Sparrow-Song
Chirping
- Aug 6, 2022
- 55
- 58
- 91
I just hatched some new babies two days ago, and one of them was struggling. It couldn’t walk well, had curled toes and staggered as it went. Its peeping was slightly raspy and it moved to sleep in the light. It seemed like it had a case of mushy chick, as well.
But it was never as weak as the others I’ve had that died from that, and it didn’t stop moving around or seem too lethargic.
I taped the toes and have since removed one (chick has flipped out every time I try to remove the other so I’m waiting a little) and it is able to walk around, but follows the wall. It still staggers. But the following doesn’t necessarily seem like weakness to me anymore? And the lack of eating or drinking is bad, but it will eat a little if I move a cap full of mixed water and food up to its face. It struggles to figure out where the cap is in space in order to drink, though. Always poking around and above and way further out than it is.
I checked the chick’s eyes today and found they are slightly cloudy. It peeps a lot sometimes when I am not there talking to it, but it can see my face when I lean over the cage.
I think it’s some sort of visual impairment, but I can’t tell if the chick is also sick. It’s smaller than both its hatchmates, but it also hatched from a smaller egg. It doesn’t eat much, but I can’t be sure it can tell the difference between similarly colored food and bedding. I don’t know the symptoms of mushy chick well enough to be sure if the baby is still sick or can be combined to hopefully reduce its distress. Is there any way to know?
Thank you!
But it was never as weak as the others I’ve had that died from that, and it didn’t stop moving around or seem too lethargic.
I taped the toes and have since removed one (chick has flipped out every time I try to remove the other so I’m waiting a little) and it is able to walk around, but follows the wall. It still staggers. But the following doesn’t necessarily seem like weakness to me anymore? And the lack of eating or drinking is bad, but it will eat a little if I move a cap full of mixed water and food up to its face. It struggles to figure out where the cap is in space in order to drink, though. Always poking around and above and way further out than it is.
I checked the chick’s eyes today and found they are slightly cloudy. It peeps a lot sometimes when I am not there talking to it, but it can see my face when I lean over the cage.
I think it’s some sort of visual impairment, but I can’t tell if the chick is also sick. It’s smaller than both its hatchmates, but it also hatched from a smaller egg. It doesn’t eat much, but I can’t be sure it can tell the difference between similarly colored food and bedding. I don’t know the symptoms of mushy chick well enough to be sure if the baby is still sick or can be combined to hopefully reduce its distress. Is there any way to know?
Thank you!
