Allergy or Disease?

[Gypsy]

I have noticed that my yellow nape's nares looks odd. I think it should be completely black, but it looks like it has dandruff. I also think feathers close to the nares are receding.
I have been trying to figure out what I have done different which may have caused this. Not sure if this is an allergic reaction or something else.
I put in a lava rock to help trim the nails. I tried a new food made by Caitec. I was sent samples of their oven bites and some of their treats. Also I purchased some new cement perches.

I have tried looking for pictures on the Internet to figure this out before calling the vet for an appointment. I noticed the skin on his feet are flaky. I am not at all savvy with posting pictures otherwise I would. I thought with my boy going through a molt that this was just dander from pin feathers, but now I do not think so. Thought I would get some feed back here before calling my vet.

 

[Mariannee]

I'm sorry I don't have a clue, I hope you don't have to wait to long for a vet appointment. I would be curious to know the outcome of this and it works out well, fingers crossed.

 

[Cara]

Have you checked his weight? Do his poops look normal?

I don't know anything about Amazons, and I'm not sure where you live, but it is SOOO dry here. The first thing I'd do is get him in a nice warm steamy bathroom at least once a day, or set up a humidifier in his room.

 

[Macawnutz]

I think it's about time you figure out some picture uploading.

My amazons feet are more dry looking than my macaws, I know you have that for a comparison. I second the humidifer idea, mine are set at 45% humidity.

You could always text me a picture for uploading.

 

[Gypsy]

Everything is normal from his behavior to his droppings. I have kept a container of water in the bird room for a couple of months already. Humidity in the house is 62.
Sarah, I no longer have your phone number.

My husband thinks the bird is fine, but I do not think so. I hate to ask but maybe close up pictures of other member's yellow nape's could be posted. To have a vet come out to check something which could be nothing would cost me about $100.

 

[petiteoiseau]

Humidity should be at 75%. I know it's very high and uncomfortable for people but that's the level that jungle birds find most comfortable. Yellow napes live in areas where the humidity ranges from 75% in the dry season to 85% during the rainy one.

The receding feathers around the nares could be from the cement perch or the lava rock. They like to rub their beak and face on surfaces after they finish eating and the cement would 'peel' off the little feathers if they rub hard enough. Mine do it on rocks (but not lava, just rocks from the garden which are much smoother) and branches and they do fine with them (and they are also both free -LOL). As to their legs and feet, I don't know how old your bird is but they do get scalier as they get older (it's one of the few things that show their age) which makes them look drier even though they are not.

But the first question that comes to mind is: Could he be dehydrated? Is he getting enough water and lots of very moist food?

 

[Gypsy]

When I brought Rudy home he was supposedly 27. I had him for a year, so now he is 28. I have seen him rub his beak on all the perches but find it strange that he would rub so hard above the nares. That is an idea I have not thought of. I have been giving him more moist foods than before. One thing I have been giving him lately is roasted unsalted peanuts. He flies over to me whenever I eat them so he gets a couple. I have to clip his wings so while he is in the towel I will take a closer look. As I said it may be nothing, but being a mom I worry about anything out of the ordinary. I will take a soft rag and rub it to see if anything comes off. Maybe he needs more oils in his diet. He is not crazy about coconut at this point.

 

[petiteoiseau]

Well, zons are not supposed to eat a diet high in fat (they are VERY prone to fatty liver) so I don't think it would be that lack that is causing this. I have three that are in their thirties, one estimated to be about 50, one in her late twenties (27 or 28, like yours as a matter of fact) and an unaged male that looks to be about 15 or older and their legs do look a bit scaly but not peely or dry.

 

[Chantilly Lace]

Have you seen him stick his nail in his nose and scratch? Macaws with allergies do that and their nares get almost double the size. I see it in pet store birds with lots of cockatoo dust around quite often here in FL.

 

[Gypsy]

I toweled him and touched the area in question. It seems to just be dry skin as I thought. No parasites or crustiness. Afterwards I took him in the shower. Boysmom loaned me her PIJAC Avian book and nothing I am noticing is in it. Knock on wood. Lol. I will watch it carefully this week and see how it goes. He had a lot of feathers coming in so maybe this is part of it. Last year we did not have this problem.

 

[Macawnutz]

 

[Macawnutz]

You did it!!!!!!!!! and then erased it

It does look different. Noticed any sneezing or even wet spots around/in the cage? Are the feathers around his nares dirty?

 

[Gypsy]

As you can see, it looks odd.

Sarah, I didn't like the way the previous set of pictures turned out, so I did them over. lol.

The vet was here a few weeks ago because I was concerned about his nares looking like they were blocked and did some sneezing, but she said he was just fine. I guess I am a worry wart if anything is out of the ordinary. I don't think the nares looked like this though.

 

[Macawnutz]

The first picture is quite clear and I don't see an issue. I would keep an eye on him and watch for any other signs.

 

[Gypsy]

You did it!!!!!!!!! and then erased it

It does look different. Noticed any sneezing or even wet spots around/in the cage? Are the feathers around his nares dirty?

Everything is normal. I was freaking out because I was thinking about the possibility of parasites and Merlin getting it as well. It's odd that Rudy's nares are out of whack and Merlin's is fine. I am wondering if it is from the pellets. I have been feeding both birds Zupreme Fruit and Vegetable Blend for the past year. Now I switched over to the Naturals. Rudy willingly eats more fruits and vegetables and drinks more water than Merlin so I am very perplexed about this.

 

[Gypsy]

The first picture is quite clear and I don't see an issue. I would keep an eye on him and watch for any other signs.

If you look at the end of the hairs, you see white stuff. Shouldn't it be black? When I first noticed this, I immediately thought lice. I check daily for changes. I sent Henpecked an email to see what he thinks. Maybe he is fine, and I am making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

[Macawnutz]

They are different birds. Everyone here has a favorite too. Rudy could get something without Merlin getting it but I don't feel you have enough to worry about. Maybe he is going to get new feathers soon or he has been rubbing on something. If you just had the vet look at him, I think it looks fine. Hoping someone else will chime in for an opinion as well.

 

[merlinsmom13]

Merlin has allergies & I notice feather damage around the nares when he's having a flare up. But his are documented allergies that occur at the same time of year, every year. I do think it seems that theres a lot of feather damage on your guy. I vote low humidity, we keep our humidity 75-80% in the winter months. That's the local humidity most of the time & what we're comfortable with. Good luck w your sweet guy

 

[Gypsy]

I just filled his water dish with water and he wasted no time trying to take a bath in it so maybe that is the solution. His previous owner said he never took baths or showers. Since he has been with me, I learned he doesn't like real showers, but likes being misted. He is a food dunker so I installed a water bottle for drinking. I'll let him have his fun and empty it later when he decides bath time is over.

I live in middle Georgia and it's usually humid year round here so I didn't think that we needed to increase the humidity in the house. Also with higher humidity, I worry about mold growing in the house because our German Shepherd is highly allergic to it and we are already experiencing spring time allergies with her.