FirstTimeClucky
Songster
- Feb 13, 2017
- 186
- 203
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@NNYchick and @FirstTimeClucky - Thank you both for your help and concern. I'm so happy that I've found BYC and people like you! I use the Save-A-Chick-Electrolytes, will def keep the Nutridrench on-hand and I think I'll pick up some Kaytee Exact so that I've got a nice little 'chick emergency' kit on hand. I have no doubt I'll need it at some point!
FirstTimeClucky, I'm SO sorry that you lost a chick, and at 10wks.... Do you have any idea what caused It? Hope your others are doing well. Thanks again for everything!
Based on the symptoms and my research, I think my chick may have had botulism. When I found him the next morning he was contorted in a very twisted position with his head right back, lying on his back. Botulism causes cramping and seizures, and it kills young creatures within a few hours. I think he may have eaten something like poop or spoiled food that was mixed in with their shavings. If it had been something contagious or that affected the entire pen they were living in, all three would have died.
Re the Kaytee Exact, be aware of the expiry date because it's perishable. It lasts for months but not forever. If you're not planning to use it right away, get the smallest size package available in case you have to throw it out. Never use it without checking the date first.
Be extremely careful if you try to syringe feed a chick, because it's very easy to permanently damage a young chick's beak. This happens all too often to parrots, especially African Greys, because almost all are hand fed to make them tame pets. My AG had a deformed upper beak from clumsy hand feeding as a baby. As a result I had to grind his beak down with a Dremel every month. Anyway, it's best to offer any supplementary feeding on a spoon first and only resort to a syringe if they won't take a spoon feeding. Another hazard of syringe feeding is that you can accidentally squirt the food down the bird's trachea, which causes deadly aspiration pneumonia. In birds (and many reptiles), when the beak is open the tracheal opening is closer to the front of the mouth, right at the back of the tongue. This allows them to still breathe while swallowing a large piece of food.
