Stunted baby (Sad update #52)

[Mococlark]

Here’s a Moco update! Thank you all so much for your help. I really think our little guy is gonna make it.

His crop stays full a little too long sometimes even now that I’m careful with food temps but when it does I’ve added applesauce to his food & that does the trick.

He’s still incredibly tiny, but now weighs 14 grams. It was very slow gaining for a minute, but he went & gained three of those grams over the last few days.

He’s got tiny feathers just starting to pop up on his head, & I can barely see a few tiny ones starting on his wings. He’s still mostly a fuzzy yellow baby, but he’s bigger and stronger and alert and now he makes sweet trilling sounds when I pick him up like a real cockatiel.

I know he’s not in the clear, & I still have a stunted baby. But he seems so strong now, it’s very encouraging. He has incredible perching skills for someone that looks like he just hatched last week, haha...thank you again, I really do think getting his food up to temp was the missing link.

Bless all you good cockatiel people, thanks again! My apologies for a low quality pic, it’s the best I can do.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Here’s a Moco update! Thank you all so much for your help. I really think our little guy is gonna make it.

His crop stays full a little too long sometimes even now that I’m careful with food temps but when it does I’ve added applesauce to his food & that does the trick.

He’s still incredibly tiny, but now weighs 14 grams. It was very slow gaining for a minute, but he went & gained three of those grams over the last few days.

He’s got tiny feathers just starting to pop up on his head, & I can barely see a few tiny ones starting on his wings. He’s still mostly a fuzzy yellow baby, but he’s bigger and stronger and alert and now he makes sweet trilling sounds when I pick him up like a real cockatiel.

I know he’s not in the clear, & I still have a stunted baby. But he seems so strong now, it’s very encouraging. He has incredible perching skills for someone that looks like he just hatched last week, haha...thank you again, I really do think getting his food up to temp was the missing link.

Bless all you good cockatiel people, thanks again! My apologies for a low quality pic, it’s the best I can do.

Glad to see there is a tiny progress with your little one. If you are mixing his formula a little too thick it will take longer to digest. You'll just have to keep an eye on him for when his crop empties and give him a feed maybe more often. I'd rather see you thin it a tad instead of adding the applesauce for a couple of days to see how long it takes for his crop to empty. How often are you feeding him? Are you keeping him in a warm container @ 85-87 degrees? Got a thermometer to monitor that temp in his brooder? Take a pic and share.

 

[Mococlark]

Glad to see there is a tiny progress with your little one. If you are mixing his formula a little too thick it will take longer to digest. You'll just have to keep an eye on him for when his crop empties and give him a feed maybe more often. I'd rather see you thin it a tad instead of adding the applesauce for a couple of days to see how long it takes for his crop to empty. How often are you feeding him? Are you keeping him in a warm container @ 85-87 degrees? Got a thermometer to monitor that temp in his brooder? Take a pic and share.

I’ll thin it out a little bit, thank you! Normally I feed him every 4 hours, but longer if his crop isn’t empty. At no point has the little guy stopped pooping, so I’m assuming that even though things can be slow they are still moving. So I don’t have to worry about the thinner formula not being enough? It will just drain faster?

It’s hard to tell what his setup is from pics. I’ll attach one anyway, but he is in a small critter keeper with paper towels lining the bottom and a little lovey. You might be able to see in the pic that at the moment the temp is 88.2. It does fluctuate from mid-90’s to high 80’s (lower at night).

Thank you!

 

[Ulis_Beast]

Rooting for both you and the chick!

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

By thinning the formula you may need to feed a little more often as it will and should digest faster than it is now. As long as he is making progress in growth you're doing the right thing. If at any time the crop stays full and does not digest you need to be concerned. Cooler temperatures in formula and a cold baby will slow the crop down. I had asked previously if you were using a heating pad under the container and went back to re-read your post. You are using a heat lamp? A heating pad under the container... covered by a towel to prevent a hot surface would be better. Only have half of the underside of the container heated so if the temps rise and the baby gets hot he can move away from the heat source. The little snuggle buddy should be enough company for him. As much as you may want to cuddle him he'll be fine alone with the toy. It's too precarious to hold them after feeding in that you might accidentally mash his crop and force formula back up and into his esophagus.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Temperature in container according to age from this link:

Rearing Cockatiel Chicks - A Simple Guide

www.yellowrockonline.com.au

Age of Chick	Degrees F/(C)
1-5 days	94 - 96 (34.4 -35.5 C)
6-9 days	93 - 95 (33.9 - 35 C)
10-14 days	91 - 93 (32.8 - 33.9 C)
15-21 days	86 - 90 (30 - 32.2 C)
22-28 days	81 - 85 (27.2 - 29.4 C)
29-35 days	76 - 80 (24.5-26.6 C)
36 days to weaning	81 - 85 (27.2 - 29.4 C)

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Also be sure to change the bedding frequently as it gets soiled. You may want to invest in a couple more snuggle buddies to change out for cleaning if he poops on those too.

 

[Ripshod]

Temperature in container according to age from this link:

Rearing Cockatiel Chicks - A Simple Guide

www.yellowrockonline.com.au

Age of Chick	Degrees F/(C)
1-5 days	94 - 96 (34.4 -35.5 C)
6-9 days	93 - 95 (33.9 - 35 C)
10-14 days	91 - 93 (32.8 - 33.9 C)
15-21 days	86 - 90 (30 - 32.2 C)
22-28 days	81 - 85 (27.2 - 29.4 C)
29-35 days	76 - 80 (24.5-26.6 C)
36 days to weaning	81 - 85 (27.2 - 29.4 C)

You'll have to make adjustments to this with your chick being behind. Compare him with online photos of chicks for the relative age, unless someone here can post the photos (I don't have any).

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Here is a link to Cockatiel chick different stages of development with photos of the chicks and how many days old they are next to each photo for you to compare to your chick. It's the best I can find at the moment.

Raising Cockatiels - Cockatiel Care Guide

Raising cockatiels can be challenging and very rewarding at the same time. This article discusses all the steps and precautions when raising these birds. We

www.beautyofbirds.com

 

[Mococlark]

Here is a link to Cockatiel chick different stages of development with photos of the chicks and how many days old they are next to each photo for you to compare to your chick. It's the best I can find at the moment.

Raising Cockatiels - Cockatiel Care Guide

Raising cockatiels can be challenging and very rewarding at the same time. This article discusses all the steps and precautions when raising these birds. We

www.beautyofbirds.com

Thank you so much! I started initially with a heat lamp but corrected that the day of my first post thanks to the kind folks here. I’ve got the pad with the towel. Haven’t had a chance to check out the links but I will after my morning coffee for sure. Thanks for the help! And I change his bedding constantly, he’s a poop machine, haha. I’m actually happy now when he poops on my hand when I feed him vs the cage because that’s one less poop in the cage & I can wash my hands. I’ve reached that point in my life I guess

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Thank you so much! I started initially with a heat lamp but corrected that the day of my first post thanks to the kind folks here. I’ve got the pad with the towel. Haven’t had a chance to check out the links but I will after my morning coffee for sure. Thanks for the help! And I change his bedding constantly, he’s a poop machine, haha. I’m actually happy now when he poops on my hand when I feed him vs the cage because that’s one less poop in the cage & I can wash my hands. I’ve reached that point in my life I guess

They're all poop machines... the bigger they are.... the bigger the doodie. My hubby and I have the conversation "Did Riley and Emma poop yet?" ( dogs) pretty much what your life boils down to when you have pets.....

 

[Mococlark]

Moco died in my hand this morning. He was so strong, begging for food, sprouting tiny feathers, then yesterday he seemed off, wouldn’t eat last night, and today he died.

Im heartbroken but I’m taking comfort in the fact that I did my absolute best. I’m so glad I was with him in the end. I’m also glad that although he was very small, he seemed strong and happy and didn’t suffer long.

Thank you guys SO much for your help. His short life was happy and comfortable thanks to you. He spent most of it healthy thanks to you. His cockatiel parents didn’t want him, but he had plenty of love from me.

You guys are wonderful. I’ll never forget Moco or your help with him. Keep on helping those hand feeding babies...Moco’s life was just over a month long, but he got everything a baby cockatiel needs (minus cockatiels) because of you.

Sorry if I’m rambling, this just happened.

Thank you & keep on with the good work.

 

[Zara]

I´m so sorry for your loss, I truly am. You did such a good job finding information and resources, and taking care of Moco. As short as his life was, it was filled with love.

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Aw, I’m so very sorry that little Moco didn’t make it.

 

[Shezbug]

Oh no!! I’m so very sorry to hear that Moco didn’t make it.

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

I'm so sorry you lost your sweetheart. I was rooting heavily for little Moco

 

[Ulis_Beast]

I'm sooo sorry.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I'm so very sorry to read about your loss. It's tough when you invest so much energy and love into such a tiny being to help it out and lose them.

I do want to add, cockatiels can be prolific layers. Diet going forward for your pair is vital for their health. Egg laying is a physical strain on hens and I would suggest removing a nest box if you have one provided for your pair to discourage them from nesting again. How old are the adults?

 

[expressmailtome]

I am sorry for your loss.