Sick baby cockatiel

[Miabella704]

I have a two week old hatchling that the parents have suddenly abandoned. None of the other eggs in this clutch grew or hatched. The parents stopped feeding him right about the time that he stopped being able to sit upright. He appears to have a neurological disorder. He lies on his side and continuously shakes his one foot. He even has scratch marks on his head and neck from his shaking, convulsive foot.
His appetite is healthy, I'm handfeeding. He continues to chirp and grow. His color and body temp are excellent. He isn't dying. What do I do now? Outlaw, Joel....have you seen anything like this before?

[The Outlaw]

Kristen:

That's really Joel's area of expertise, but I'd take it to a vet immediately. If you don't think it will survive and have decided to let nature take its course, then I'd simply keep it fed and properly heated. The parents probably decided it wouldn't live and therefore abandoned it. They wil likely lay again quite soon. That is Nature's way of producing strong, healthy adults.

THE OUTLAW

[Joel]

Hello Miabella,

Well of course we are going to say get him to an Avian Vet asap but since not everyone will do that, my next suggestion is to make sure you put him in a container that will hold him upright even if it seems a bit confining. Of course keep him warm, watch mouth for panting or breathing heavily and then you will know he is too warm but about 85 degrees should be comfortable for him. I'm talking about in an aquarium or professional brooder etc. as you should keep the all around air temp fairly constant. A good thermometer & a backup thermometer are almost necessary. Put a damp towel in there for humidity.

How many cc's are you feeding it at each feeding? Curious as to the name of the formula and make sure it is fresh of course, not old formula. Maybe check your water source if possible or try bottled water (the good stuff).

I have handfed hundreds of babies over the years and never had that problem yet, knock on wood. I would also throw away the nestbox just to be on the safe side and start fresh with a new one. Did you have any insecticides in the nest box possibly like Sevin dust that some people add to the shavings? What is the nestbox constructed of? Is it in good shape, clean? What is the cage constructed of? Are you using any pressure treated wood anywhere on or in the cage or nestbox? What kind of toys, if any, are in the cage & what are they constructed of? What kind of diet exactly are ya feeding the parents? Is the cage indoors or outdoors and where is it exactly located? Any pesticide use in the house or scented candles, sprays etc. being used? What do you clean the water vessel out with and what is it made of (glass, metal, stainless steel, plastic). Is the cage free of rust and in great condition and free of toxic paint? What is the cage wire made of, is it wrought iron or hardware cloth? Is the cage near any houseplants or outdoor plants that the parents have access to? Are the parents in great shape and health? Do they get adequate daily direct sunshine (not thru a window) or proper indoor full spectrum lighting?

I'll stop for now. It could probably be many individual things or a combination of factors and maybe even hereditary which not much can be done about. I'm just trying to think of as many possibilities as I can at the moment. Others will chime in soon maybe. Sorry for asking so many questions but almost necessary to try and get an idea of what could possibly be wrong.

I'll probably have a couple more questions after ya answer those, if ya don't mind. I hope he makes it.

If I think of anything else that possibly could be causing this problem, I'll let ya know but really a trip to the Avian Vet may be best. Again, please try & put him in some type of container to hold him upright. You may need to pack some small towels or cloth around him to hold him up and make sure the container is deep enough to so he can't fall or wiggle out of it.

Just came back to edit onto my post as I see Nancy has added something since I saw your post. Thanks for the compliment Nancy but expertize doesn't apply to me in any category. Just wanted to clear that up for Miabella. .......I personally would do all I could to try and save it even if it may possibly wind up handicapped. Of course a life laying on it's side won't last long and may be considered cruel by most to allow that even for a short time and of course very time consuming for you but hopefully if ya get it into an upright position quickly & maintain that along with the right amount of food and warmth etc., things may change for the better.

[Miabella704]

Thanks, Nancy and Joel. I called my Avian vet this morning. He said to keep doing what I'm doing and see if there's any change in the next week with the baby. I may call back and push him to see the bird.
I have separated the male and female 'tiels so no more breeding. They mated while their first clutch were still very small babies. I didn't expect that to happen and I couldn't really separate them at that time.
The nesting box I purchased was made of clean, untreated wood. I used the same shavings I'd used for the previous clutch. I wasn't aware that shavings are sometimes treated with pesticides. I've stopped using shavings, anyway.
"Peanut" seems to be doing better. His twitching has slowed down and he eats like crazy. I have him in a different box, lying on a clean tshirt of mine that is bunched up to keep him warm. He looks bigger today, too. That's why this is confusing. I wonder if, when the parents stopped feeding him, he developed the weakness and twitching from lack of certain nutrients or dehydration.
Thanks for the advice, Joel.

[Miabella704]

Also, yes, the cages I have are in great condition. No plants, other animals, toxins, pesticides, cleaning agents, cooking, etc. in the "bird room". I have broad spectrum lighting specifically for the birds.
I'll keep you posted on the baby's progress. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I feel like he's going to make it.

[The Outlaw]

You'd be amazed at what a little TLC can do. I've seen unbelievable miracles when it comes to determined babies just somehow surviving against all odds. And, I'm with Joel, you do whatever you can. You make the commitment once you allow them to breed. Only you have control over that.

Good luck. Time will tell.

THE OUTLAW

[Miabella704]

Hey all!! Just an update. "Peanut" is doing great!! I propped him up with a towel that first week and the weakness in his leg went away as did the spasms. He is now almost 4 weeks old and stands on his own, walks, eats like crazy, etc.
Joel, the question I have is about feeding. How full should his crop be when I'm done feeding him? Also, should it empty completely or just mostly between feedings?
Thanks for the support. You have no idea how much it means.

[Joel]

Hi Miabella.......Thanks for the update & the good news. Looks like he is going to make it. Made my day.

I would suggest giving him approx. 10cc of formula at this point (at the proper temp. & consistency of course, for his age) once the crop is empty. Crop should be completely empty when ya wake up in the morning OR approx. 8 hours after the last feeding the prior evening/night.

If the crop is not emptying between feedings completely, then it is possibly overstretched somewhat (or etc.) which could be a problem but then again he may out grow it if just slightly over-stretched. The general rule is to let the crop ALMOST empty before putting more in but COMPLETELY empty once a day in 24 hours time (which for most keepers is during the night while the human is sleeping). I know some keepers incl. myself who prefer to let the crop completely empty between EACH feeding IF one is around the house to re-fill it at that specific time. Never "over-pack" a crop if one is going to be away from the home so one can skip a feeding or extend a feeding. Usually that is an almost sure way of creating big problems for the bird & one's self by then having to deal with sour crop due to overstretching. If one cannot be home to handfeed on a regular schedule or take the bird with them in an appropriate container then one should not be breeding IMO. I do not mean YOU there. Just a general statement.

Well continued success and give a shout if ya have any questions or a problem........ :)

[Miabella704]

Now you're scaring me. I'm borderline obsessed with his feeding as it stands. I think Peepers died because of sour crop. I'm worried about that happening here.
Now, I was told to feed him every 4 hours throughout the day. Should I wait til the crop is almost empty or follow the four hour rule? At night I let Peanut go eight hours and it seems to be working. I've been feeding him about a teaspoon which is, I think, 5 cc's. I don't want to give him more than that.

[Joel]

You do need to put in the right amount at each feeding for him to grow properly. I myself always go according to each bird's looks, natural body size (partly due to heredity of course), growth rate etc.....

I think 5 cc's is too little, once the crop is empty, at his current age (normally) but of course if he is already under-developed for whatever reason then maybe 5cc is plenty. Of course I could tell better if I saw him. I don't have a chart handy with the set amounts to feed for each week of age as I personally never use a set rule of four hours or whatever to apply to every bird......Do this: Once the crop is empty, fill it with the appropriate amount for it's age/size and see how long it then takes for the crop to completely or almost completely empty. Doing that will tell ya how often ya need to feed that particular bird. Of course emptying time partly depends on room or brooder temps. and activity of each particular bird & even thickness of formula.

Maybe someone else will read this who has the charts for the amount to feed at that specific age but I'm sure it is more than 5 cc if he is walking good. I myself am just used to doing everything by eyesight and experience over many years and have forgotten or lost or got rid of my past charts........Anything else at the moment?

Btw, how are ya feeding? With spoon or syringe into side of mouth or with pipette or gavage tube or metal feeding needle etc,??

I just went to Google and typed in Handfeeding Cockatiels and clicked on the first one that came up and there was a chart. Just scroll up and down & check it out. Here is the link to make it easier for ya.

www.cockatiel.org/articles/handfeeding.html

I personally however rarily if ever go above 11 cc's regardless of age. So according to that chart I was about right but to be on the safe side I would slowly increase the 5 cc's you are now giving by maybe about 1 cc per day until ya get up to 10 cc's in about 5 more days. I would not jump up to 10 immediately.....Do 6cc's at each feeding starting the next time it is completely empty for a day and then the next day 7cc's at each feeding etc.......