baby gray has diarrhea

[Mammad]

hello,
my 7 weeks old gray (Leo) has diarrhea since yesterday 5th of April 2021, nothing has been changed for the past week same food (Nekton baby parrot food) same amount 40ml per serve at temp 40c-42c, 4 times a day (each 6hrs), took him to vet today for bacteria check and came negative, did other check and everything seems to be fine, Leo is active still runs when its feeding time, sleeps well, clean.... help please i'm afraid of loosing my baby Leo

 

[noodles123]

What tests did they run?
Did they do blood work? *not sure if age plays a part in whether they would or not*
Did they swab his throat or crop?
Did they just do a gram stain or an actual culture?



Keep him warmer than usual (not hot and be very cautious about using things like space heaters, which often contain deadly teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs and shoot out fumes when heating). Try to make sure he is eating foods with liquids in them, as dehydration is a risk. Something is clearly wrong if there have been no major diet or lifestyle changes and this just started happening.


How cautious are you about formula temperature and sterile tools/feeding stuff, because temperature and serious attention to cleanliness/cross contamination of surfaces when mixing formula and cleaning syringes between uses=huge.



What kind of vet do you take him to/what are the vet's certifications?

 

[Mammad]

there is one thing i'm not sure if its the reason, i washed his legs under warm tab water for about 30 seconds to remove poop he stepped on and was dry.

 

[Mammad]

What tests did they run?
Did they do blood work? *not sure if age plays a part in whether they would or not*
Did they swab his throat or crop?
Did they just do a gram stain or an actual culture?



Keep him warmer than usual (not hot and be very cautious about using things like space heaters, which often contain deadly teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs and shoot out fumes when heating). Try to make sure he is eating foods with liquids in them, as dehydration is a risk. Something is clearly wrong if there have been no major diet or lifestyle changes and this just started happening.


Have you stopped feeding formula by syringe and if so, when was he fully weaned by your estimation?

they said its too early for a blood test
they did swap a crop
"Did they just do a gram stain or an actual culture?" i dont know :25:

today i hand fed him all 4 meals, i was using syringe only at mid-night and early morning.

"when was he fully weaned by your estimation?" i didnt understand your quistion

 

[noodles123]

there is one thing i'm not sure if its the reason, i washed his legs under warm tab water for about 30 seconds to remove poop he stepped on and was dry.

It's possible that he ingested contaminated water (depending on your city/country water supply). I know that I have lived places where drinking the water was only semi-safe for those who grew up doing it and even that still caused occasional illness.

Did he ingest a lot of water?


Also, was he exposed to draft after getting wet? Was the home any warmer than usual? They can get sick from being chilled after a bath unless precautions are taken. Drafts etc= no good. Think about how cold it is to step into 70F conditions when you are fresh out of the shower/dripping wet. That having been said, humans are far better at regulating body temp than parrots (not limited to, but especially young ones). All parrots cannot thermo-regulate like us, which is why they say not to bathe before bed and to potentially warm up the room etc after.


But, again, it could be lots of things...It depends on what tests were run and what kind of a vet you took him to.

 

[Mammad]

there is one thing i'm not sure if its the reason, i washed his legs under warm tab water for about 30 seconds to remove poop he stepped on and was dry.

It's possible that he ingested contaminated water (depending on your city/country water supply). I know that I have lived places where drinking the water was only semi-safe for those who grew up doing it and even that still caused occasional illness.

Did he ingest a lot of water?


Also, was he exposed to draft after getting wet? Was the home any warmer than usual? They can get sick from being chilled after a bath unless precautions are taken. Drafts etc= no good. Think about how cold it is to step into 70F conditions when you are fresh out of the shower/dripping wet. That having been said, humans are far better at regulating body temp than parrots (not limited to, but especially young ones). All parrots cannot thermo-regulate like us, which is why they say not to bathe before bed and to potentially warm up the room etc after.


But, again, it could be lots of things...It depends on what tests were run and what kind of a vet you took him to.

i washed only his toe's and dried it directly, he was not wet, still i kept him in a blanket for an hour.
the vet told me to keep an eye on him for a couple of days and go back to him if its still the same.

 

[noodles123]

What tests did they run?
Did they do blood work? *not sure if age plays a part in whether they would or not*
Did they swab his throat or crop?
Did they just do a gram stain or an actual culture?



Keep him warmer than usual (not hot and be very cautious about using things like space heaters, which often contain deadly teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs and shoot out fumes when heating). Try to make sure he is eating foods with liquids in them, as dehydration is a risk. Something is clearly wrong if there have been no major diet or lifestyle changes and this just started happening.


Have you stopped feeding formula by syringe and if so, when was he fully weaned by your estimation?

they said its too early for a blood test
they did swap a crop
"Did they just do a gram stain or an actual culture?" i dont know :25:

today i hand fed him all 4 meals, i was using syringe only at mid-night and early morning.

"when was he fully weaned by your estimation?" i didnt understand your quistion

I asked the weaning question without seeing part of your post. He isn't weaned, so ignore that lol. Sorry! I am reading your other replies, but I edited my original post to remove that after looking back at yours.


You need to contact the vet and ask exactly what tests were run (ask for a copy of the results if you can).
You should be able to google your vet's credentials, and if not, you could also ask his certification over the phone (although that will likely come off as confrontational if you do it when you are also asking for testing paperwork).

 

[Mammad]

What tests did they run?
Did they do blood work? *not sure if age plays a part in whether they would or not*
Did they swab his throat or crop?
Did they just do a gram stain or an actual culture?



Keep him warmer than usual (not hot and be very cautious about using things like space heaters, which often contain deadly teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs and shoot out fumes when heating). Try to make sure he is eating foods with liquids in them, as dehydration is a risk. Something is clearly wrong if there have been no major diet or lifestyle changes and this just started happening.


Have you stopped feeding formula by syringe and if so, when was he fully weaned by your estimation?

they said its too early for a blood test
they did swap a crop
"Did they just do a gram stain or an actual culture?" i dont know :25:

today i hand fed him all 4 meals, i was using syringe only at mid-night and early morning.

"when was he fully weaned by your estimation?" i didnt understand your quistion

I asked the weaning question without seeing part of your post. He isn't weaned, so ignore that lol. Sorry! I am reading your other replies, but I edited my original post to remove that after looking back at yours.


You need to contact the vet and ask exactly what tests were run (ask for a copy of the results if you can).
You should be able to google your vet's credentials, and if not, you could also ask his certification over the phone (although that will likely come off as confrontational if you do it when you are also asking for testing paperwork).

i ask him tomorrow, since its 1am here.
any tips for tonight, he if full (fed him an hour ago) and sleep in a dry place with a blanket on his cage-box should be warm i guess

 

[noodles123]

Yeah- that sounds fine unless you can do more. Pictures might also help. Did the vet agree that it was diarrhea (did he see it)?

 

[Mammad]

Yeah- that sounds fine unless you can do more. Pictures might also help. Did the vet agree that it was diarrhea (did he see it)?

Yes he saw it

 

[Mammad]

Can overfeeding cause this? is it time to feed him 3 times a day only?

 

[noodles123]

Have you been a member long enough to send PM's? SilverSage is a good resource and I do not know enough to adequately respond to that question. I am not a breeder-- I have helped hand-feed and observed, but I avoid it. I am hoping others chime in.



I do know that any changes in birds should be evaluated as though they may be serious, but I would just hope that someone else chimes in. Laurasea has dealt with her fair share of sick birds (not through her own fault) but she might also be able to advise (not sure what her hand-feeding background is)...There are many others here as well. Sorry I can't help more!


Here are my suggestions: 1. find a solid vet that specializes in birds, 2. make sure you know why if things do change, 3. keep a sick bird warmer (without the teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfc chemicals in space-heaters), 4. keep them from dehydrating when sick to the best of your ability by feeding foods that are moist and for babies, exact temperature + very clean ,5. birds hide illness.

 

[Laurasea]

Hi, true diarrhea can be very dangerous very quickly in birds. It's very easy for yeast or bacteria overgrowth to happen with babies. Baby's bird formula should be made fresh each time, never store and reuse any portions . Everything you use to feed and make formula should kept extremely clean. Every feeding should be proper temp. And bsby kept st proper temperature.

8 very much hope SilverSage will sign on and offer support.

I feel comfortable saying offering him some plain Greek yogurt with Acidophilus, and Lactobacillus listed in the live cultures, and no artificial sweetners. You can feed a teaspoon twice a day, either mixed with formula, or by syringe. Untill diarrhea stops, then once a day for a coupleof days then every other day, then do twice a week until weaned. If SilverSage gives differentadvice followthat. I have given and give all my burds yogurt. I have read of breeders usingit in the formula. .possible this will help poops. It has helped my adult birds poops. But doesn't replace veterinarian care, if antibiotics, or antifungal are needed.

But all Noodles advice is good. A second avain vet opinion might be needed. You certainly can't mess around with babies . Feedings are adjusted by crop size and empting ...

 

[SilverSage]

Laurasea sent me a message. These two have really given good advice, but please do NOT under any circumstances give your baby yogurt or any other dairy product.

It sounds like you are doing a lot right. I’m sorry that an unethical breeder sent you home with an unweaned baby and put you in this position.

Your biggest risk right now are dehydration and electrolyte depletion. Does baby drink water on his own? What solid foods does he munch?

Also, Nekton is a great brand, they have a product called nekton-biotic-bird which is a probiotic, see if you can get your hands on that (probiotics are why people suggest yogurt). Also consider adding nekton-q which is just a booster for birds struggling with medical issues.

In the mean time you need to see a specialized avian vet. If you’ve already ruled out bacteria my next thought is a new parasite specifically a water born one like protozoa. Ask your vet about that.


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[SilverSage]

Also Laura for some reason it isn’t letting me open your whole message, just look at the first line or two.


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[Laurasea]

I stand by yogurt, I've checked with my vet, and it is listed on my sick bird link from different vet. Personally I have had very great success with feeding small amount. Poop pics in my sick bird thread back thst up.

I know there is pro abd no info on web.

This is my sick bird link, yogurt is listed.
https://www.littlecrittersvet.com/sick-birds.pml

You need to have a digital kitchen scale and weigh your bird every morning

Yo quick share a pic of poop click go advanced under text box, hit paperclip choose pic, hit upload on far right. When loads close window sbd post

I have very high respect fir SilverSage and her experience with burds and baby burds!!! High high respect!!

I have just seen in my burds diarrhea resolve with yogurt. In different illness years apart.

I saw exact baby burd formula has two probiotic listed as well. Even better as Silver mentioned the formula that has probiotic will fo same as yogurt . Help balance flora in gastric system. I worry about yeast overgrowth maybe causes your issues

 

[SilverSage]

There really is, and that’s one of the great advantages of a forum; getting differing recommendations

Oh I forgot to mention! Try adding a few drops of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar to each feeding starting immediately. You can actually add a few drops of that to his water as well.


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[Laurasea]

Also Laura for some reason it isn’t letting me open your whole message, just look at the first line or two.


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I just sent a quick plea for your help. Only one sentence lol I don't even think was a complete sentence....so I think we're good. Thank you for your quick response!

 

[noodles123]

You guys are awesome thank you! It was 1am his time when I last responded, so hopefully he gets these tonight or when he wakes up! Thanks again!

 

[Mammad]

thank you all for your responds, really appreciate it.
Leo made it through the night, he is a fighter i know, no sign of weakness he still active and ate his food.
but his poop color became lighter in color.