How can I be sure the wheezing is just a mimicked sound :\

[kc_y0]

Audrey recently started making an odd wheezing sound. The vet checked her over, and said that her airways were clear as were her nostrils. She said it may be a sound she is mimicking from me. But I just don't know. I would hate for her to drop dead because there WAS a problem that we didn't know about. She was making the sound a little more today, so I ran a boiling hot shower, and we both sat in the steam for a while. (The vet suggested this, as well as other members here). She didn't make the sound again after.
Have you ever taken your bird to the vet for possible breathing problems? If so, what tests did the vet run? I thought that Audrey should've had an xray, but the vet didn't think it necessary at this point, because all signs pointed to her making the sound herself. When she makes it, I notice sometimes she is looking at me when she does. By looking I mean her head is tilted at me, or she is looking around a toy to see me, so its like she is trying to say "hello, look at me". I almost always react to it. I know I shouldn't, it just scares me! I'll try to ignore it, but I don't want to ignore it and then something bad happens.
IF there was a breathing problem, what other signs would I look out for? The vet got Audrey to do some serious flapping, and there was no wheezing or any sign of trouble breathing after. Just a bit of panting, as she is 'unfit' lol. Audrey likes to exercise during the day and will hold onto the cage and flap like wild. The vet said after this kind of exercise if she had some kind of blockage in her airway, she would be wheezing then. The wheezing comes when she is sitting quietly, and not active. Usually when she is quietly chattering. She is herself, very active, climbing around, happily screeching and chattering away every day, so there has been no change to her personality at all.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Poor kc, I feel for you. :11:

Please don't drive yourself mad. If she had something wrong with her respiratory system, she WOULD wheeze after physical excercise.

Is there the slightest possibility she could be allergic to one of her toys?

You said there is no sneezing, so I assume nothing is coming out of her nostrils, right?

I am really leaning towards Audrey knowing she gets a reaction from you each and every time she does it, so she's learning how to train you.

 

[kc_y0]

Its a very stressful sound to mimic LOL!

I think she might be a bit allergic to the rabbit fur. I try my best to clean it up, but its everywhere. The rabbits don't live inside, but when I pick them up for cuddles, or when I bring them inside for a little play, the fur gets everywhere. I can wipe myself down, even WASH my clothes, but there is still rabbit fur. :\ The moulting will stop soon thankfully, but the timing fits.. Though could be a coincidence. I mentioned the rabbit fur to the vet and she said it could be a possibility that she's inhaling it, but there would be signs, like sneezing and mucus around the nares, or her scratching at her neck and mouth if there was something stuck down her throat.

I sorta hope she ISN'T mimicking the sound LOL its such a bad sound to make, it worries me every time, and she knows it! The very first time she did it I went running over saying Audrey Audrey! then I picked her up and took her outside. I think she liked it lol.

But yeah, there hasn't been any new toys introduced since its started so I don't think it could be a toy and there isn't anything coming from her nostrils. Though about 3 weeks ago I woke up and she was having a sneezing fit and had a runny nose and I pulled out a rabbit fur then, argh! -.- The sneezing stopped immediately after that.

Cheeky little birdy, she will put me in an early grave from stress LOL! I know I stress a little too much over Audrey, I'm just very scared of something going wrong. My friend took the loss of her bird HARD, and she still talks about her bird every time I see her, so I know its something she will never get over. What makes it the most scary is her bird had recently had a thorough health check, blood work and gram stain and was healthy as can be. She never found out why she passed. From that moment on I have been extra paranoid about Audrey!

 

[Trina]

Not to make you worry but when i got my Gitana she wheezed; however,she had a respitory infection and this wheezing was not off and on it was constant not as much when she was not active but you could still hear the wheezing. It was able to be spotted by a vet quickly

Your baby is doing it off and on, this also makes me think its learned behavior to get a rise out of you.

My girl still worries the mess out of me and she knows it as well. I dote on her constantly and watch her with an eagle eye. I am always scared she will fall ill because of her past that was not that long ago..I was able to relax some when she recently passed all her vet checks. Her health has improved so much and i am so bad with her only organic stuff distilled water the hubby thinks i am nuts but she is my birdy and i love her so much. Us parronts worry so much about our little feather babies.

 

[kc_y0]

Yeah well thats what I thought Audrey may of had, but the vet thinks she was not sick. She only does it maybe one or twice a day and it lasts about 1 - 2 seconds. I am glad your baby girl is better now!

I am the same with the food and water, I clean the water out ALL Day, just to be on the safe side lol! My partner always says stop worrying about her, she's fine! I wish I could just turn off :\ That's the price you pay to be a parrot mumma I guess isn't it lol!!

 

[khaiqha]

This probably isn't the case, but has your bird been around any pionus? I brought my Alex home from the store and he started wheezing. It scared the crap out of me. My friend said it reminded him of asthma, which made me realize all his bird friends at the store were pionus. I watched a ton of videos and the sound was a perfect match for the notorious pionus wheeze. After two weeks of him being away from them he stopped making the noise.

 

[kc_y0]

Haha nah, she hasn't been around any other birds. I have read about the Pionus wheeze though!

 

[JerseyWendy]

How's it going with the wheezing KC? Is she still doing it to train you?

 

[kc_y0]

I completely ignored the wheezing yesterday, I didn't even look at her, even though I could see she was looking at me LOL. Today, there was no wheezing So I'm taking it as a good sign haha!

 

[JerseyWendy]

HA!!! Now you're teaching HER. Awesome, KC, just awesome. You must feel SO much better now.

 

[kc_y0]

I sure do lol!! Cheeky little bugger! No more training me from miss Audrey! She can train me for head pats, that is all! Lol! Its surprising she does it for attention though, she gets a lot of attention and is out of her cage for the entire day, unless she decides to be in there haha! Apparently all day is not enough