# Pics of the ruptured air sac



## SouthTown Racers (Jan 14, 2009)

What doe you folks think I should do?



View attachment 12539


View attachment 12540


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Oh, Matt......I have no idea..........just wanted to say I hope he'll be ok. Someone who knows about this will come along shortly I'm sure........poor baby.....he looks perfectly miserable......


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## dvtlegend (Oct 20, 2007)

wow, I had this problem once before and I tried to poke a hole in the crop or sac to empty the air but I kept filling up the next day. Eventually the bird had to be euthanized, but I have heard that sometimes they can survive through this. Also, I have never seen a bird with such a flat head, Is it due to the air sac?


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## SouthTown Racers (Jan 14, 2009)

dvtlegend said:


> wow, I had this problem once before and I tried to poke a hole in the crop or sac to empty the air but I kept filling up the next day. Eventually the bird had to be euthanized, but I have heard that sometimes they can survive through this. Also, I have never seen a bird with such a flat head, Is it due to the air sac?


Yes the poor thing has air all the way up to under the skin on his head. I took him to a local flyer. He helped me drain the air and then he put some water down his throat. He told me that sometimes, if the tear is low enough, the water will fill above the tear and prevent the air from escaping to under the skin. This flyer told me that in 40 years, he has only seen this happen twice. He said that a sharp piece of corn was the cause of the rip. Has any one ever heard of this? Are there any other options when it comes to draining the air?


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## ace in the hole (Nov 27, 2007)

My advice would be to contact an Avian Vet. That I would think would be the best corse of action here. 

Ace


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

The poor bird looks absolutely miserable. Please take him to a vet.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I've had a lot of 'balloon babies', as I call them. Almost all of them were still in the nest, so they probably got fed something a little too sharp, got fed too much, or some of the nesting material poked them just right. I always poked them with a little needle and pushed the air out. In a few days, the rupture would heal and no more balloons. But I've never seen anything this bad before. Obviously it's pretty bad when it makes the head look all stretched out!


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## sirpigeon (Jan 25, 2002)

See my thread- Crop full of air. I had the same problem with a bird this spring.
You just have to keep puncturing the inflated area, at least once daily, and eventually the bird will recover.
Good Luck


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## whitesnmore (Sep 9, 2004)

Matt, Dont forget to give this guy a good dose of anti-biotics to help in the healing process. I am sure you are also sterilizing the needle prior to using it so as to not allow more bacteria in. Good luck with him and keep us posted with his recovery pictures.
Ken


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

No need to even consider euthanasia for a ruptured air sac bird .. just sterlize a needle, make a small hole, gently push the air out, and repeat as needed. Obviously, you need to be draining the air from the area where the "balloon" is present. Kinda looks to me like you might have a couple of "balloons" to deal with from the pics.

Terry


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Just follow what Terry said. Poor bird. I thought that was a pouter.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Just another quick note .. it's very easy to see where the air is "ballooning" in a very young bird .. more difficult in one with one that is fully feathered. You need to examine the bird, separate (push aside) the feathers from the swollen areas .. once you do that, you should be able to see an actual "balloon" under the skin .. the skin will be transparent since it is distended so much. Here's a couple of pics of small birds showing the transparent skin just to give you an idea ..



















Terry


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