Why does my bird get a throat lump after eating? Is it normal?

Hello. I wonder if what you are seeing is a crop full of food or air. The crop is on the right side of he neck and can become very distended normally after a meal, or after a bird has been vocalizing if they take in air. If there is a motility disorder of the crop, this may become abnormally distended and require medications. If it is truly a mass of the skin, muscle, or thyroid, then it would depend on the diagnosis whether any medical therapies would be appropriate over surgery. A biopsy would be a good place to start, though blood work and radiographs may also be indicated. A veterinarian experienced with birds should be able to do an exam and any diagnostics tests needed in order to suggest the most appropriate treatment.

Odo is gorgeous!! I am not overly concerned about this as there is a bit of spare tissue to allow the crop to distend so I think all this is is the extra tissue lying when the crop is empty. As long as it is not getting impacted with fluid or food and Odo s in good form I wouldn't worry about it.

A bird's crop will naturally disyend when the bird eats or drinks, it goes down as the contents move into the proventricularis. The time to worry is if the crop stays large, this would indicate infection or impaction of the crop.

A bulging crop may indicate a full crop and that you may be giving too much food at a time. If it doesn't return to normal after a few hours, reducing the amount of food, or making sure that Sailor doesn't have an impacted/obstructed crop is best. Feeding smaller meals more often may also help reduce the crop being overfull.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It's difficult to say what this can be without seeing a photo. However, this sounds like it may be a distended crop, the portion of the esophagus that pouches out and stores food. Sometimes, in the case of certain infections, this area can not empty properly. This causes food to get stuck and cause the crop to get larger and even protrude through the skin. This requires veterinary attention as it can prevent normal digestion from occurring. This can also be a mass or abscess, which may require surgery to remove or drain as well as antibiotics, which are prescribed by a veterinarian. I recommend that you have Petey assessed by a vet who either specializes in or sees avian patients as soon as possible. I hope this helps!

The amount will depend on species, age and weight. The crop, when full, will become distended. When you see this, stop feeding. In young chicks, you can see the full crop through the skin. Do not overfeed and do not palpate the crop roughly as this may cause regurgitation.

There may be a mass in the crop or it could be severely impacted. Have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating birds. Hopefully, it will be something treatable. The vet can also assess the feathers to rule out infection or parasites. In the meantime, clean and sanitize the cage. Sanitize bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Change the paper or substrate daily. Keep him warm and as stress free as possible until he sees the vet.