Pascal

[mythic55]

This is all it took for Dimitri to have a massive reaction after just two days with the 'bird safe rope'
He actually sneezed so much, I started to panic. Removed the rope- 5 hours later- perfect.

 

[reffek94]

My heart goes out to you.
Old world vs New world parrots- Being housed together, near or otherwise is extremely difficult for Ekkies.
Usually not dogs (in my experience) but definitely shampoo, perfumes, cooking odors (like toast, onions, etc), Cockatoo dust is well- expansive! controlling it on every surface is difficult (one good flight or fan blowing and it all gets stirred up again). Some Ekkies are more sensitive to others (which scientists are trying to determine why).

Do you have other pets? like chinchillas? (I just had a client who had to make a hard call between her ekkie and her elderly chincilla.... she chose the chinchilla as she also had children and as we all know- Ekkies get VERY aggressive at 1-2yrs old).

But do give separating them a shot, and really explore other irritants that could be compounding it:
Excessive water intake (if fed dry food, ekkies drink water, and they are not proficient drinkers) Or showers. This creates a residue that causes them to sneeze, and scratch at their nares. Spo much so- I knew someone who took daily showers with their bird- the water intake caused the bird to 'clean out' their nares by sneezing. This is turn caused the bird to constantly scratch at the nares as their was a crust that formed.
Household chemicals- which does include cleaners (sometimes even vinegar), shampoo, perfumes, bodywash
Ropes- Recently I ordered 'chemcial free' manilla rope from a reputable human. Dimitri was sneezing so much and scratching at his nares (on his favorite perch) I had to remove it.
Dietary based- even sometimes dietary issues can cause irritation- I had a clients whose ekkie was allergic to oatmeal. Took WEEKS to figure that out.

At the very least, do try ordering some Moringa Tea. Offer this once a day- it is a H2 and mass cell stabilizer, it can calm ekkies systems very quickly (or even humans with systemic allergens/irritants)

Edit: Also look into your toys- certain died toys can cause further irritation (like a famous pinneapole toy everyone buys). So if it is a died wood/wicker it is worth a thought.

The only other pets are dogs! I dont use perfumes and neither does my husband. I dont use strong cleaners.. the only thing I use is diluted vinegar and usually put the birds outside when I do that! When he showers with me I don't use shampoo or anything until hed out and back at his cage. He hasn't gotten any new new toys in a while.. when I first got him I did one giant order of toys and rotate them every few days. I've gotten a few more of the little shreddable pinata toys but thats it.
They have been separated for about 2 weeks now and it doesnt seem to be making a difference! I'll have to try the tea to see if that helps!

 

[mythic55]

I can only offer certain advise and condolences.
Do you mind posting a picture of the nares (what was scratched off). I dont want to intrude- it just might be helpful if we can see-

BTW there was a recent recall on many of those pinata toys. I would definitely move to natural foraging items for the time being (I cant post my website here because it violates the terms of use on AA)- but it is searchable for ekkie specifically...

Here are old screen shots before it was hacked:

 

[reffek94]

This is i think like 3 weeks ago.. it is a bit worse now but I dont have any updated pictures because he won't sit still long enough to get one now

 

[Mizzely]

TBBT and CA Bird Nerds sell a lot of natural bird toy parts

www.cabirdnerds.com

Toy Parts / Make Your Own Toys

www.tbbtoys.com

 

[mythic55]

From what I see there- NORMAL for ekkies.
They dont have the same barred feathers as others birds- so their molts (especially around that age) can get... well 'knarly' (as my kite-boarding husband says).
Sneezing will be environmental- but happens often in ekkies- I would wait before making rash decisions.

Lets get down to the cause, then move from there.
How often are the sneezes?
What time of day? are they in sequence?

(I know these questions seem ridiculous... but it might shed light on something that hasnt been thought of- after this, I will ask another set of questions- Ekkies are so unique- ill give it my 'all')

 

[reffek94]

From what I see there- NORMAL for ekkies.
They dont have the same barred feathers as others birds- so their molts (especially around that age) can get... well 'knarly' (as my kite-boarding husband says).
Sneezing will be environmental- but happens often in ekkies- I would wait before making rash decisions.

Lets get down to the cause, then move from there.
How often are the sneezes?
What time of day? are they in sequence?

(I know these questions seem ridiculous... but it might shed light on something that hasnt been thought of- after this, I will ask another set of questions- Ekkies are so unique- ill give it my 'all')

I thought it was just molting but it started probably 8 or 9 weeks ago.. after a few weeks I noticed those bald patches were still there, getting worse, and I didn't see any new feather growth.. and now I still don't see and new growth and they just seem to get worse. His sneezing is just all day long.. sometimes its just one sneeze, sometimes it's a few on a row!

 

[mythic55]

MakeYourOwnBirdToys.com - Natural Bird Toy Parts

makeyourownbirdtoys.com

 

[mythic55]

How often does your bird get showers?

 

[reffek94]

How often does your bird get showers?

At minimum 3 times a week, usually 4

 

[mythic55]

I would refrain from the showers for a bit- I know that seems counter productive.
I would also switch the diet temporarily to something very basic. Extremely nutritional for ekkies, but generally safe items: butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots and some simple fruits like apples, mango, banana and blueberries.

Have you introduced any new food items lately?

 

[reffek94]

I would refrain from the showers for a bit- I know that seems counter productive.
I would also switch the diet temporarily to something very basic. Extremely nutritional for ekkies, but generally safe items: butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots and some simple fruits like apples, mango, banana and blueberries.

Have you introduced any new food items lately?

I havent introduced anything new in a while because of everything going on. I've been having trouble finding much of anything because the store has always been raided and there's hardly anything left!

 

[mythic55]

So has the diet changed?

Decided to go to pellets?
Less variety than before?
Might not be getting all the vitamins ekkies require, or too much of some. I told you about the secret to freezing food in bags- but there is also the baby food trick.
People often assume that feather loss and lack of regrowth is due to allergies in Ekkies (which is ALL TO COMMON), but sometimes it is a systemic response: too few, or too many of certain vitamins that cause irritation (itching, sneezing, feather loss).

 

[reffek94]

So has the diet changed?

Decided to go to pellets?
Less variety than before?
Might not be getting all the vitamins ekkies require, or too much of some. I told you about the secret to freezing food in bags- but there is also the baby food trick.
People often assume that feather loss and lack of regrowth is due to allergies in Ekkies (which is ALL TO COMMON), but sometimes it is a systemic response: too few, or too many of certain vitamins that cause irritation (itching, sneezing, feather loss).

No pellets.. i am freezing so he is still getting a good variety. Just having a harder time finding fresh stuff. Hes eating plenty of butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, blueberries, banana, mango! He loves apple but I don't give him large amounts because it is so acidic. He gets a big variety so its hard to list everything off the top of my head! Anything specific that I should eliminate?

 

[mythic55]

How is his breath?

Any odor at all?

 

[mythic55]

Ekkies need the acid- it is one of the things that help them process the food- here is an actual list of native ecelctus diet:

 

[reffek94]

How is his breath?

Any odor at all?

No odor on his breath! Just fruit stank on his beak after he eats and flies over to rub his beak on my face

 

[Monaco]

I'm going to interject to learn more about this. Monaco frequently smells sweet after mango, grapes, butternut squash, and will smell like corn chips after regular potato, pasta, rice, quinoa. What is happening (is it in the crop?) and how important is it?

 

[reffek94]

I'm going to interject to learn more about this. Monaco frequently smells sweet after mango, grapes, butternut squash, and will smell like corn chips after regular potato, pasta, rice, quinoa. What is happening (is it in the crop?) and how important is it?

Oh no I just mean that he comes over with fruit all over his beak and rubs it on my face! Other than that he doesn't have any odor on his breath

 

[Monaco]

Oh no I just mean that he comes over with fruit all over his beak and rubs it on my face! Other than that he doesn't have any odor on his breath

I didn't misunderstand, but I was hoping @mythic55 would expound a little. Monaco definitely has a smell to her breath, but it changes.

I don’t often have to be her personal napkin! It's bad enough to deal with the concrete that results from the beak wiping on her soft perches. I sure hope you can get a handle on his issues, and I'm really hoping it's not your other bird. Crossing everything that it's a simple thing to fix in his diet. I bet you're a wreck worried about it.