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Crop Problems

RobbinHood

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Hello,

I am currently having issues with cockatiel chicks crops not completely emptying. This is my second clutch of cockatiels I am handfeeding the first ones had similar problems but I would just give them some extra thin formula mostly made out of Pedialyte and wait for them to drain ( it usually didn’t take that long). My current clutch is about 2-3 weeks old and they are kept in a reptile terrarium, if they get any hotter they start panting, so I don’t think they are getting too cold. I feed them Kaytee exact handfeeding formula, and have been checking the temperature of the formula about every 3cc’s to make sure it is between 106-102 degrees (I am checking the temperature inside the syringe barrel). The schedule they were on before was four feedings a day at 7am 12am (noon) 5pm 11pm. The ones who have drained are getting a total of 5cc’s of extra thin formula with a bit of ACV and papaya extract per feeding. The ones who haven’t drained get about 1-2cc’s of extremely thin formula with a tiny bit of ACV and papaya extract about every 2hrs during the day. I also wash each ones face after each feeding. They all lost weight yesterday (I weigh them first thing in the morning) because I haven’t fed them that much only about 1cc-2cc every 2hrs and 5cc at night. They also have alfalfa pellets as bedding because the person who taught me how to handfeed said it was good to have digestible bedding just in case the chicks eat it.

I am kind of at a loss here, I want to feed them more but I don’t want them to have bad food in their crop. Is there anything I am missing? Is Kaytee Exact too hard for them to digest, should I try a different brand? Do they have to empty completely over night, or is just a little bit in their crop okay?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.
 

expressmailtome

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melissasparrots

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How are the babies doing now? First, when in doubt, I'd have a vet take a look. At the very least, a gram's stain of the crop and maybe a culture and sensitivity might be in order. Baby cockatiels are well known to develop yeast infections which can lead to slow crop and death if left untreated. If they are still having problems, I'd have them vetted tomorrow (Friday). It sounds like you are doing everything right. If it was a temporary problem, it should have gone away by now.
How bad is the not emptying? Do they empty mostly within 6 hours but not the last little bit? Or do they still have half a crop of old formula left in them after 6 hours? Do they empty overnight if you let them go 8hrs without feeding?
 

RobbinHood

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How are the babies doing now?
The babies have all drained completely at least once.
How bad is the not emptying? Do they empty mostly within 6 hours but not the last little bit?
They mostly empty in 7hrs. Is a little in their crop okay?
Do they empty overnight if you let them go 8hrs without feeding?
Sometimes, it seems kind of random when or who drains, the ones who drain one day may not drain the next even if nothing has changed (to my knowledge).
The youngest one has developed a very weird bubble like thing in his crop. I don't really know how to explain it, but it doesn't feel like sour crop (I have felt sour crop when dealing with my last clutch). It feels like a separate bubble inside or behind his crop. I do feed him because it drains, although the bubble will not go away, it also won't massage into his other food.

Thank you @melissasparrots.
 

melissasparrots

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I think you need a vet to be sure. The air bubble could be gas build up from a yeast infection. Or it could be a bubble from a ruptured air sac. Both are often very treatable and not super expensive to fix either.
Something I have noticed consistently over the years is that the first meal of the day starting on an empty crop tends to go through them pretty quickly in maybe 3-5 hours. Feedings later in the day go slower because you aren't staring with an empty gut then. They might more consistently go 4-6 hours between feeds and still not be quite completely empty. Close, but just not quite. I usually don't make mine go completely empty during the day because I find they grow better. I do make them empty over night though. If I over stretch a crop slightly and it just won't completely empty over night but comes really close, then I may only make them empty completely every few days. However, I do have a decent amount of experience. If I think there might be an illness problem, then I'm more likely to separate feeds over longer periods and make them empty totally. The problem with that however, is that it doesn't necessarily treat the original problem and can lead to stunting. There are A LOT of stunted baby cockatiels out there from inexperienced hand-feeders. This is where the vet trip comes in. A quick a fairly inexpensive crop grams stain can diagnose a problem or let you know that there isn't one so you can feed more freely.
I would think that in most parts of the united states you could get the office visit for about $50-$75 and the grams stain for $15-$30. Meds might be another $15-$30 depending on you need them or not.
 
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melissasparrots

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Yes, ruptured airsac should be done by a vet. Sometimes it shows up as a big bubble under the skin and sometimes it shows up as a bunch of tiny bubbles. Or both. I've usually heard about good outcomes after treatment. I had a 7 day old quaker baby that showed a bunch of air bubbled under the skin around the crop but not in the crop. It was hard to tell what was going on so I took him to the vet. Gram's stain was negative for any problem causing yeast or bacteria. The bird lived and was fine with treatment.
 
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