[Ravendust]

I pulled my babies from their parents at 4 days and 1 week old. Pulling them was not an easy decision- but parents were grossly overfeeding to the point that the crop was distended out around the neck as well. Crops were discolored and had red veins and were not emptying almost at all. Babies were also taking on stunted appearances... The first day I moved them into the brooder (homemade with a glass tank, heating pad, bowl with paper towels and bedding in the tank to put a layer between the bowl and the heating pad. I kept a thermometer and bowl of water in there as well to keep track of temps/humidity. I didn't feed them until the next day- we did unflavored pedialyte to help clear out the crop/keep them hydrated. After that I started feeding them kaytees formula, which they did well on. Babies were on track with their growth and ate well. Once their pinfeathers opened up and I started introducing them to a cage they started showing interest in nibbling bedding so I removed it and have been using napkins/paper towels since. I began introducing new foods for them to try- millet first, sprouts, softened pellets, fruits and veggies... The works. Sometimes they were interested, sometimes not. Anyway, around November 22nd-23rd (week of Thanksgiving) I noticed that their crops were not emptying and taking on sour looks again (discolored, red veins)... Stopped food and removed dishes from their cage and did unflavored pedialyte (moved on to coconut water after) for 24 hours without much luck. I then proceeded down a research-heavy rabbit hole looking for solutions because the vets near me were closed for the holiday.

Things I've tried:

baking soda
apple cider vinegar with mother
extra fluids and crop massages to help break up whatever might be slowing them down
crop bras
plain greek yogurt
unsweetened applesauce
fresh papaya that I pureed myself
spice remedy (garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger)

Not all at the same time mind you, this was over the course of the weekend... They were regurgitating every day since the sour crop started. Little sister was looking rough and out of desperation I looked further into helping empty their crops (I didn't want to resort to this)... So I very carefully vomited them. This did not 100% empty their crops, but I had no intention of continuing or doing it again. They didn't regurgitate all sunday and both were perking up.

Monday morning I came in to check on them and found little sister had regurgitated and aspirated at some point in the night. I spent a good portion of the day calling between vets, trying to get big sister seen asap to get her help so that I wouldn't lose her as well... Got her in on Tuesday to be seen. The visit... was not what I was hoping for. They did not really look at her crop, just touched it/squeezed it a little. Did not know that the noises she was making were hungry baby noises... Did a crop swab and a gram stain to send out and that was it. I had hoped that they'd do a crop wash to help get everything out of her crop, or start her on some kind of medication... Anything. I got nothing. It is now Saturday, I have not heard back from the vet, who had also promised to get in touch with another vet with more experience with birds to see about getting her crop cleaned/ anything else that should be done to help. I have heard NOTHING... Problems are still ongoing. She's ravenous, always hungry. Her crop is still large and veiny... It shrinks a lot overnight but never fully empties.

She is still energetic, still perching. She is pottying frequently throughout the day. Loves cuddles and pets and calls for me when I'm not in the room. The second she sees me she'll start bobbing and squawking to let me know that she's hungry. Only when she sees me though- anyone else in the room she could care less. The second she sees/hears me she starts calling to me. I am so attached and cannot lose her... I have been desperately looking for what else I can do to help...

 

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Take her to the vet even if the vet is not an avian vet they can treat a sour crop by inserting an small syringe into the crop and taking it out.An home remedy is to give turmeric and hot water.

 

[Jo Hess]

I pulled my babies from their parents at 4 days and 1 week old. Pulling them was not an easy decision- but parents were grossly overfeeding to the point that the crop was distended out around the neck as well. Crops were discolored and had red veins and were not emptying almost at all. Babies were also taking on stunted appearances... The first day I moved them into the brooder (homemade with a glass tank, heating pad, bowl with paper towels and bedding in the tank to put a layer between the bowl and the heating pad. I kept a thermometer and bowl of water in there as well to keep track of temps/humidity. I didn't feed them until the next day- we did unflavored pedialyte to help clear out the crop/keep them hydrated. After that I started feeding them kaytees formula, which they did well on. Babies were on track with their growth and ate well. Once their pinfeathers opened up and I started introducing them to a cage they started showing interest in nibbling bedding so I removed it and have been using napkins/paper towels since. I began introducing new foods for them to try- millet first, sprouts, softened pellets, fruits and veggies... The works. Sometimes they were interested, sometimes not. Anyway, around November 22nd-23rd (week of Thanksgiving) I noticed that their crops were not emptying and taking on sour looks again (discolored, red veins)... Stopped food and removed dishes from their cage and did unflavored pedialyte (moved on to coconut water after) for 24 hours without much luck. I then proceeded down a research-heavy rabbit hole looking for solutions because the vets near me were closed for the holiday.

Things I've tried:

baking soda
apple cider vinegar with mother
extra fluids and crop massages to help break up whatever might be slowing them down
crop bras
plain greek yogurt
unsweetened applesauce
fresh papaya that I pureed myself
spice remedy (garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger)

Not all at the same time mind you, this was over the course of the weekend... They were regurgitating every day since the sour crop started. Little sister was looking rough and out of desperation I looked further into helping empty their crops (I didn't want to resort to this)... So I very carefully vomited them. This did not 100% empty their crops, but I had no intention of continuing or doing it again. They didn't regurgitate all sunday and both were perking up.

Monday morning I came in to check on them and found little sister had regurgitated and aspirated at some point in the night. I spent a good portion of the day calling between vets, trying to get big sister seen asap to get her help so that I wouldn't lose her as well... Got her in on Tuesday to be seen. The visit... was not what I was hoping for. They did not really look at her crop, just touched it/squeezed it a little. Did not know that the noises she was making were hungry baby noises... Did a crop swab and a gram stain to send out and that was it. I had hoped that they'd do a crop wash to help get everything out of her crop, or start her on some kind of medication... Anything. I got nothing. It is now Saturday, I have not heard back from the vet, who had also promised to get in touch with another vet with more experience with birds to see about getting her crop cleaned/ anything else that should be done to help. I have heard NOTHING... Problems are still ongoing. She's ravenous, always hungry. Her crop is still large and veiny... It shrinks a lot overnight but never fully empties.

She is still energetic, still perching. She is pottying frequently throughout the day. Loves cuddles and pets and calls for me when I'm not in the room. The second she sees me she'll start bobbing and squawking to let me know that she's hungry. Only when she sees me though- anyone else in the room she could care less. The second she sees/hears me she starts calling to me. I am so attached and cannot lose her... I have been desperately looking for what else I can do to help...

I am not, nor have been a breeder within my 20 years as a cockatiel owner but I can make suggestions through experience and knowledge of one of our national birds, one of our 51 species of parrots.
Baking soda will bubble up, just like in a moist drain and probably make things worse. Don't do that. Apple cider vinegar directly into crop may be okay. Tiels rarely touch fruit in any form.
NO yogurt as this is a milk by product that they just don't do naturally and could do more harm than good, I would think. They just don't do milk by-products. Think of them as they would be and feed in the wild.
Apple sauce, forget about it as tiels naturally in the wild here don't like our fruits. No papaya as is a fruit.
Garlic is from the onion family and could do more harm than good, possibly kill. Nothing from onion family, tomato family, mushroom etc, etc. Easy to find info on internet. Avocado will kill a tiel very fast but I'm guessing you know that. Some spices as an adult they may tolerate in small amounts to a mature bird but never a baby.
Babies will naturally call when they see/hear their feeder, parrot or human. Doesn't mean they need to be fed. They just do what comes naturally. Don't overfeed because of their call as bird parents know not to. Get their bio-rhythm on feeding times. A long, hard learning curve on what to do with a juvenile tiel, or any bird.
There is a Brisbane (Australia) dedicated avian vet who can be contacted via facebook and internet. Brisbane Bird Vet, run by Dr Adrian Gallagher. As a dedicated Australian bird vet he will answer some of your issues. I've used him sometimes in the past and is very good. General information free. More difficult problems may charge for as his business.
Hope this helps