Weird Yawning Thing in Young Cockatiel

[AmyJas]

So Lilah was doing this weird repeated yawning thing a minute ago. Or possibly opening up her crop? I believe she’s 14 weeks or younger in age and has been weaned fully for about 2 or 3 weeks. I’ve never hand fed, so I don’t know what a hungry baby looks like. Could she be reverting to baby behavior and expecting me to feed her? Any other thoughts?

I decided to leave her in the cage for now and just gently pet her to calm her down. I think if I take her out or feed her a treat it might reinforce her behavior.

I tried to upload a short video, but I think I have to use YouTube to do it. I can play around with that later if no one has any ideas.

 

[Dona]

When my Linnie, Gigi, was about 3 months old she often yawned. I looked online and saw that sometimes there is a connection to yeast. I took her for her first check up and the vet found some yeast in her fecal culture. Rather than antibiotics, we decided to try a more natural approach. I mixed 2T of ACV (Bragg's with the mother) in 1 liter of water and gave that as her water for 1 month. At her next checkup she was clear. Now I use ACV in water for 1 week each month as a preventative. She actually likes the ACV water and I see her drinking more, rather than just dipping pellets during that week each month. She has never been positive for yeast since we started this plan. I know that others on this board do this too.

This is only my experience so I hope some experts step in, especially about the possible link to her wanting to revert back to baby feedings.

 

[AmyJas]

@Dona I didn't know that this can be a sign of yeast infection. Thank you for the info! I will keep an eye on her to see if she does this again, but I just came across something online that makes me feel better:

"If you notice repeated yawning in your bird, it is probable that something is trapped in the mouth or the back of the throat. These are not really yawns so much as an effort to dislodge something with the repeated opening and closing of the mouth.

Unless you suspect your bird has swallowed an object, it isn’t anything to worry about – your bird is not suffocating. I have found that a drink of water will usually fix everything right up." Source: Is It Normal For A Parrot To Yawn?

So hopefully she just had something small stuck in her throat (which is understandable seeing that she is a newly weaned baby and learning how to eat) and will be fine! But again, I will keep an eye on her to be sure.

 

[Ripshod]

If she's stretching her neck at the same time she's probably just 'adjusting' her crop. Keep an eye on her though, and if she starts showing bad signs take her straight to an avian vet.