Constipated YNA (?)

[brolie]

So my Yellow Nape seems to be having trouble pooping... I've given her veggies and nothing has really changed in her diet... any recommendations on how to help her with this?

I say "seems" and added a question mark because she's also a female and maybe she's laying eggs? I don't know. She's just having some sort of issue in that area

 

[Laurasea]

This can be very serious! Is she passing droppings at all? She could be prolapsing, or egg bound,....this warrants a visit to the avian vet. Can you provide more details of the problem? A picture? This could be very very serious.

 

[Laurasea]

I would not wait, this is something that should be discussed seen with an avian vet today. Could be egg binding (can be deadly) prolapsing (can be deadly) intestinal blockage (forign body, string plastic, wood ect. All these things a vet can treat and save her life... The only non serious thing I can think of is if she is masturbating....all of the above except the last are an emergency and she needs to see the avain specialist today!

 

[brolie]

So I just took a video, she just passed some droppings too .. but she's already stopped doing it and seems fine again... don't think it's masturbating - i've seen my other birds do that and that's what i was thinking right at first.. this just seems different :\

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rrDPcyIJuZk"]Cap - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Laurasea]

That doesn't look like masturbating to me. That looks like strainging. I hope other will weigh in!!! (((If? ))) she has an egg and isn't able to pass it, that becomes life threatening. ((( If?)))) It is a partial blockage in her hi she can still pass some stool...I just don't know???? If this is some sort of sexual behavior, I'm just not Amazon knowledgeable enough....do you have an avian vet you can At least call? Keep us posted. If this was my bird a d I wasn't sure, I'd go to the vet. And then be happy if it was nothing.

 

[brolie]

yeah our avian vet is just super expensive for even the smallest things - definitely can't just call because their response would be to just bring her in - so i try to problem solve before taking any of my babies. the fact that she's still passing at least something helps

 

[Anansi]

Laurasea is right. The thing is, birds can go downhill REALLY fast! I am being literal when I say that every second wasted is potentially a risk to her life. She's likely either straining to pass an egg, or straining to defecate. Either issue is a very serious one. Seeing a bird straining like that is a sign that you need to take her to a certified avian vet immediately. I cannot stress this enough. There's just too much of a chance that you will lose her at the moment.

 

[condobirds]

Needs to see the avian vet. All vets are expensive but it is your responsibility if you are going to have an animal. We are not vets here but can tell there is a problem. If there is something she cannot pass, it could kill her. All vets are going to want to see the patient before they make a diagnosis. No different than a human doctor.

 

[Laurasea]

Yes!!!!! It's time for the ER as she could pass overnight........,I will be thinking of you and worried, keep us updated. We all learn from each other's posts

 

[texsize]

My YNA is a boy.
He makes noises similar to the noises your bird was making when he plays in his box and when he is masturbating.

When my female Cockatiels are um... in the mood for love they kind of hold there but in the are and make funny noises.

If when your bird is doing this you pet her on the back (just a little bit ) and she ramps up this behavior I would say she is just in the mood for love.

BUT.

this is only my opinion and I know I am swimming against the current here.
This in NO WAY says you should not take your bird in for an evaluation at the vets.

I have seen my amazon strain to make a poop and he makes a noise like a squeaky door and his tail moves up and down a few time before he finally drops a tiny poop. It does not resemble your birds behavior at all.


texsize

 

[Scott]

yeah our avian vet is just super expensive for even the smallest things - definitely can't just call because their response would be to just bring her in - so i try to problem solve before taking any of my babies. the fact that she's still passing at least something helps

I can understand your stance given abundant knowledge but in the absence or uncertainty, always better to visit a certified avian vet for diagnosis and treatment. The potential for a lethal outcome is extremely high if the problem is egg binding. As others posted, birds can progress from minor distress to a full blown emergency in minutes. Your bird appears to be straining, and the odds are reasonably high it is binding. I would urge visiting an overnight emergency vet (if available) or calling/appearing at the doorstep of a suitable office first thing in the morning.

 

[ChristaNL]

You would be able to (gently!!) feel an egg sitting inside if it is that far along (if your bird would allow handling of course) - and with gently I mean the amount of force you can apply to your closed eyelid and feel your eye underneath.
(If you see stars you are overdoing it way too much)

But really-> CAV now!
Even if it is a false alarm (and I hope it is!) - do not risk her life!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Please, please... find a vet. Here are links.
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none of the above are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.

 

[Laurasea]

Brolie,
Can you provide us an update on your Amazon? Even if you aren't seeing the straining or winking of her cloaca, it doesn't mean the dabager has passed....I hope she is ok, abd that you have her seen by your avian vet.

 

[EllenD]

I don't care how expensive your Avian Vet is, that is not masturbating at all, she is straining, and the kind of straining that they do when they are egg-bound. You do realize that Egg-Binding is 100% fatal without medical intervention, right? If you wait too long she won'g make it to the Avian Vet, she will die, and it's one of the most painful ways for a bird to die, they suffer greatly for a hours and then that's it. As a longtime breeder i can tell you that it's not pretty, I lost one female to Egg-Binding in 20 years, and I took her to the emergency animal hospital the minute I saw her doing exactly what your Amazon is doing in that video, and she still died.

Seriously, do not wait another minute. Do not call, just put her in the car and go to the Avian Vet. They'll do a quick, regular x-ray to confirm or rule-out that she's egg-bound, and if she's egg-bound then they usually have to intervene surgically, unless they think she has enough time that they can give her some oxytocin and a muscle relaxer to try to help her pass it, but usually there's no time for that.

Seriously, I hope I'm wrong, but that looks exactly like she's egg-bound, and if she is, she will die if you don't take her now. I'm actually trying to scare you because it's that serious.

BTW, was the dropping she passed normal, or was it large and messy? That's another sign that she's egg-bound...well, that and the fact that she's still straining after passing a dropping. Don't mess around with this, she's your bird, your responsibility, and if she is egg-bound you are going to be very sorry...Plus, if she is egg-bound, she is in a great deal of pain right now, and it's only going to get worse for her...she needs your help. Now.

 

[EllenD]

You would be able to (gently!!) feel an egg sitting inside if it is that far along (if your bird would allow handling of course) - and with gently I mean the amount of force you can apply to your closed eyelid and feel your eye underneath.
(If you see stars you are overdoing it way too much)

But really-> CAV now!
Even if it is a false alarm (and I hope it is!) - do not risk her life!

This is not at all necessarily true, as usually the reason a bird becomes egg-bound is because the egg-shell is not fully-developed, and is extremely soft. So you can't often fell them at all. They tend to be almost rubbery when this happens...

 

[brolie]

We have an appointment on Friday for her. That is the soonest and best I can do, and yes, that breaks my heart. I wish I was in a position to say "I don't care how expensive an avian vet is" but I have three children that take priority and don't have loads of cash flying around. I'm doing the best I can with what I'm given. I work three jobs and sleep and average of 4 hours a night and we can still barely afford food. So YES, money is a factor and I'm sorry if that upsets anyone.

She doesn't have anything in her cage that could be considered nesting material and she hasn't had any other changes in behavior. Just this occasional straining. She isn't pooping as much as normal, so I'm really hoping she's just a bit constipated and we can help her alleviate that. I will update if anything changes. Thanks to everyone for the support.

 

[MonicaMc]

If you haven't tried applying for it, try getting Care Credit.

https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/


If you have tried and were denied in the past but you haven't tried recently, try again.

 

[ChristaNL]

You would be able to (gently!!) feel an egg sitting inside if it is that far along (if your bird would allow handling of course) - and with gently I mean the amount of force you can apply to your closed eyelid and feel your eye underneath.
(If you see stars you are overdoing it way too much)

But really-> CAV now!
Even if it is a false alarm (and I hope it is!) - do not risk her life!

This is not at all necessarily true, as usually the reason a bird becomes egg-bound is because the egg-shell is not fully-developed, and is extremely soft. So you can't often fell them at all. They tend to be almost rubbery when this happens...

autch, true that! Good point, thank you!
.. I was just trying to get the owner to do at least something ...
(I would be able to tell the difference, I tend to forget most people cannot)


OMG there is not a vet in the world afaik that would let an animal suffer/die because the owner did not have the cash on them right there and then!
Especially if you are willing to pay (installments or whatnot).
Being strapped for cash really sucks (been there done that, still happens once in a while)- but take some responsability here plze!
Be creative, begg, anything!


(I do not mean to bash you or try to put you down, you are fighting for survival as well, but let it not blind you to the suffering of some living creature you took in your home)

 

[EllenD]

I didn't mean that "money doesn't matter", sorry that you took it that way, what I mean is that if you can take her to the vet tomorrow, then you need to take her right now...I can't imagine that any vet would allow a bird to suffer for an entire 2 days just because you can't pay them until Friday, if that's the case...And yes it does bother me that any vet would make a potentially egg-bound bird wait days to be seen, as they know that if your bird is egg-bound that she probably is going to die before tomorrow, and she is suffering and has been suffering greatly, and will be in horrible pain right up until the moment she passes away...But that's on whatever Vet you go to that is making you wait until tomorrow to take her due to payment, not on you, and I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way that you took it...

I just hope that you understand how serious this is, and how much pain your bird is in if she is egg-bound. It's a horrible way for them to die...hopefully it isn't what the problem is, because if it is I very much doubt she will live long enough for this vet to see her. i would really try to give the vet a call and ask them if they can see her today and you can pay them tomorrow, tell them that you're very worried that she's egg-bound and that she won't make it until tomorrow, and that you think she's in a ton of pain, and that you can't pay them until tomorrow but it's a very urgent emergency that cannot wait until tomorrow, and that she needs medical help right now. I can't imagine that any Avian Vet, even the most greedy one in the world, would allow a potentially egg-bound bird to literally die the most painful death possible, simply because they have to wait 24 hours for payment...That's just awful.