911 Crop very full of air

[ScreamBuddies]

@Zara Hes healthy and full of life but isnt growing at all hes 23 days old it the picture...hes steady on his feet and chirps alot, but his crest didnt start growing until yesterday. I havent changed any feeding habits and hes being fed food not colder than 40°C

 

[Zara]

He looks stunted. Are you preparing the food ratio well?
All you can do is carry on feeding him regularly and keeping him warm.

 

[ScreamBuddies]

@Zara okay, will do. Should i add anything into the formula, or is it a dumb idea? Me and my brother have been handfeeding some baby sparrows on the side, we have plenty of nests near our house and one fell because of wind. We give them cooked and ground up pasta with the formula mixed in and theyre growing really fast.

 

[Zara]

No just the formula (the same one you have been using, don´t change it if you don´t have to). You were feeding Hagen right?

Me and my brother have been handfeeding some baby sparrows on the side, we have plenty of nests near our house and one fell because of wind. We give them cooked and ground up pasta with the formula mixed in

Those sparrows may benefit from some mealworms or the likes, though I´m not sure. I have read that you shouldn´t feed hookbill formula to softbills. Maybe @Birdbabe may know some things you can feed the sparrows. Nice of you to help

 

[Birdbabe]

Just now seeing this, your little teil is just a " runt" as we call it, he will grow, just will take longer. no reason he wont be a beautiful little guy.. your doing good with him. As for the sparrows, you can feed the baby parrot formula too, just a little thicker, and a few mealworms, drowned, ( so they dont bite the babies gi tract or crop) cut them also into 2 or 3 sections,,feed with tweezers...good luck!

 

[ScreamBuddies]

@Zara im currently feeding with HARIs formula.


I thought the same about the diet, so im only adding a tiny bit to get some of the vitamins and such in there to help them. Theyre really growing fast, a little less than 2 weeks ago they were just pin feathers and now the older one is fully a fledgling


@Birdbabe where can i get mealworms?

 

[Birdbabe]

@Zara im currently feeding with HARIs formula.


I thought the same about the diet, so im only adding a tiny bit to get some of the vitamins and such in there to help them. Theyre really growing fast, a little less than 2 weeks ago they were just pin feathers and now the older one is fully a fledgling


@Birdbabe where can i get mealworms?

Usually at a " bait shop " for fishermen, or a pet store that sells feeders for tortoise and lizard keepers,,

 

[Laurie]

Just keep up the regular feeding schedule, as he gains weight he will eat more food per feeding and you can space the feedings farther apart. When babies start off slowly growing , like if they don't get as much food in the first few days they grow up more slowly then if they were feed more in the first few days.

It works that way on purpose so that they do not grow so fast that they outpace the amount of nutrients provided. The pace is set very earlier so even if the diet was changed he would not grow faster it would just cause an unbalanced diet. He should be fine but please expect everything to take longer.

Also, sparrows grow and wean much faster than cockatiels.

 

[ScreamBuddies]

Just keep up the regular feeding schedule, as he gains weight he will eat more food per feeding and you can space the feedings farther apart. When babies start off slowly growing , like if they don't get as much food in the first few days they grow up more slowly then if they were feed more in the first few days.

It works that way on purpose so that they do not grow so fast that they outpace the amount of nutrients provided. The pace is set very earlier so even if the diet was changed he would not grow faster it would just cause an unbalanced diet. He should be fine but please expect everything to take longer.

Also, sparrows grow and wean much faster than cockatiels.

That makes alot of sense! Thank you!

About the sparrows, they were already older looking than him when we got them in. I manged to get a good picture of the fledged one

 

[Laurie]

Looking back at your picture, I wanted to ask how much he weighs and how much you are feeding him. It looks like he may not be getting enough to eat. You don't have to add anything to the formula but you might need to feed more at once. You can up the amount slowly over several feedings or days.

The goal should be to get to the point where you can feed about 10% of the body weight at each feeding. In order for this to happen you would need to make sure you are filling the crop each time so it can slowly stretch and grow to a greater capacity.

What is your feeding schedule like.

If you are underfeeding him then he would likely survive for a while but eventually succumb to malnutrition. It is hard to tell just from one picture but if you could provide more info then that would be helpful in figuring it out.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Recipe for sparrows:
Baby Starling Care: precise information on caring for wild baby birds Scroll down
This is the diet that I fed my little guy although I didn't use the egg.
Are you planning on releasing the sparrows or keeping them?

 

[ScreamBuddies]

@Laurie Its quite embrrassing but i have no clue how much he weights. Turns out the scale i was using (a regular, cheap kitchen scale) couldnt weight him properly. It always showed from 5 to 9 grams, it really stressed me out when he was a week old at 6 grams. Im currently looking for a better scale (likely one for jewelery)


when feeding, i always just feel his crop. If its somewhat tight i stop. Ive heard people suggest you feed till he stops asking, but im not sure about that. I feed him whenever his crop empties (usually a little less or more than two hours apart) and feed him the same way at night. Ill be feeding soon so ill post a picture of him full


@iamwhoiam thanks for the recipe!

And yes, i want to release them. Since my location is basically a sparrow sanctuary, with sparrows making nests even on our roof (for the lack of a better term) i feel theyll be happy. We still have to teach them to eat on their own. Do you have to teach them how to find food, or is it instinct?

 

[ScreamBuddies]

It still looks smaller than it actually is

 

[ScreamBuddies]

I took a closer look at his wings and i see some dark lines underneath his skin, its most definitely pin feathers starting to grow! Im so excited, hes finally growing more pins!

 

[Laurie]

It still looks smaller than it actually is

That looks not bad. You could give him a little move, slowly feed him until the food is up to his neck. Not going up his neck, I try not to go up his neck but even if you went about half way up you should be safe, so I just stop right before the food goes up but if you are feeding slowly you can do it without over feeding. Just be carefully not to put pressure on his crop after feeding just let him go back to sleep. If you do this the crop will slowly stretch and then he will be able to go longer without food. You do have to carefully do this because it will help him grow, develop and appetite and at weaning time it will be important.

I don't think it is life of death but it is definitely a good idea. Don't go crazy or overdo it but if you can squeeze a little more in go ahead and do it. I would think normally at that size you can if the crop was the right size you would be able to leave him at least 4 hours between feedings. I am not saying to do that if his crop is empty, I am just telling you what normal might be like.

A scale and a way to measure handfeeding formula amounts would be good. You can use the scale to weigh the baby before feeding and after and then subtract the lower number from the higher and that will tell you how much he at. If you write down the feeding time, the weights and the amount of formula each time you will be able to use that information to figure out how things are going.

You need a scale that weighs in grams if possible but it has to be sensitive enough to register each gram, if the baby is moving on the scale it will fluctuate to different weights because it is sensitive.

That baby definately weighs more than 9 grams. Maybe 30-40 maybe more, it's really hard to guess, but not 9.

Does he have toenails, I was trying to see how his toes and wingtips looked to see if he looks hydrated. His color looks good, just keep doing what you can. It's gonna take awhile.

I hope this helps.

 

[iamwhoiam]

@iamwhoiam thanks for the recipe!

And yes, i want to release them. Since my location is basically a sparrow sanctuary, with sparrows making nests even on our roof (for the lack of a better term) i feel theyll be happy. We still have to teach them to eat on their own. Do you have to teach them how to find food, or is it instinct?

You are welcome. I didn't release Spee. I couldn't. He had two broken legs. One leg was splinted but neither of his legs were ever functional. One foot is sort of functional. He has never been able to perch. He also became very imprinted on me as well as the other birds I have. If the sparrows are very imprinted on you it is sometimes difficult for them to be releasable. See if there is any info on Starling Talk about releasing them back into the "wild". Spee was weaned onto veggies (usually just eats cooked corn), finch seed and then Mazuri Insectivore pellets were added to his diet. I never fed him mealworms and didn't have to teach him how to find food but then the food was in his cage with him so no need to go searching for it.

 

[ScreamBuddies]

(First time for me picking apart the quote to answer specifically, i apologize if it doesnt work)

I don't think it is life of death but it is definitely a good idea. Don't go crazy or overdo it but if you can squeeze a little more in go ahead and do it. I would think normally at that size you can if the crop was the right size you would be able to leave him at least 4 hours between feedings. I am not saying to do that if his crop is empty, I am just telling you what normal might be like.

I still need to learn to feed at the right pace because he still sometimes swallows air, but ive gotten better at burping him. Ive seen the feedings are more spaced out. I dont time them and instead just look for him to empty his crop

That baby definately weighs more than 9 grams. Maybe 30-40 maybe more, it's really hard to guess, but not 9.

He definitely feels like atleast 30. After feeding hes heavier than the fledged sparrow, which is around the size of an adult

Does he have toenails, I was trying to see how his toes and wingtips looked to see if he looks hydrated. His color looks good, just keep doing what you can. It's gonna take awhile.

I hope this helps.

He only has (i think) 3 nails. The dad picked at his feet and when i pulled him to handfeed they were bloody. They fell off since and he fully recovered. I can take a picture of his feet and wings later, he just ate.

Also, thank you, it did help!

 

[ScreamBuddies]

You are welcome. I didn't release Spee. I couldn't. He had two broken legs. One leg was splinted but neither of his legs were ever functional. One foot is sort of functional. He has never been able to perch. He also became very imprinted on me as well as the other birds I have. If the sparrows are very imprinted on you it is sometimes difficult for them to be releasable. See if there is any info on Starling Talk about releasing them back into the "wild". Spee was weaned onto veggies (usually just eats cooked corn), finch seed and then Mazuri Insectivore pellets were added to his diet. I never fed him mealworms and didn't have to teach him how to find food but then the food was in his cage with him so no need to go searching for it.

I talked the matter over with my brother (hes basically a co-owner) and it seems like neither of us wants to release them. The fledgling is really clingly and the other is still really shy, but getting used to us. I let them hop around on a table and saw them trying to eat crumbs, so theyre learning to eat on their own

About your bird, im really sorry to hear that. Im really glad you put him in a caring and loving home and gave him another chance. He seems like a sweetheart and i wish the best for both of you!

 

[Laurie]

(First time for me picking apart the quote to answer specifically, i apologize if it doesnt work)


I still need to learn to feed at the right pace because he still sometimes swallows air, but ive gotten better at burping him. Ive seen the feedings are more spaced out. I dont time them and instead just look for him to empty his crop


He definitely feels like atleast 30. After feeding hes heavier than the fledged sparrow, which is around the size of an adult


He only has (i think) 3 nails. The dad picked at his feet and when i pulled him to handfeed they were bloody. They fell off since and he fully recovered. I can take a picture of his feet and wings later, he just ate.

Also, thank you, it did help!

Thank for the reply, I could not remember if the parents had injured him. That is what it looks like to me. He will have some short little toes but he will be just fine

I appreciate what you are saying about the feedings and learning to feed at the right pace but it is also really important to feed the right amount and get him to the point that he can hold more food so that he can go longer between feedings. It will make a huge difference in his ability to grow. It's not something that has to be perfect today or tomorrow but you should work towards it as a goal. I know keeping records is a pain but it really does help. For instance, in most cases when your bird is growing normally and it's crop is normal size it will eat more food in total during the day with fewer large feedings rather then if you feed small more often. Since your guy is small (does he have a name?) and his crop is emptying within a couple hours he is probably hungry each time, but it is possible to feed too often causing the bird to not eat readily because he doesn't have an appetite. Over the course of a day they will eat far less then if they had eaten several larger meals.

For instance, 5 x 6 ml feedings is 30 mls and 6 x 4 ml feedings is 24 mls. So in this example the baby with the larger crop is getting more food each day, will gain more weight and grow faster. If you keep a baby on a schedule and amount of food that does not increase the size of it's crop it will not grow as well. If your bird weighed 5 grams you could probably be using either schedule but the one that offers him the most food is best.

I only stress this because you asked about helping him gain weight and this is something you can an should be doing. Don't force it but do try and give that extra little bit at each feeding and over the next few days you will find that the crop is slowly getting a little bigger and taking a little longer to empty. It is all part of helping them grow. You can do it.

 

[ScreamBuddies]

Thank for the reply, I could not remember if the parents had injured him. That is what it looks like to me. He will have some short little toes but he will be just fine

I appreciate what you are saying about the feedings and learning to feed at the right pace but it is also really important to feed the right amount and get him to the point that he can hold more food so that he can go longer between feedings. It will make a huge difference in his ability to grow. It's not something that has to be perfect today or tomorrow but you should work towards it as a goal. I know keeping records is a pain but it really does help. For instance, in most cases when your bird is growing normally and it's crop is normal size it will eat more food in total during the day with fewer large feedings rather then if you feed small more often. Since your guy is small (does he have a name?) and his crop is emptying within a couple hours he is probably hungry each time, but it is possible to feed too often causing the bird to not eat readily because he doesn't have an appetite. Over the course of a day they will eat far less then if they had eaten several larger meals.

For instance, 5 x 6 ml feedings is 30 mls and 6 x 4 ml feedings is 24 mls. So in this example the baby with the larger crop is getting more food each day, will gain more weight and grow faster. If you keep a baby on a schedule and amount of food that does not increase the size of it's crop it will not grow as well. If your bird weighed 5 grams you could probably be using either schedule but the one that offers him the most food is best.

I only stress this because you asked about helping him gain weight and this is something you can an should be doing. Don't force it but do try and give that extra little bit at each feeding and over the next few days you will find that the crop is slowly getting a little bigger and taking a little longer to empty. It is all part of helping them grow. You can do it.

I feed him until the crop is a balance between hard and soft and give a few mire drops each feeding. Ive seen alot of progress. Before he didnt grow for a good few days, now he seems larger every day. His pins really started growing, his wings and crest especially. He has some dark spots on his crop and a light line along his sides. Im wondering what plumage he is

Genetics are messy, so im not wondering myself, but is it possible hes a normal gray if his mom is gray and dad is cinnamon pied?

(does he have a name?)

At the moment only a temporary one. We call him Bibi because its gender neutral and fits a baby. I call him a he but actually dont know what sex he is, assigning a gender is just easier when referring to him, especially in my language which is heavily gendered