Baby animals melt our hearts, they’re adorable and little and that makes us want to take care of them.
These little animals need a lot of attention from their parents or caretakers when they’re small, you need to keep an eye on them at all times.
As you take care of one you may realize that the baby bird is breathing with its mouth open, this article looks at why this happens.
There are many reasons why a baby bird may be breathing with its mouth open, reasons behind this behavior include: heat exhaustion, stress, because the bird has an infection, it is aspirating, or it is suffering from dyspnea.
Table of Contents
Baby bird breathing with mouth open:
A baby bird breathing with its mouth open can be a sign of trouble. There are a number of reasons why your baby bird could be breathing with its mouth open, these include:
Heat exhaustion:
Heat exhaustion can happen if the baby bird is left outside in direct sunlight or becomes overexposed to a source of heat in your home. If the baby bird isn’t able to cool itself, then heat exhaustion can set in.
Heat exhaustion can become dangerous if not addressed, it can even kill the baby bird. It is important that you treat the bird as soon as you notice any symptoms of heat exhaustion.
What to do:
Fortunately, heat exhaustion can be handled at home by hydrating the bird.
To do this, gently serve your bird droplets of water directly into its beak. Give the bird about four teaspoons worth of water using a dropper. Once the bird has had the water, keep the bird in a cool shaded area and allow the bird to recover.
In addition, you should especially keep an eye on the bird in the summer months when heat exhaustion is more likely to set in.
Aspirating food
Another reason why your baby bird may be breathing heavily is that it is aspirating food. Aspiration is common but the signs aren’t always that clear.
Aspiration happens when a liquid formula or solid food gets into the bird’s trachea and lungs.
Signs of aspiration, apart from the bird breathing with its mouth open, include the bird desperately trying to get some air and the bird shaking its head.
If the bird is fed large quantities of liquid formula, it can start to aspirate. If the feeder is inexperienced and doesn’t feed the bird correctly, then the bird can also aspirate.
What to do:
If the aspiration is severe, then you’d need to get the bird to a vet for an examination as well as some antifungals or some antibiotics.
Consulting your vet on the correct feeding methods for your pet should help to prevent this from happening in the future.
Infection in the crop
Your baby bird may be breathing from the mouth because it is suffering from a fungal or bacterial infection, this can happen if yeast or bacteria becomes stuck in the crop.
If this is the case, your bird may be feeling nauseous and as a result, be breathing with its mouth open.
What to do:
You’d need to take the bird to a vet for a consultation to remedy the situation.
The vet may physically empty the crop, give fluid therapy to the bird, and offer medications to your bird.
The medications that your vet may prescribe include anti-fungal medications or antibiotics to clear the infected crop.
Exhaustion:
Baby birds that are not used to flying will tire after their first few flights. It breathing with its mouth may simply be it panting.
This is normal, their little bodies are not used to the strenuous activity that is flying.
What to do:
If this is the case, your baby bird may have simply overexerted itself and needs time to calm down and regain strength. Be gentle around it and let it recover.
Your bird will get the hang of flying and will be stronger as it grows and flies more.
Stress:
In the wild, if an animal behaves as though it is stressed or vulnerable, it runs the risk of being attacked by a predator, because of this, animals will show little to no signs of being stressed apart from breathing through their mouths.
Even if a baby bird is stressed, it will act very calmly and the only sign of stress that you’d likely notice is it breathing with its mouth open and panting.
What to do:
The stress that you see in your bird may seem minor but you shouldn’t take this lightly, some birds can die of stress.
For this reason, it is important to be quiet and gentle around the bird to avoid causing it more stress. Don’t let new people around your bird either, this is also stressful to birds.
Dyspnea
If a baby bird is breathing with its mouth open it can be suffering from a disorder called dyspnea. The cause of this disorder ranges from cardiac disease, compression of the air sacs, airway obstructions, toxins, cancer, or enlarged organs.
If your bird is not only breathing with its mouth open, but is also moving its entire body to breathe, then the bird likely has dyspnea
What to do:
If you can, you should immediately take your bird to the vet. The vet will examine the bird and offer treatment, if available, to your bird.
Faq:
How do birds normally breathe?
Just like humans, birds normally breathe through the nostrils. But, there is some difference in how carbon dioxide is forced out of the body because birds do not have a diaphragm.
Birds rely on the contractions of their rib cage to exhale.
The most common sign that a bird is having trouble breathing is that it will have a slight bob of the tail while breathing. Immediately consult a vet if you see this happening.
Do baby birds sleep with their mouths open?
Some baby birds sleep with their mouth open and this is perfectly normal for their first few weeks of life. The majority of birds sleep with their mouth closed, if an adult bird opens its mouth while sleeping you should be worried.
Consult a vet to find out why the bird sleeps this way. It may need help breathing.
Why is my bird breathing heavily?
A bird breathing heavily is a sure sign of trouble, the bird should be taken to a vet immediately. It could be suffering from one of many bird respiratory problems or it could have gotten an infection from an injury.
How to help a bird with breathing problems
Usually, a vet will prescribe care methods for a bird with breathing problems, the vet will also suggest medication to treat the bird’s condition. Some diet changes may be needed to ensure the condition does not recur.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the reasons why a baby bird is breathing with its mouth open may be because of: heat exhaustion, stress, because the bird has an infection, it is aspirating, or it is suffering from dyspnea.
Birds breathe through their nostrils like humans do but their respiratory systems are different from humans.
If your bird is breathing irregularly or is breathing heavily then send it to the vet. The vet will suggest medication for the birds breathing problems.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can a bird with a broken wing survive?, Bird bleeding from the foot, why and what to do, Bird bleeding from its beak, what to do, Do birds smell bad?