My bird has the sniffles...I think.
ELAINE THOMPSON
but mostly when he's on my shoulder. I was a little worried until I
figured out that he's probably mimicing me. I have mild allergies and
often sniffle a little bit. Thing is, I want to be sure he's just
mimicing and not sick. If there's a chance he's sick, a vet visit is in
order.
Do birds sniffle when they get upper respiratory infections? What are the
normal symptoms? The bird acts healthy in all other ways. His plumage
looks fine, he preens a lot, is active, and is generally his usually
inquisitive self. I wonder if he's not just like the grey with the
"smoker's cough."
Please advise.
--
Elaine Thompson "Two roads diverged in a wood and I,
eet...@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu I took the one less travelled by,
Johns Hopkins Univ. And it has made all the difference."
--Robert Frost
Cathy Quinones
>Do birds get sniffles like humans? My senegal parrot sniffs occasionally,
>but mostly when he's on my shoulder. I was a little worried until I
>figured out that he's probably mimicing me. I have mild allergies and
>often sniffle a little bit. Thing is, I want to be sure he's just
>mimicing and not sick. If there's a chance he's sick, a vet visit is in
>order.
Gee, a senegal mimic? ;) Mine does wicked imitations of my sneezes and
now also does my SO's coughing sounds. She also snickers (I think she
learned this one back when she was in love with my ears and would nibble
on them constantly, which would send me into fits of giggling).
>Do birds sniffle when they get upper respiratory infections? What are the
>normal symptoms? The bird acts healthy in all other ways. His plumage
>looks fine, he preens a lot, is active, and is generally his usually
>inquisitive self. I wonder if he's not just like the grey with the
>"smoker's cough."
A birdie with an upper respiratory infection may show any or all of the
following symptoms:
- sneezing
- fluid expelled when bird sneezes or shakes its head
- feathers near nostrils may look matted or dark (due to
accumulated snot)
- bird may make wheezing, whistling or clicking sounds as it breathes
- the tail noticeably pumps up and down with each breath (a bit of
movement is normal. This is where being an attentive bird owner pays off:
you see that tail pumping just a tiny bit more than normal and you know
something's up)
- bird may be fluffed up (or maybe not)
- the nostril holes (nares, whatever) may look smaller than usual,
or only one may be inflammed [again, you'll notice only if you have a
mental reference to which you can compare the present state]
When one of our budgies had an upper respiratory infection, he was as
active as usual, eating and pooping normally, but showed all of the above
symptoms. He got taken to the vet the day after I noticed the symptoms (we
had just gotten home from a 3 day vacation and the bird didn't seem to be
particularly distressed). The vet prescribed a 10 day oral antibiotic
course; the budgie learned how to bite hard :) but was all better by day 5
of treatment.
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