I need some advice on a neglected baby budgie I received

[Zara]

They have to poop. I am not sure if they need to be stimulated to poop. I have seen the mothers rubbing around the stomach area & they might clean the poop off so stimulates a poop reflex. You could try rubbing the lower gut area with a moist q tip especially if you need to clean. Not sure of this though I know mammals need it.

No. Parrots don't need it.
Mousebird do, don't know about other birds. Irrelevant in this thread.

White does not seem right

I've seen chicks poop whiteish poops before. After mum had stuffed them with some seed she had eaten.

 

[Britnicorn]

Sorry when I said white it’s not completely white... it’s hard to explain, but the first night I had her she was pooping fecal sacks I think. Now her poop seems to be maturing with her

 

[Zara]

Sorry when I said white it’s not completely white... it’s hard to explain, but the first night I had her she was pooping fecal sacks I think. Now her poop seems to be maturing with her

It would have been different because you hadn't fed her the kaytee yet.
It would have been digested yolk sac and possibly a feed from the parents.

 

[Britnicorn]

So she is settled with her little buddies then and quieted down now? I think by now you have a reasonable feel for how much formula she should receive. Of course she's going to peep a lot.. it's what they do. She's but just a tiny sole chick with these quiet roomates and nobody is talking back to her. If you have a little radio you can set next to her container with some soft music it might give her a little comfort for some back ground noise. We'll see how she digests this feeding before we have any cause for concern. I think you should get some sleep while you can.... I'm going to do the same. I probably won't be up when you have your next feeding but Zara should be on to help you if you have any questions. Just don't panic... she's gonna be alright.

Thanks so much for the radio idea! I finally got around to setting up my speakers to be next to her, found a soft song that doesn’t change much, and she’s been sleeping so soundly now. She used to start crying every twenty minutes but now she’s quiet for almost the whole two hours in between her feedings

 

[Britnicorn]

I really just feel like her crop should be emptying faster than it is. It only goes down like half in size within the two hours, and it seems it’s all on her left side.

 

[Zara]

I really just feel like her crop should be emptying faster than it is. It only goes down like half in size within the two hours, and it seems it’s all on her left side.

This is because there is double the amount of solid in the food now. Campared to before it will take a little longer.

 

[Britnicorn]

This is because there is double the amount of solid in the food now. Campared to before it will take a little longer.

Okay... she cries for food when her crop is only half way empty, should I make her wait a little longer for it to be a bit more empty or is it okay to feed her? Her crop is about the size of a pea at this point

 

[Zara]

If she's crying and the crop is less than half full, feed her. Just remember it needs to empty fully at least once per 24 hours.

 

[Britnicorn]

If she's crying and the crop is less than half full, feed her. Just remember it needs to empty fully at least once per 24 hours.

Thank you... I’m sorry I sound like a broken record at this point, I’m just so scared of sour crop happening because that’s probably the most likely thing that could go wrong at this point.
Oh I also just found out there’s an avian vet near my town! That calmed me down a lot, so if something goes wrong I can go down there. Would a check up be a good idea? Or should I not risk it since she still needs the heat?

 

[Zara]

Unless there's an emergency, best not to go to the vet until she's somewhat feathered.
Nice to know there's a vet close-by

It's good you are aware of the things that can go wrong, but try not to worry.
Focus on prepping the food correctly every time, and maintaining the brooder conditions steady.

 

[Britnicorn]

She won’t stop crying Her crop isn’t less than half way empty yet, but every 10 minutes or so she starts crying for a couple minutes. Her nest box is quiet, the entire room we are in is dark, her nest is warm, she’s got her buddies, I’m not sure what’s wrong. I turned off the background music she had in case that was bugging her but it didn’t change anything.

 

[Britnicorn]

Her crop isn’t emptying again, it looks the same as last night and it’s been nearly three hours... I’m not sure if it’s going down either ill take her to the vet first thing tomorrow if it doesn’t empty/if she makes it I’m so worried. She still seems very motivated for food (though I haven’t fed her yet, just the times I was checking her crop she was bobbing around for food)so I hope she’ll at least make it until the vet opens. I very much hope I’m overreacting though. I’ve read a few places saying it takes newborn budgies 4 hours for their crops to empty? Is that true?

 

[Britnicorn]

After 3 hours I decided to do the same thing as last night, feed her the diluted formula, because I didn’t want her to starve. I’ll wake up in another three hours to see where we’re at.
If I end up having to take her to the vet, does anyone have any ideas to keep her warm? It’s like half an hour drive... I have hand warmers but I feel like those would over heat... can car ACs get to 98°? @Zara @AussieBird @Mockinbirdiva (I only @ you guys because I know you could be up at this hour, I’m sorry if it’s annoying )

 

[AussieBird]

I think it was @PoukieBear who took a baby to the vet a little while ago.
Do you have someone to go with you? That way one person can drive and the other can monitor baby?

 

[AussieBird]

@Matto?

 

[Matto]

Sorry I don't have time to read all the replies to this post so I may repeat advice.
As for the possibility of sour crop, feed a Papaya wash. See this video for instructions:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=493264484578347

How are you ensuring that the food is being fed at the correct tenperature? You should take the temperature with an instant thermometer but also have it in a water-bath, the water at 104-5 F.
Unfortunately, a homemade brooder is probably not good enough for a day one chick. It may work out, but you'd save yourself a lot of aggravation by getting a small professional one such as this: Amazon.com : Brinsea Products TLC-30 Eco Brooder Intensive Care Unit for Young, Sick Or Injured Birds & Small Animals, Off White, USHD380C : Pet Supplies
If the brooder is at a constant temperature, slow crop can be largely avoided.
How are you ensuring that the brooder is humid enough? It is a good idea to put a clean, wet sponge in the corner. Re-soak when needed.
How are you disinfecting everything? Chicks that have never been fed by their parenta have very little immune systems and need to be kept in sterile environments. You can get F10 or use a 1:10 bleach solution. Remember to rinse anything you disinfect after a contact time of about 10 minutes. Bleach also may not be good for your syringe.
I'm going to disagree with a few of the previous comments and say that such a young chick should be kept in a small plastic or glass container inside the brooder with kleenex bedding. Change the kleenex at each feeding.

 

[Matto]

You want their crops to completely empty at least once per day. I'm not sure how often you're feeding but it should be every 90 minutes with a 4-6 hour break at night.

 

[Matto]

Use hot water to warm the bowl to temp first so the bowl is 105 & does not cool off the hot water. Have the bowl in another bowl of hot water to keep the inner bowl warm from the outside.

I would not worry about the waste of formula at this point best to make it so it can be at the right temp. You probably have plenty of formula in the package for feeding one tiny budgie.

If you could get a very narrow vessel to mix it in it would be best. Glass is best to sterilize.
Maybe a small beaker so the surface area is smaller so it cools slower. Like a egg cup or saki cup maybe even small 1 oz espresso clear glass or shot glass the kind with a well in the bottom.

View attachment 371064

shot glass - Google Shopping

www.google.com

This is good advice.

 

[Matto]

Re-read some of the posts here and if she is day 4-5 you can feed every 3 hours and keep her on aspen shavings bedding.

 

[Matto]

Okay she’s fed. I was extra sure to keep the temperature at 105-107. She’s settled with her cloth buddies now, I also turned the heat up on the heat pad a smidge just in case. What should I do if it doesn’t empty in the next couple of hours? I have vets here I can go to but none of them are bird specialized (they do see them, but I highly doubt they’ve ever seen a chick) and they don’t open for another 9 hours the closest bird specialized vet to me is 200 miles away from me too

107 F is too hot. It should be 101-105, but it can be slightly cooler if she is kept at a constant temperature.