# Air in baby's crop



## Set

One of the baby's has a lot of air in it's crop. It was fine yesterday, but checking on them today and his crop is just full of air. I've been googling and right now my mother is trying to massage the air out, but we're not sure if she's doing it right? are there any videos or special technique we should be using?

It's baby number two, who is eight days old. I'd like to avoid the vet if possible right now; it's really cold and rainy today and I just don't know if the naked little guy would get there.

I did take a few pictures. It looks like one of the parents may have punctured the crop.


















I'm not sure how long it's been full of air. There's a small amount of food in the crop and he's active and complaining about the massage.


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## tielfan

This is a good question for srtiels. You can try sending her a PM, or you can post on her board at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICR.unite/


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## srtiels

This illustration has some info: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/uploads/1/5/2/0/15203836/3946795_orig.jpg


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## Set

srtiels said:


> This illustration has some info: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/uploads/1/5/2/0/15203836/3946795_orig.jpg


Thank you so much for replying!
The first picture is exactly what the baby looks like. So far massaging it hasn't really helped at all. Will poking a hole in it hurt the baby? And where in the crop should it be?


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## srtiels

In addition to pricking the skin to help massage the air out. I noticed that the veins in the crop are very red and prominent. 

Will the baby be still in the nest and the parents feeding it or are you Handfeeding. If in the nest you might want to add Lemon/Cayenne or just Lemon juice to the water, and the 2nd pix in the illustration shows uses of it for handfeeding: http://tinypic.com/a/2rxp4/3


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## srtiels

Sterilize a needle/pin (such as holding over a hot flame and then cool it) It will be a puncture with just the tip of the needle...staying away from any surface veins. Then gently massage out the air. This must be done EACH time the crop reinflates. When the crop is deflated it gives the edges of the torn tissue a chance to touch and adhere together. When this occurs then the crop will stop inflating.


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## Set

the baby is still in the nest being fed by the parents. I noticed the red veins as well and was about to ask about them. I will start that today  Do the red veins indicate yeast in the crop?

We're about to try poking it now.


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## Haimovfids

Please keep us posted, tell us your results,
Good luck


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## tielfan

Yes, red veins are a symptom of yeast. I don't have any personal experience with this, but I've heard from Susanne that parent-fed babies tend to have yeast problems if you give the parents moist foods to eat in a hot humid climate. I assume that the heat and humidity contribute to the growth of yeast in the moist food. I live in the desert where it's hot and dry and I haven't had any problems, so I'm guessing that the humidity is the problem rather than the heat. 

Pellets are a great baby food if the parents will eat them; the parents eat the dry pellets and drink water to soften them up, and there's no time spent with wet food sitting around in a bowl letting microorganisms grow. If the adults will eat handfeeding formula from a spoon, that's another good way to get high-nutrition soft foods into the babies. Mix up a small amount and feed it to the parents immediately, and nothing is left sitting around growing nasty stuff.


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## Set

That was not pleasant but the baby's crop is no longer full of air! I'm so incredibly relieved right now. Though probably not as relieved as the baby is. Poor thing. He's back in the nest and is getting some much needed food. I don't know if he's been able to eat at all today. I also weighed him so I can make sure he's not losing any weight.

It is really humid here and Caddy has been eating a lot of vegetables (he's been really good about trying new things lately, and wants to try whatever I'm having). The 'tiels do have pellets in their diet; I was thinking about mixing some with water and making a bit of a mash for them, would that cause yeast to grow more?

Thank you so much for your help, srtiels  I've been freaking out about this all day. I'll be keeping a super close eye on the little guy to keep his crop empty of air.


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## tielfan

If the parents are willing to eat dry pellets it's best to leave them dry, because moist pellets will have the same microorganism risks as any other wet food. The parents will drink water to soften the pellets up for the babies, but the moistening occurs internally where the parents' digestive juices will keep the microorganisms under control.


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## Set

Thought I'd give an update  We were pretty worried because the baby's crop was filling up right after we'd empty it. Watching, we figured out that it's filling up so quickly every time the baby begs for food. So every time I hear them begging/eating, I wait till they're done and pull him to poke his crop.

He's gaining weight still (only 2g yesterday, but he gained 2g today just from his morning feedings) so I wasn't too worried, but I wasn't sure it could heal in the short amount of time it was empty.

Today, though, he had two feedings (with lots of begging) before his crop was full enough to empty it, and it wasn't nearly as full as it had been. So it is healing after all! We also managed to get most of the air out just through massaging it up through his mouth (which he really doesn't appreciate, poor thing).

Though we did find him in a corner of the nestbox a few times, instead of cuddled up with Lilith, I think he wandered over there on his own. I watched Lilith and Caddy with him and they're very gentle. Poor Lilith has no idea what to do; I peaked in when she was feeding them and his crop was full of air and she was very gently touching it and she just looked so lost. She's usually wary of us, but she's let us take the baby without even leaving the box, and she feeds him right away when we put him back in. I think she knows that when we take him, he's going to come back better.

Anyway that turned into a ramble. In short, he's doing so much better today and I'm just really happy and relieved and never naming a baby again until it has feathers.


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## sunnysmom

I'm glad to hear he's doing better.


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## cknauf

Aww, poor momma bird! Worried about her little guy.


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## Haimovfids

I'm so happy he is better


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