Ask Lafeber

Ask the Vet webinar – Growth on cockatoo

my male red vent had a growth over his eye. We did a vet visit, but no real results. Thought it was a cyst and she said to just watch it.
It started to get really large, and had a sort of a stick looking thing poking out of it. It stayed like that for a couple days, then one morning it was just… gone. We *think* it was a feather cyst. He had the bump for well over a year before it grew then “exploded”. Have you seen this before? He has a much smaller one now on his lower lid.

Hi Adrianne,

It’s interesting because I had to have a small growth removed from the corner of my Red Vent’s mouth. The pathology did not reveal anything significant so it was determined to just be a cyst. A strange coincidence is the Red Vent that is pictured in Rosemary Low’s Complete Book of Parrots has an identical growth in the same place. Now that doesn’t mean that growths are common with Red Vents, but it is of interest when you see the same type growth in several of the same species. With your bird having it on the eye, it could be a feather cyst. This is a situation where you might want to consult with an Avian Ophthalmologist or a different Avian Vet for a second opinion.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda