Urgent Bird sneezing attack and clear discharge

[ZY28]

Hi,
I already made an appointment with my vet for this issue. The earliest spot they had available is next Tuesday, so I just wanted to know if there is anything I could do in the meantime other than monitor him.

So my green cheek, Pax, has been having those "sneezing attacks" where he would sneeze multiple times in a row and scratch his nares and clear discharge would come out of one of them. Otherwise, he is absolutely fine. No change in weight, poop is fine, eating great and super active. He just has these attacks once or twice a day and in about 15-20 seconds and it goes away.

So what should I do in the meantime?

Thanks.

 

[Zara]

Do you have a hygrometer? Worth checking humidity.

 

[ZY28]

Do you have a hygrometer? Worth checking humidity.

no, unfortunatly, i don't. Sould i spray his cage to increase humidity?

 

[flyzipper]

If your indoor temp is close to the outdoor temp and you're not using AC, the indoor humidity will be close to the outdoor humidity (check your local forecast).

As long as the weather is hospitable, I'd get him safely outside for some fresh air each day (travel cage, carrier -- something safe with great air flow).

Perform a mental audit of anything that's changed in your home since the onset of symptoms (cleaning products, personal care products, deep cleaning that's disturbed lots of dust, use a poor quality vacuum, etc).

Do you have an externally vented kitchen range hood that's diligently used when cooking? Do you have a HEPA air purifier? Are you able to open windows for more ventilation?

The theory: he could have been exposed to something indoors that has irritated him.

 

[ZY28]

If your indoor temp is close to the outdoor temp and you're not using AC, the indoor humidity will be close to the outdoor humidity (check your local forecast).

As long as the weather is hospitable, I'd get him safely outside for some fresh air each day (travel cage, carrier -- something safe with great air flow).

Perform a mental audit of anything that's changed in your home since the onset of symptoms (cleaning products, personal care products, deep cleaning that's disturbed lots of dust, use a poor quality vacuum, etc).

Do you have an externally vented kitchen range hood that's diligently used when cooking? Do you have a HEPA air purifier? Are you able to open windows for more ventilation?

The theory: he could have been exposed to something indoors that has irritated him.

We ventilate the house every day. Our kitchen is externally vented. But we do not have a HEPA Air purifier. I am actually searching for a good one if you would have recommandations. Could it be the AC that set him of??? It is not the first time we used it though. We switched our laundry detergent to tide could that be it? That would actually surprise me. Thank you for the reply I'll keep looking for changes.

 

[flyzipper]

We switched our laundry detergent to tide could that be it?

It could be something like that.

My conure sleeps inside my hoodie during the evenings before bedtime, so I'm cautious that I'm not wearing something that's freshly washed and fragranced.

If you cover his cage, a freshly washed covering could be irritating if it carries a fragrance.

Could it be the AC that set him of???

It could be, especially if you have central air (using your home's ductwork) and it hasn't been run for a while -- the dust that's settled between your last heating season and this cooling season would get agitated into the indoor air. It can also drop the humidity to irritatingly low levels as @Zara asked about.

HEPA Air purifier. I am actually searching for a good one if you would have recommendations.

Anything that's readily accessible to you (including ongoing replacement filters), uses a mechanical design (a fan and a filter), and doesn't include an ozone feature. The other detail to consider is the volume of your space to ensure an adequately sized unit. You can run multiple units on medium fan speed if noise is a concern as long as the total CFM delivers the number of air changes per hour you're looking for.

I've seen brand recommendations on the forum that include RabbitAir, Levoit, and Oransi, so that might get you started.

As I said, an environmental irritant is just a theory and something to explore between now and the vet visit.

 

[ZY28]

It could be something like that.

My conure sleeps inside my hoodie during the evenings before bedtime, so I'm cautious that I'm not wearing something that's freshly washed and fragranced.

If you cover his cage, a freshly washed covering could be irritating if it carries a fragrance.


It could be, especially if you have central air (using your home's ductwork) and it hasn't been run for a while -- the dust that's settled between your last heating season and this cooling season would get agitated into the indoor air. It can also drop the humidity to irritatingly low levels as @Zara asked about.


Anything that's readily accessible to you (including ongoing replacement filters), uses a mechanical design (a fan and a filter), and doesn't include an ozone feature. The other detail to consider is the volume of your space to ensure an adequately sized unit. You can run multiple units on medium fan speed if noise is a concern as long as the total CFM delivers the number of air changes per hour you're looking for.

I've seen brand recommendations on the forum that include RabbitAir, Levoit, and Oransi, so that might get you started.

As I said, an environmental irritant is just a theory and something to explore between now and the vet visit.

Thank you so much! it was really helpfull! He did not have any attacks today wich makes me so happy. I'll definetly get an air purifier, it's good for them and good for me lol!
Ps: your conure sleeping inside your hoodie sounds so freaking cute!!!

 

[flyzipper]

Did you manage to get into your vet -- how's Pax doing?

 

[ZY28]

Did you manage to get into your vet -- how's Pax doing?

Yes forgot to do an update. We went to the vet and she said he didn't have anything unusual and he was probably irritated from something. She offered to get the humidity up and maybe getting him in the shower for some steam. And by the time we got to the vet appointment he was back to normal anyway, but we went just in case.

 

[flyzipper]

Glad to hear he's back to his normal self.