Does my bird have a cold?

[Uffi]

I've had my canary for almost 2 weeks now, and he's sneezed once or twice a day, but this morning he's sneezing a bit more than usual, one of his nostrils is slightly redder than the other, and for a bit it was like he was opening his mouth like he was breathing. No raspy noises or anything coming out of him, but I'm a bit concerned.

The room he's kept in is nice and warm, the newsprint at the bottom of his cage is replaced every day, he gets new water, seeds, and various fresh veggies every day, and he's still very active and makes noise. He is molting, as well. No candles or anything are lit in the room, and I open the window for a bit every day to let fresh air in. I haven't noticed any mucus or liquid coming from his nose or beak.

He's sitting beside me in his cage eating seeds as I type and was enjoying his broccoli earlier. Any words of advice?

 

[Uffi]

Oh, I forgot to mention! His poop seems a bit different, but fine otherwise- urine is clear, urates are white, and this morning feces are greenish- but I fed him broccoli for the first time yesterday so I'm assuming that's why.

Although there does look to be one that's only urates and urine, nothing else- so that's a bit odd...

 

[BeeBop]

Birds don't catch or get colds however, they can have respiratory problems. Take him to the vet as soon as possible. "Dropping" change is concerning. The feces, not the urates, were green, correct? Feces can be a range of different colors depending on the birds diet but, urates should always be white. Would humidity be a problem? Do you use any sort of air freshener of chemical cleaner in the room your bird is in?

 

[Uffi]

Nope, I use nothing in the room he's in- no cleaning products or scents whatsoever. His urates are white, and his feces are green, yes. I do live in a very dry climate but we have a humidifier built into the furnace, and additionally I have a very small one in my room (it's actually meant to diffuse essential oils but I fill it up with water instead).

 

[Uffi]

I apologize for the double post again, but my last post is too old to edit- some of his droppings are totally normal, too. One of them is fairly fresh and not hard, probably from this morning- that is completely normal. He didn't have veggies all night, so maybe it's due to that. He's not sneezing anymore, either. His droppings last night, when he ran out of veggies, are black (from all the seeds he ate) and this morning they're a bit wetter, and green from the broccoli. I'll keep an eye on him but now I realize I may have been overreacting.

I'll see how he is tomorrow and then call the vet if need be.

 

[Lady Jane]

I know your bird species is very fragile. I had a friend that brought one home and had the sniffles. Next day on bottom of cage. If you are not comfortable with his condition then a vet trip would be best.

 

[Uffi]

Yes, I've decided that even if he isn't ill and I'm overreacting (which I think I might be, a bit) it'd be a good idea for him to go to the vet for a checkup. No sniffles and normal-looking droppings, but it's still odd that one of his nostrils seems a bit inflamed. I think it may be due to the dry weather (I have a cold and am feeling it as well) but the lovely receptionist at the vet told me to call back in about 15 minutes so she could speak with another vet and get Uffi in sooner (otherwise I would have had to wait 2 weeks).

 

[JLcribber]

Check the humidity level in the environment. Dry air is very hard on the respiratory system. They should have about 50% humidity or higher.

You can get a cheap hygrometer at the hardware store for less than $10.

 

[Uffi]

Thank you, JL. I'm in Alberta as well- you know how dry it is- and I know it is less than 50% in my house. I couldn't get out to buy a larger humidifier today but I should be able to tomorrow, and I have a big pan of water sitting on my floor evaporating. I'm hoping this will at least help the problem- I did indeed call the vet back, and I won't be able to get in for 2 weeks. Their bird specialist is all booked up, and another vet spoke to me and mentioned that they couldn't think of any instances where birds could be affected by dry air- but again, they weren't specifically a bird vet. I'm hoping it is just the dry weather, because otherwise everything is quite normal for the most part. I also worry so much about all of my creatures.

 

[Uffi]

Update: I had forgotten that the petstore I purchased him from has a guarantee in that they'll cover any vet bills within a certain amount of time. Usually I don't purchase animals from pet stores, but this one takes great care of their animals and has knowledgeable staff. Uffizi's in isolation at their store and the vet is coming out Monday, and they'll give me a call. I don't like having my little guy away from me but I trust he'll be well taken care of; the sooner he's seen by a vet, the better.