ShreddedOakAviary
New member
- Jul 13, 2011
- 591
- 5
- Parrots
- M2's, U2's, G2's, RB2's, VOS, RLA's, BFA's, DYHA's, Dusky Pionus, Blue and Green Quakers, Meyers Parrots, VOS, GW Macaw's, Harlequin Macaws, Tiels, YNA, TAG's, CAG's, Blue Crown Conures, Red sided Ecl
I had a power outtage a while back. There were a few eggs in the incubator, some Timneh gres (they laid 7 eggs and they only ever feed 4), and 2 umbrella cockatoo eggs from a pair that never raises their young, and will only stop laying when I separate them (then they pluck and scream). So now that I've explained why I was incubating eggs, I'll move on with my story. All but ONE of the eggs died. I candled and watched as each egg died over the course of a few days. ( I had a dr. appt during the power outtage, otherwise I'd have used the car and outlet adapter). Anyway a single Umbrella cockatoo egg seemed to take forever to die. I watched as an infection set into the egg and veins burst, etc. I kept seeing movement though, and while I couldn't believe it, I left the egg to incubate until I was sure it had died. At many points I was so certain it had died, and then i would see a strange bit of movement. Finally, the 28 day mark arrived and I notice the air sack had drawn down and that the egg should hatch (still couldn't believe it though), but something about the egg when i candled it still always seemed so wrong. I could still see dead burst blood spots, and the movement I was seeing was nothing like I had seen in an egg before. I waited 2 days... On day 30 I decided I should probably count him as dead and throw the egg out. I picked it up and heard the faintest "peep", I looked for the external pip and didn't see it on the blunt side of the egg. Instead... the pip was on the narrow side of the egg. Knowing that there is not an air sac on the narrow side I immediately made the pip a bit bigger to allow the baby to have some air. In the end (after another day) I wound up starting an assisted hatch. The baby was still wrong to me... too weak and small, and worried me senseless. I slowly (over the course of a day) broke the shell away bit by bit and moistened the baby to help him make his own way out.
I got into the egg enough to notice something very wrong in the shell... the yolk sack was still huge, and it appeared the infection was in white vein looking webbing all around the yolk. At that point I knew he needed as much of the yolk to absorb as possible before leaving the egg, but I also knew if i waited too long I would run the risk of him absorbing the infection. I waited... I gave him another 12 hours, i checked the yolk again and he had absorbed nearly 3/4 of it. I had to make a tough choice. I dumped the baby out of the egg and used dental floss to tie off the umbilicus (which i have never seen one sooo swollen and it was really large and open still).
i tied of the umbilicus, dabbed it with iodine and then later with vetricyn, and gave him a hefty dose of baytril. I orally gave him formula one and some electrolytes.
for a week the baby got antibiotics, sub q fluids, formula one, and electrolytes. I continued to dabble the umbilicus with vetricyn, and just waited for him to die. but he didn't...
now let's step back and I'll explain what the inside of the egg looked like after he came out of it. IT WAS FULL OF INFECTIONS! Green, white, and yellow pus, blood spots, and other disgusting things I can't recognize. I still am not entirely certain HOW he developed in an egg that gross. (I'lll add photos of him and the egg later from my phone).
My other breeder friends continued to call for days and periodically ask me "so I assume the umbrella finally died", and I would say "nope", and they would just be stunned.
I am not 100% sure what I will do with him in the end, but the little butt is doing quite well. He's off all his special care, and i feed him like a normal baby. He cries for food quite often, and he seems to be determined to eat and live.
He managed to cut his toe on kleenex (go figure), and I've been using silvadene ointment, but it appears he'll lose his biggest toe in the front on his right foot. the trouble for a while was that he was under sized... when he hatched we could clearly see an infection set in his belly, and so he did not grow much for the first week of life. so he got restless and mobile as he aged... meaning he acted mature for his size. I made the mistake of putting him on shredded tissue and giving him run of the brooder (instead of a little container), but his skin was too thin and he cut his feet pretty badly.
So, his feet are healed, he's caught up to the size he's supposed to be for his age, and I've never been more stunned. There is no way he should have developed, let alone hatch, and now aside from a single missing toe, you'd never know his life started out with such a determined struggle.
so here's to my little survivor... he didn't give up, so I didn't give up on him.
I got into the egg enough to notice something very wrong in the shell... the yolk sack was still huge, and it appeared the infection was in white vein looking webbing all around the yolk. At that point I knew he needed as much of the yolk to absorb as possible before leaving the egg, but I also knew if i waited too long I would run the risk of him absorbing the infection. I waited... I gave him another 12 hours, i checked the yolk again and he had absorbed nearly 3/4 of it. I had to make a tough choice. I dumped the baby out of the egg and used dental floss to tie off the umbilicus (which i have never seen one sooo swollen and it was really large and open still).
i tied of the umbilicus, dabbed it with iodine and then later with vetricyn, and gave him a hefty dose of baytril. I orally gave him formula one and some electrolytes.
for a week the baby got antibiotics, sub q fluids, formula one, and electrolytes. I continued to dabble the umbilicus with vetricyn, and just waited for him to die. but he didn't...
now let's step back and I'll explain what the inside of the egg looked like after he came out of it. IT WAS FULL OF INFECTIONS! Green, white, and yellow pus, blood spots, and other disgusting things I can't recognize. I still am not entirely certain HOW he developed in an egg that gross. (I'lll add photos of him and the egg later from my phone).
My other breeder friends continued to call for days and periodically ask me "so I assume the umbrella finally died", and I would say "nope", and they would just be stunned.
I am not 100% sure what I will do with him in the end, but the little butt is doing quite well. He's off all his special care, and i feed him like a normal baby. He cries for food quite often, and he seems to be determined to eat and live.
He managed to cut his toe on kleenex (go figure), and I've been using silvadene ointment, but it appears he'll lose his biggest toe in the front on his right foot. the trouble for a while was that he was under sized... when he hatched we could clearly see an infection set in his belly, and so he did not grow much for the first week of life. so he got restless and mobile as he aged... meaning he acted mature for his size. I made the mistake of putting him on shredded tissue and giving him run of the brooder (instead of a little container), but his skin was too thin and he cut his feet pretty badly.
So, his feet are healed, he's caught up to the size he's supposed to be for his age, and I've never been more stunned. There is no way he should have developed, let alone hatch, and now aside from a single missing toe, you'd never know his life started out with such a determined struggle.
so here's to my little survivor... he didn't give up, so I didn't give up on him.
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