Help with cockatiel chick

[Swirlysnow]

I was hoping for somebody's input on what to do with my "sick" cockatiel chick. We weren't able to visit a vet due to the virus, and any help would be greatly appreciated.
The chick is one of 3 in a clutch that hatched around 3 weeks ago, and he's the youngest at around 10 days old. As a 3-4 day old, he was very week and wasn't getting fed, so we hand fed him formula 2-3 times to get his strength back, and since then he seemed fine, albeit smaller and seemed to have stunted growth. He kept growing, but at a slower rate than the others.

However, for the last few days, he's been doing this palpitating action with his lower neck and crop. It looks like rapid, labored breathing with his tongue wagging back and forth. I've attached a video of him doing it so you can see for yourself. I've read up a little bit that it's just overheating, but if it's another condition or something you've encountered, please let me know since I want to give him the best chance possible.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

What is this baby being kept in along with the temperature of what he's kept in. He does look like he's panting because he's hot. What is the formula brand and at what temperature do you feed at. His crop looks pretty full... how many cc's did you feed him? If you have a gram scale, you should weigh him first thing in the morning when his crop is completely empty and after he poops to get an accurate weight on him. The amount of formula you feed is 10% of his body weight.

 

[Swirlysnow]

What is this baby being kept in along with the temperature of what he's kept in. He does look like he's panting because he's hot. What is the formula brand and at what temperature do you feed at. His crop looks pretty full... how many cc's did you feed him? If you have a gram scale, you should weigh him first thing in the morning when his crop is completely empty and after he poops to get an accurate weight on him. The amount of formula you feed is 10% of his body weight.

Oops! I'm sorry for not being clear, we only handfed the chick for 1-2 days, and the mother has been feeding him. He is in the nesting box with the mother and 2 other chicks. I'm not sure of the exact temperature, as the mother is keeping them warm. We are weighing him, and he is slowly increasing in weight, although a little slower than the other 2. When we were feeding him, we used Kaytee Exact hand feeding formula.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Oops! I'm sorry for not being clear, we only handfed the chick for 1-2 days, and the mother has been feeding him. He is in the nesting box with the mother and 2 other chicks. I'm not sure of the exact temperature, as the mother is keeping them warm. We are weighing him, and he is slowly increasing in weight, although a little slower than the other 2. When we were feeding him, we used Kaytee Exact hand feeding formula.

Is he still panting? How about the other two... do they do the same? It is possible for the chick to get too warm even in the nest box. If there isn't ample room in the box he wouldn't be able to move away to cool down... but it would seem the others would also be doing the same thing. What type of nesting material did you fill the nest box with?

 

[Swirlysnow]

Is he still panting? How about the other two... do they do the same? It is possible for the chick to get too warm even in the nest box. If there isn't ample room in the box he wouldn't be able to move away to cool down... but it would seem the others would also be doing the same thing. What type of nesting material did you fill the nest box with?

He is not panting constantly, but he does do it quite often. He also will do it while out of the nesting box (when we take him out to clean the inside) The other two chicks, who are 13 and 14 days old, have never done this. They are almost fully covered with pin feathers. The nesting material is a thin layer of aspen shaving covered with two sheets of paper towel, and the box is a cardboard shoebox. It is a little small, but they do have room to walk around inside.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Scroll down and read the section on Dehydration and further. Your hen and the male may not be drinking enough fluids to sustain the chicks and are on an all seed diet... which leads me to ask what diet you provide for your pair. What is the inside temperature of the room you have your birds in? You may gather some helpful information in the article:

Hand Rearing: Common Cockatiel Chick Illnesses and How to Cure Them

Young cockatiels are especially vulnerable to illnesses. This article highlights common illnesses that your cockatiel chick may experience and how to prevent and cure them.

codylwrites.com

 

[Swirlysnow]

Scroll down and read the section on Dehydration and further. Your hen and the male may not be drinking enough fluids to sustain the chicks and are on an all seed diet... which leads me to ask what diet you provide for your pair. What is the inside temperature of the room you have your birds in? You may gather some helpful information in the article:

Hand Rearing: Common Cockatiel Chick Illnesses and How to Cure Them

Young cockatiels are especially vulnerable to illnesses. This article highlights common illnesses that your cockatiel chick may experience and how to prevent and cure them.

codylwrites.com

Thanks for that link, it seems to have a lot of information! The male tiel is actually not taking care of the chicks at all. He didn't help incubate the eggs, and doesn't help our hen feed the chicks. Whenever we let him into the nestbox, he will ignore the chicks, and only attack the hen when she tries to return to the nest. The hen, Kiwi, is on a diet of 80% Zupreem FruitBlend Flavor Pellets, 10% seeds, and 10% cooked rice. The temperature of the room is about 22°C.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Thanks for that link, it seems to have a lot of information! The male tiel is actually not taking care of the chicks at all. He didn't help incubate the eggs, and doesn't help our hen feed the chicks. Whenever we let him into the nestbox, he will ignore the chicks, and only attack the hen when she tries to return to the nest. The hen, Kiwi, is on a diet of 80% Zupreem FruitBlend Flavor Pellets, 10% seeds, and 10% cooked rice. The temperature of the room is about 22°C.

The room is actually pretty cool in temperature so I can't see why this chick would be panting. Other than what I mentioned about the hen not drinking enough fluids. What does the poop look like from this little one... if it's a dry little ball that is a good indicator of a lack of fluids. You need to give fresh foods for your tiels to eat. I'd eliminate the cooked rice as it really has no nutritional value. How is the panting today?

@Mizzely I've seen you post the ratio of pellets to seed for tiels before ... can you do that for this person?

 

[Mizzely]

Most cockatiel owners do equal amounts of seed to pellets, so something like 20% seeds, 20% pellets, 60% fresh foods, or 40% pellets, 40% seeds, 20% fresh foods, etc.

 

[Swirlysnow]

The room is actually pretty cool in temperature so I can't see why this chick would be panting. Other than what I mentioned about the hen not drinking enough fluids. What does the poop look like from this little one... if it's a dry little ball that is a good indicator of a lack of fluids. You need to give fresh foods for your tiels to eat. I'd eliminate the cooked rice as it really has no nutritional value. How is the panting today?

@Mizzely I've seen you post the ratio of pellets to seed for tiels before ... can you do that for this person?

The chick's feces look to be a normal consistency, not very dry, but not very watery either. My two birds don't really eat any fresh foods that we offer to them. One fresh food that they will eat is cilantro. They will also nibble on corn and peas. He is still panting today, and he seems to be doing it more whenever we take him out of the nestbox.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

The chick's feces look to be a normal consistency, not very dry, but not very watery either. My two birds don't really eat any fresh foods that we offer to them. One fresh food that they will eat is cilantro. They will also nibble on corn and peas. He is still panting today, and he seems to be doing it more whenever we take him out of the nestbox.

So when you look in the nest box he isn't panting as much? Is his crop still as full as the photo or do you see the crop a lot less full between being fed by the hen?

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Here's a great 'chop' recipe by one of our members here. Take a look at it and see if introducing multiple vegetables in a chop form would be more enticing to your cockatiels.

My Chop "Recipe"

I see a lot of requests in bird groups and forums all over the web asking for a good recipe for chop. It's hard to give a definite or correct answer to that question because there simply isn't any right way to do it. (Chop, for those who don't know, is simply a name for "salad" or "mash" as some...

www.lilmonstersbirdtoys.com

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Most cockatiel owners do equal amounts of seed to pellets, so something like 20% seeds, 20% pellets, 60% fresh foods, or 40% pellets, 40% seeds, 20% fresh foods, etc.

I added the link to your chop recipe...

 

[Mizzely]

I added the link to your chop recipe...

Ty

 

[Swirlysnow]

So when you look in the nest box he isn't panting as much? Is his crop still as full as the photo or do you see the crop a lot less full between being fed by the hen?

He pants in the nest box, but not as much as when he is out of the nest box. His crop gets a little less full, but not a lot. I have not seen it empty at all, but it may be emptying at night, I'm not sure.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

He pants in the nest box, but not as much as when he is out of the nest box. His crop gets a little less full, but not a lot. I have not seen it empty at all, but it may be emptying at night, I'm not sure.

It may be just so full the chick has to pant for breathing, though I really can't say for sure. Check him first thing in the morning to see if it does empty. You may have to pull him tonight and keep him in a separate container with warmth ( should be at least 86-90 degrees Fahrenheit to see if it does empty completely. I would worry more if it didn't. You don't want an impacted crop or a slow crop where the food sits too long and grows bacteria. Are the crops on the other chicks as full as this one?

 

[Swirlysnow]

It may be just so full the chick has to pant for breathing, though I really can't say for sure. Check him first thing in the morning to see if it does empty. You may have to pull him tonight and keep him in a separate container with warmth ( should be at least 86-90 degrees Fahrenheit to see if it does empty completely. I would worry more if it didn't. You don't want an impacted crop or a slow crop where the food sits too long and grows bacteria. Are the crops on the other chicks as full as this one?

No, the other ones empty out sometimes, and are never bulging like the little one's. Rather than removing him from the parent, would it work to just pull him out of the nest whenever the mom goes to feed the other two chicks? I was wondering if he had slow crop as it always looks very full.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

No, the other ones empty out sometimes, and are never bulging like the little one's. Rather than removing him from the parent, would it work to just pull him out of the nest whenever the mom goes to feed the other two chicks? I was wondering if he had slow crop as it always looks very full.

But with the baby placed in the box after feeding the other two she will likely feed this one if it begs for food.

 

[Swirlysnow]

But with the baby placed in the box after feeding the other two she will likely feed this one if it begs for food.

This morning, when I checked his crop, it was empty! The mother is feeding them right now. He is still panting though...

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

This morning, when I checked his crop, it was empty! The mother is feeding them right now. He is still panting though...

Did you remove the chick overnight? I have no other explanation as to why this chick is panting other than something else causing distress. Do you have a good avian vet you can consult?