Prolapsed vent

[Qquails899]

Hello everyone, my quail had a prolapsed vent yesterday morning which I managed to push back gently as I’ve dealt with this problem several times with other birds. She laid an egg the evening before so I was sure she isn’t egg bound. Today, her vent prolapsed again and now I’m not sure if there’s an egg inside or not. I checked with my finger when I pushed her vent back inside, but I didn’t feel an egg. She is eating and drinking fine and is able to poop, but the vent area is very purple and swollen. I gave her an epsom salt bath and a massage, and put some vaseline around and inside the vent. Is there anything else I can do…?

 

[Nabiki]

I would put her in a dim environment for a week or two with no more than 8-10 hours of light per day to give her a break from laying for a while.

Is she getting enough calcium?

 

[Susan Skylark]

Depending on how badly she prolapsed, she may be very prone to it happening again. Give her some calcium citrate as well (I forget the brand of human antacid, like tums but not that brand), maybe an eighth to a quarter of a tab (low blood calcium is a risk factor for prolapse, muscles need calcium to contract or stay taught). Definitely get her into low light to prevent more eggs. Watch her close for a couple days and if it is still an issue and she’s not passing eggs, you could try a purse string suture (take a needle and fishing line and make a circle of stitches in the skin around the vent, pull the ends tight but leave a finger’s width of space for fecal matter to pass and tie with a bow). The vent tissue will swell, bruise, and may even necrose (die). I put down my bird that prolapsed about a quarter of her innards, it wouldn’t stay in and I didn’t want to put her through the above regimen. But if it is just a little bit of stuff, it isn’t such a big deal and has a much better prognosis.