# Miniature cockatiel?



## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

A member of my local bird club has an unusually small chick. This isn't a typical case of stunting where the chick doesn't develop normally and looks like a much younger baby. This chick has appropriate feather development for its age (getting close to fledging) but is about half the size of its siblings. The chick has normal body proportions. The feathers are smaller than usual but are the right size for the baby's tiny body. The chick looks healthy and is seriously adorable. Sorry, I don't have pictures.

I don't know whether the chick was born normal size or if it has always been small. The owner said she was told that this just happens sometimes, and knows someone with a tiny adult gouldian finch. She thinks the tiel will be about the size of a budgie when it's full grown but I think it might be smaller than that.

Has anyone heard of this? An underactive pituitary gland has a similar effect in humans, so maybe that's it. Although I don't know if birds actually have a pituitary.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

How interesting. I've never seen or heard of it happening, but that sure doesn't mean it can't.  If the little bub is healthy otherwise i guess it's just different. I bet it's cute!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Does she know the background of the bird? Many years ago I had this happen when I bred several generations of the same color mutations together. It happenes the most with pieds. I had Squeeker and Stinker that were tiny like that. They also have a shorter lifespan of 5-6 yrs max.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The owner hasn't said anything about her parent birds and I don't know how good her genetic knowledge is. But I've seen two of her clutches and every chick but one was pearl, including the tiny one. She thought that the one normal grey-looking chick (believed to be male) was pearl but wasn't showing it - maybe it's another example of the mysterious pearl suppression that we've wondered about before. Anyway, I get the impression that both parents are pearl, so there's a definite possibility of inbreeding issues from too many consecutive generations of pearl. I don't remember any other visible mutations on the chicks.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

It could very well be. As to the grey one..I have had some that have had just one tiny pearl and genetically they proved to be pearl. Pearl does start to get a bald spot after too many generations...were any thin feathered behind the crest? The problem I found is that internally changes go on and with Squeeker, he had an undersized haert, and Stinker had a 1/2 of the liver on one side (liver has 2 lobes)


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

He sounds cute, can you get a picture of him? I would be worried about something not being right with his insides as well. 




srtiels said:


> Does she know the background of the bird? Many years ago I had this happen when I bred several generations of the same color mutations together. It happenes the most with pieds. I had Squeeker and Stinker that were tiny like that. They also have a shorter lifespan of 5-6 yrs max.


 how tiny were they? Spike is only 81 grams but I don't think that is too tiny, is it?


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

it is most likely a genetic thing 

I had a pair of budgies hatch out 5 babies all seemed normal until they feathered and 2 Never got flight wings and they were tiny compared to their siblings and all the other budgies 

this pair had 2 clutches before this one and All were normal, and they had 2 or 3 clutches after this one again all were normal 

it was just 2 out of the 5 of this one clutch - they looked like twins but weren't 

I'll have to dig through my pictures To see if i can find the pics of them. I was accused of cutting their flights too short once when I posted some where else - and i even stated the birds were not clipped at all they'd just come out of the nest/cage at a month old I don't clip my birds until they're at least 4 months old (at least the budgies) and I don't clip any of them at a month old.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> were any thin feathered behind the crest?


I don't know, I didn't inspect them that closely. The current chicks haven't finished growing their crests, and I don't know what normal crests look like at this age thanks to Shodu's bad habit of giving "haircuts" to all her chicks.



> Spike is only 81 grams but I don't think that is too tiny, is it?


That's normal. Squeebis is only about 75 grams but he's normal size and the vet is satisfied with his weight.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The tiny tiels would be from 35-50 grams in weight.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> The tiny tiels would be from 35-50 grams in weight.


That's about what I'd estimate this chick to be.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

srtiels said:


> The tiny tiels would be from 35-50 grams in weight.


Wow, that is one tiny tiel


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...they are. I had a pix of Little Bit that was a whoppong 49 grams...but can't find it. She was perefectly proportioned just tiny.


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## fluoro.black (Nov 5, 2009)

Wow, this is really interesting :hmm:. The inbreeding/too many generations of pearls would make sense.
1. Inbreeding: The genes are too similar, thus creating a lack of genetic variation and this makes them more susceptible to sickness as well as physical defects.
2. Too many generations of pearls: same sort of thing, lack of genetic variation.
The same sort of thing happens in humans, if two people 'inbreed' or if you get people with similar genetic backgrounds then defects/abnormalities show up.

Maybe I'm just saying what everyone else is already thinking :lol:. Oh well , hooray for being a biology student :smart: :lol:.


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