Nasal discharge from cockatiel?

[TheBirdWhisperer]

Hello everyone,
About an hour ago, I noticed my tiel has a little bit of a clear liquid in his nostrils. The right one looks a little more red than the left and has this black patch (maybe the liquid?) about the nostril, I'll post a picture. He is not sneezing and he doesn't seem sick at all. We usually keep it on 70 degrees F at night and 77 degrees F during the day. Rhino is singing and chirping away, eating, drinking, and his poo looks normal. Should I try to wipe the discharge away? There isn't much though. I know this could mean he is sick, but before I take him to the vet I just wanted to get a second opinion. Thank you to all replies

 

[TheBirdWhisperer]

Mysteriously, the black patch has gone away and the discharge stopped. His nostrils still seem pretty red on the inside but I'm sure its nothing.

 

[SandyBee]

I took my Amazon in a few months ago for sneezing.

My vet said "some sneezing and occasional clear discharge is nothing to worry about"

Please not the occasional part, so not often and if the discharge at all changes to any colour or mucousy or any trouble with breathing, bring to vet.

A shower or bath also helps!!

 

[MonicaMc]

Ditto SandyBee.

Clogged nares, difficulty breathing, excessive discharge/sneezing/wiping beak/nares, lethargy, abnormal shaped nares, beak growing incorrectly/with grooves, etc are signs that should be watched out for... and of course droppings and birds weight/how much they eat.


Right now I am treating my bourke parakeet for sinus problems. She doesn't have an infection (as per mouth swab and a check of the contents of one flush), so she's not on medications, but she is getting sinus flushes. Today makes day 6 of the sinus flushes, and I am to stop every day flushes either on the 7th day or 10th day. Her right nostril has become abnormal in shape and the cells for her beak have become slightly damaged due to her sinus issue. It's quite minor, so it should not affect her. After the 7th or 10th day, I am to go back to every other day, then to every third day, maybe down to once a week eventually. Perhaps I'll even be able to stop the flushes altogether, but her nare will probably never be shaped correctly again. Granted, she's an older bird, and I don't know if she'll live another year or another 4 years. Although it could be an issue for her for the rest of her life (i.e. she may require flushes 'as needed' or more often), she's not really expected to live much longer.

Pre-flushes, I was having to pick her nose and open up her right nostril as it kept wanting to shut close. Now, there's no need for any of that! Although the nostril isn't as large as I would like it to be, at least it's not closed up! Sometime between Friday night (the 3rd) and Saturday, she did injure her left nostril pretty good, and it was red! That flush resulted in a bloody booger... haven't had any like it since! And the redness has quickly disappeared.



Just a quick question though, had Rhino taken a bath or anything of the sort that may have resulted in him getting water in his sinues?

 

[TheBirdWhisperer]

I have only given Rhino one bath about four days ago (he doesn't seem to like bathing much) but his sinus has seemed to clear up and there is no sign of discharge anymore. I will definitely be keeping watch, just in case. Thank you both for your replies

 

[SandyBee]

Good news, even being in a hot steamy bathroom is helpfull. Do try getting him used to showers or baths though.