have a 1 month old baby mockingbird. I went to work Wednesday and he did not do well, apparently he injured himself in the cage while I was gone. Since then, he hasn't been walking but can fly. Today, I noticed his preen gland looked really swollen. I did a hot compress and put antibiotic ointment on him but can't get him to stop messing with the area. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks for any help, I'm a first time bird mom

 

[Stravager]

Hello there! Lovely to meet you! Just as a heads up it's illegal in a lot of places to keep wild birds/baby wild birds, so you could see a lot of that in comments. So, to be as helpful as possible, where do you live (roughly), how did you get the bird, and is it possible to get the bird to a wildlife rehab center?
Swollen glands could be a sign of stress or malnutrition. In terms of messing with the area, what is he doing and how have you been keeping him?

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that it is not usually legal to keep wild birds in your procession. But to help with an impacted or abscessed preen gland, they can be massaged with holding a warm wet compress onto the gland. Press any pus out.