# Urgent - Will my Baby be Okay!?



## TehLizardKing (Sep 29, 2013)

I'll keep this succinct, just to avoid me sending a message that could be mistaken for a novel.

Two days ago, I pulled an almost-three-week-old kakariki chick for handrearing, because his mum decided he wasn't worth feeding. He was the biggest and strongest chick of the pair, so I didn't get why... Anyway, earlier on today, long story short, he slipped and fell about two feet onto solid wood... I could have stopped him if I wasn't carrying something, so I'm blaming myself... He seemed quite bad to begin with, leaning over to one side, almost completely unresponsive, I was absolutely distraught, but I put him in the brooder and turned it up a couple of degrees, I figured that was the best thing I could do short term, I'd check on him soon.

A couple of hours (that passed very slowly) later, I had another look, and he was looking a lot better, almost back to his usual self, just a little less hyper than usual... But I supposed that was to be expected, and thanked our lucky stars profusely.

About an hour ago I went to feed him, and noticed that, as usual, he was sleeping with his head flopping right onto his back (no matter how I position or support that head, he always ends up in that position) but the difference was, when he woke up, he stayed like that. I once again freaked out, but at the sound of my fussing, he flipped his head up, which preceded to sort of roll over to hang down on one side, and begged quietly for some formula. I hesitantly picked up the syringe, and at the sight of the feeding implement, he (with some obvious effort) lifted his head into its normal position and chuckled a little. I was relieved to see this, but still wary of what has gone wrong.

He ate about 7/8 ml of food, and plodded around for 20 seconds or so afterwards, but then fluffed up and closed his eyes much earlier than he tends to after a feed, and as soon as I put him back in his snuggly nest in the brooder, his neck began to flop again.

My querie is this: can anyone confirm/deny that he's broken his neck? I'm hoping not, since with not too much effort he can support it normally... But if not, is there anything else that could have happened? Is he just concussed from the fall?

There are no avian specific vets close enough to me to safely get him there... But if he isn't looking any better tomorrow I'm going to be taking a trip to the bog standard cat&dog&rabbit just to get him x-rayed

I know the fellah isnt a cockatiel, but specific species is of no concern with this problem, and you guys on this here forum have always been so helpful with my 'Tiel related problems 

I'll post some pictures tomorrow, provided he stays with us... I'm just about to wake him up for his last feed of the day now, so I'm wishing him luck xx

Thanks to anyone that can offer advice, no matter how little

Stevie ~


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

No problem that he's not a 'tiel, he's still a little one that needs help. 

I would take him to the vet and ask if he can feel a break or dislocation. If his head can be held up and gently move around without pain and lift his head up without pain then I don't think he'd have broken anything though. The neck may have been why he got kicked out of the nest if he's had the neck like that even before the fall.

If it's not a break, I think he could possible have what is called Stargazing/Crook Neck/Wry Neck(many different names for it). There are many different things that can cause it, but the ones I am thinking of are: "getting injured, pecked in the head or head injury, vitamin deficiency B1, vitamin E deficiency, selenium deficiency, virus, bacteria." If the condition is caused by a head injury then it is usually called Torticollis '"where the bird displays the "upside-down" head posture with some amount of spasm or twitching."

Does it look like the two pictures Srtiels has in this post?: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=19031


http://www.mytoos.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=209503
http://beautyofbirds.com/stargazing.html
http://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/wry-neck.html
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/6...-a-wry-neck-chick-story-with-pics-with-update
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck/10

Edit: Oh forgot to add that I've read little chicks are kind of like playdough so you could get a neck brace at the vets and have them set it back into place and it'd heal just like new. I think a neck brace is what people recommend too.


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