Sneezing and Vets are Closed!

Hi All,

Thank you in advance for any help!

10 days ago I picked up my first bird, Jack, an 11 week old Green Cheek Conure.

Today he started sneezing. I haven't seen any discharge, but once, and that was clear flecks. Though this means little, he's eating, but in the last few hours he's slowed down a bit.

I've called around--none of my vets see birds, and then to top it off, everyone that does is closed until Monday or after Christmas--and for those that are open Monday, I can't even call to make an appointment until Monday.

Any thoughts? What can I do for him in the meantime?

Thank you!
Karen

Give him some sort of warmth, a heated perch or heat lamp(I use a reptile light for extra heat), if he is sick he will need the extra warmth.

If you are really worried you can also make a hospital tank. Make sure to watch him, take note of how often he poos, if he is eating and drinking water, how often he sleeps. If you have a parrot or kitchen gram scale trying monitoring his weight also, it will be useful to know if he's had a large drop in weight over a few days for when your avian vet is open.

My vet said if you ever notice a little sickness try putting a little apple cider vinegar mixed in with the water her drinks.

What was a Jack doing when he started sneezing? Jasmine sneezes when she's snuggling in my hair or a fluffy jumper because it irritates her nose and yes snot flies out at times!! If Jack has slowed down eating during the day time that is natural as birds eat most at dawn and dusk. Try offering some of his favourite and see if he's interested. Also a poorly bird often has a droopy tail and very runny droppings. If he's still quiet not eating and sneezing you may need to find an emergency vet as its better to be safe than sorry and birds deteriorate very quickly.

We live in Alberta, and its super dry here. Mango sneezes once in a while, lots in the shower and when hes preening. My vet has checked him very thoroughly including blood tests and he is fine. She assured me birds can sneeze sometimes, and if the occasionally clear fluid comes out, its not the end of the world. This could obviously be a sign of illness, but it could also just be normal. During the winter time when the air is dry and the heaters are on they can sneeze more. If hes new, he could be slow and tired from stress. I would suggest seeing a vet as soon as possible, but he may be just fine. All new birds should see a vet after you bring them home, especially if you are new to birds. It can be really hard to tell if they are unwell, and I know at least for me, I needed the reassurance. I thought Mango was dying every time he sneezed, slept, ground his beak etc. I needed the vet to clear him before I could relax. After you have had him for a while you will learn what is normal and abnormal.