Scratching nose and sneezing? Dx

[Atwee921]

Lately Sprite has been like scratching his nose and then sneezing..he usually does it when hes tired I think...What is this? Is it bad? D:

 

[Safira]

Sounds like is just cleaning out his nostrils. My birds do this too. My Macaw likes to stick her toenail in and scratch then sneezes

 

[roxynoodle]

I agree. Conures seem to love to stick their toenails into their nares. Is he molting by any chance? If he is he may have more dander right now than usual as well, which also makes them sneeze.

If you don't see any discharge and he is acting normally, I wouldn't worry about it. If you see discharge, or he becomes weaker, stops vocalizing, sleeps a lot, or stops eating, then a vet visit is in order.

 

[Atwee921]

Okay phew..but like, when he sneezes, sometimes his cere gets a little wet like discharge, but it isnt running out of his nose, just comes out when he sneezes....

 

[roxynoodle]

That can also be a sign of vitamin A deficiency. Is he on pellets and eating orange veggies like carrots, squash or sweet potatoes? Mango is also pretty high in vitamin A.

 

[Pedro]

From what your describing Atwee sounds just like an irritation of some sort. He may even have a seed husk stuck up there. If Sprite is on a balanced diet there shouldn't be a worry about any vitamin deficency. But that said keep an eye out for Upper Respiratory Disease. Especially with continuous discharge. And as Roxy advised if at all unsure visit the Vet.

 

[Atwee921]

I'll check it when I get home, for a seed husk or something.

 

[Atwee921]

I am looking into getting more Vitamin A in his foods just in case that is the problem..His pellets do have lots of Vitamin A but of course fresh fruit is always better..

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, the fresh food has "better cells" in it according to my vet. I've been having issues getting Merlin to eat her carrots. She does sometimes, but not every day, so I talked to my vet about whether she was getting enough in her pellets, and that was her response. I'm going to try sweet potatoes tonight.