# Dwarfism among cockatiels?



## Renzy (Jul 22, 2010)

*Stunted cockatiels?*

The first one is developing fine, normal weight, starting to fly, eating millet. It's a pearl cockatiel.

The second chick is on track also, slightly a bit smaller than it's older sibling but weight charts aren't off by too much and it's also starting to fly. This one's a gray.

Now finally, we have the last one. I honestly am baffled by the sheer size of the little thing. It's like a tiny tim of cockatiels. It was the latest hatched, on the 16th, but even at a month, it's still the size of a 10-day old chick! It's a pearl!

It's fully fledged with bare patches here and there, and is TINY. It can't even start to fly, let alone flap it's wings enough for it to create lift, but everything about it is miniature and seems scaled down. 

I'll attach more recent ones soon, but here they are at 3 weeks.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Hi...and welcome to the forum 

No...dwarfism is not possible...but stunting is, and is what looked like has been going on with your little one. How this occurs, and is ususally with the last chick is it is fed more solids and less fluids...and this causes dehydration and slows down the growth rate and developement. This is not a permanant condition, and will take up to a year for the little one to catch up in size. 
y album shows a couple of babies that were stunted and dehydrated: http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/Mousebirds-and-more/Other%20birds/Babies%20in%20Trouble/

Also in looking at the two-toned color of the older chicks they appear to be split to pied too.


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## Renzy (Jul 22, 2010)

Thanks for the reply, I was just curious because my vet suggested that, but he wasn't quite sure if that was the pin-point reason why it's so tiny. 

Our vet ruled out malnutrition due to me feeding him very well and often, and the mother cockatiel handled it until 2 weeks until I pulled it. Usually periodically checking in with it, it would always have a nice round crop. 

Thank you for your help, I guess I'll take him back to the vet again just to have it's check-up again.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I learned a nice round crop doesn't mean anything. I have 4 very stunted babies because their crops were filled with seeds. They couldn't digest them. One of them it took a whole day for it's crop to empty, he still screams for food at 8 weeks old and only weighs 79 grams.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

True...many times overfeeding can cause weight loss or no weight gain. What happens is the body is using all of it's energy to digest and not using it for growth.


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## Renzy (Jul 22, 2010)

Yeah, I suppose that'd be why. Came back from the vet from the check-up, he examined the little fella again. It's a healthy chick who just small for the moment. I guess he neglected to tell me that having a midget bird is impossible. He raised his eyebrow a bit the first time because the little bugger was fully fledged.

Another question though, when it comes to stunted birds, they tend to remain healthy just as normal birds right? As long as they get their foods and nutritions they need, there won't be any health problems along the way? I'm asking this because the vet told me to bring it in often.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

If the vet feels the baby is healthy aside from size, that is great. As long as it stays on a good and varied diet it should have NO health issues. Also it will tak up to a year for it to start to look normal sized. It will just be a late bloomer


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## Renzy (Jul 22, 2010)

Here it is just a few minutes ago, with our normal fella. They're only a few days apart.










Enjoying some millet.











 I'm glad you guys could help so promptly and quickly! It really helped put me at ease about the little junebug.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Ah...it is a cutie  It has to grow into his wings. Give it time and a year from now it'll be hard to tell it was a little bitty fella when young.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> dwarfism is not possible...but stunting is


I don't know much about the subject, but it's possible that there are some conditions that make a bird grow up unusually small. I know someone who had a pearl chick that developed according to the normal schedule for growing feathers etc but the bird was budgie size instead of cockatiel size. Unfortunately the bird didn't live very long - I think it lived to weaning and somewhat beyond but didn't make it for more than a few months. It's very possible that the short life was due to whatever caused the small body.


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## Jess (Jun 20, 2010)

I notice his cheeks are very pale as well. Could that mean he's a yellow cheek or is it to do with him being undersized?


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