# HELP - One dead baby, what about another



## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

Hi My birds had 4 babies but one died as he had a severely malformed leg and was rejected by the parents. Another one has a malformed leg and seems to only be fed now and then. Im not sure whether I should take him out and hand feed him or if I should try to save him at all?? 

Ill try attach a photo of him


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

*bung leg*

as you can see his leg bends out to the side and he doesnt stand on his foot, but uses his leg to hold himself up...


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

I dont know what to do


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

i'm not a breeder. just saying 
but i would handfeed him. i couldn't bear to leave a helpless baby. once i rescued a baby blackbird with a broken/malformed leg and he still learnt to fly. so there is a little bit of hope.
i wonder if there's a genetic weakness since two chicks are abnormal...
good luck!


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

well ive read now that it is splay leg and can be genetic.
he is crying constatly now tho, and not a hungry cry.
i have tried holding his little leg back in place to affix a splint but he acts like i am hurting him (((


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

so sad. i hope the little buddy is ok. i guess i'd just keep him warm and wellfed and then let nature take it's course. who knows? he might pull through. keep us updated


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

oh also before your birds mate again you might want to find out if playleg is a result of incorrectly matched mutations in the parents. if it is, you would want to avoid breeding the pair.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

thank you, his hip is red and swollen so I am concerned is damaged. I will take him to the vet tomorrow. I dont know where to keep him overnight as his cries and restlessness are not looking like stopping...

The parents are both full grey and definately not related.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

what bedding do you have in the nest and how much? lack of proper bedding is the number one cause of splay legs


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

OK I've never heard of splayed leg being genetic (although it very well could be) its usually due to the wrong kind of bedding or no bedding being used at all. http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=19362 This thread here has info on what to do to fix splayed legs. If you don't have a brooder, I would leave him with the parents and assist feed him. He has a chance to make it and be completely normal as long as this was caught early (which is appears it was.) What is the bedding like in the nest box?


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

yeah i have done heaps of research and get all this now. I have a canary nesting fibre with a white fluff on top, but i noticed after the first time I cleaned the nest that this little guy got pushed to the bottom where nesting had been pushed away. I wasnt aware of splay legs til just now so I just thought it was a birth deformity. Kills me to think I couldve prevented this :/ he is so restless now though, sitting in some flannels keeping warm next to me, but trying to walk around and squeaking the whole time  I want to put him back in the nest but he was making this noise in there too, thats why took him out as the rest of the birds are sleeping...


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

i actually dont think its splayed leg now, i think its possibly a fracture and i think all this noise he is making is pain (its killing me to see him like this). The leg is red and swollen and he doesnt like me touching it


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

read that thread, splay leg can be fixed!

in the future for bedding, here is a great thread: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27688

i'd try to switch some of the bedding now, before more babies develop splay leg.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

A vet will be able to tell the difference and fix it. At this age they heal really fast. It could be splayed leg coupled with a fracture. I'd throw out that crap bedding and get regular pine or aspen shavings. Its more supportive for the babies in the long run.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

yeah its on my list for tomorrow. its after 9 pm here and nothing is open. 

is there any thing I could give for the pain? i have birdy anti inflammatory cream??

hes not gonna get any rest otherwise. His crying is killing me :/


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

has he been fed? i'm wondering also if he is crying because he might be hungry.


i do think splay leg is more likely, as another chick had it too. i think its possible those are hunger cries. the other baby more likely died from the parents not feeding it. 

can you get a clear photo of its crop?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Can you get baby motrin? You can give him a drop (just one drop) to help with the pain. I'd also try to feed him and see if that helps.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I think it's most likely a fracture; as far as I know, redness and swelling doesn't occur with splay leg. The vet will let you know for sure, but if 's very close to the hip you need to be prepared for the possibility that it won't be repairable and you'll have to put the baby down to save it from pain and suffering.

At http://www.justanswer.com/bird-vet/6ishw-canary-baby-47-days-old-seems-pain-one-foot.html an avian vet recommends mixing one baby aspirin in one quarter cup of drinking water for pain relief, and mixing a fresh batch 3 times a day. If you do this, you could use the water to mix up some handfeeding formula. He says the orange flavored aspirin seems to be best tolerated by birds. I don't know how safe it is to give aspirin to such a young baby though. It also might alter the symptoms and make it harder for your vet to diagnose the problem, so it's best to discuss it with the vet (by phone) before you do anything.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

Thanks for your advice and support guys, I couldn't handle seeing him like that and I took him to an ER vet. It was an irreparable fracture, so I had to say goodbye to the little guy. I think it was from his brothers sitting on him (they are way bigger than him) and what likely happened to the other baby too, as he didnt have splay either but an actual deformed foot and died from being neglected by the parents. I am just now rejoicing in the two remaining thriving babies and Leo and Lulu. I will be keeping a very close eye on them from here on in and use all my new knowledge to ensure nothing like this happens again. RIP lil buddy.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I'm sorry for your losses. The first baby might have had a genetic defect caused by a random mutation. Things like that do happen sometimes. 

Being sat on by the other chicks normally doesn't do any harm if there's a nice thick layer of good bedding, but if the baby ends up on a hard floor with other chicks on top that could definitely be a problem.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

so sorry for you


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

Just wanted to let you know that I got pine shavings for the nest and the remaining two babies are getting big but not many feathers... should I pull them and hand feed them? I have had problems feeding the parents because all they want is bread, and their usual seed mixed with pellets... wont take baby bird mixture, veges or anything else :/


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I responded in your other thread.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If the parents are eating some pellets, that will provide some balance in the babies' diet. But as I said in your other thread, I think the parents might be plucking them. Try spreading a thin layer of salted butter on a small bit of bread for the parents to eat. Plucking is often related to sodium deficiency in the parents, and adding sodium to the diet will help.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

ok done thanks


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