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Smelly conures

trishla

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Hi everyone!! I have 2 conures around 9 months old. They both are smelling a lot and it is monsoon season over here. There is humidity in the air and whenever they take a bath, i guess, they are not drying properly, hence the smell. Can you suggest something to keep my birds smell free? P.S. they take bath every 3-4 days.
 

flyzipper

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Just pure clean water -- that won't make them smell free, but they will only smell like a bird then.

(which I can't smell unless I put my nose directly on mine, and I actually like their scent).
 
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Wally&Eva

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which I can't smell unless I put my nose directly on mine, and I actually like their scent
I really loved the way they smelled as a baby when I was feeding them formula. I don’t know if that sounds weird. My husband was like please stop but I couldn’t help it. One of them smelled like ripe watermelon and the other one like a peach hahaha that’s the best I could come up with and I’m usually a descriptive person. Now they eat regular food and they still smell good but not as sweet. Miss that baby smell, and it’s only been a week.
 

Shezbug

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Hi everyone!! I have 2 conures around 9 months old. They both are smelling a lot and it is monsoon season over here. There is humidity in the air and whenever they take a bath, i guess, they are not drying properly, hence the smell. Can you suggest something to keep my birds smell free? P.S. they take bath every 3-4 days.
Birds really should not smell. A close up sniffing nose in the feathers should provide you with a pleasant or non offensive slight scent but not a stink- my macaw smells delightfully fruity when I do this, my SC2 has a dusty powder like smell (not that I would put my nose in his feathers or I fear I would loose it lol) and my little budgie also has a very slight powdery smell but to smell them I would literally have to stick my nose in the feathers all except for the macaw who will omit an extra bit of scent if he gets really excited or scared - Never a strong smell or an awful smell though.

Are you sure they are not drying properly? I would guess if they were not ever drying properly they would be getting skin infections and other health issues. Can you shuffle through their feathers to and handle them well?

Water is all that is ever needed for birds to keep themselves clean so if they have bathed and still smell a lot once dry I personally would want a vet check done.
 

trishla

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Just pure clean water -- that won't make them smell free, but they will only smell like a bird then.

(which I can't smell unless I put my nose directly on mine, and I actually like their scent).
Okay…I’ll try it
 

trishla

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They don’t bath everyday. And whenever they do, they don’t dry up properly because of the humidity in the monsoon air. I can try drying them using a paper fan since hairdryers are not good for them.

Birds really should not smell. A close up sniffing nose in the feathers should provide you with a pleasant or non offensive slight scent but not a stink- my macaw smells delightfully fruity when I do this, my SC2 has a dusty powder like smell (not that I would put my nose in his feathers or I fear I would loose it lol) and my little budgie also has a very slight powdery smell but to smell them I would literally have to stick my nose in the feathers all except for the macaw who will omit an extra bit of scent if he gets really excited or scared - Never a strong smell or an awful smell though.

Are you sure they are not drying properly? I would guess if they were not ever drying properly they would be getting skin infections and other health issues. Can you shuffle through their feathers to and handle them well?

Water is all that is ever needed for birds to keep themselves clean so if they have bathed and still smell a lot once dry I personally would want a vet check done.
 

fashionfobie

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You should not need to dry your birds. They should naturally dry off even in the monsoon season. Birds will have a natural smell, but it shouldn't be that offensive.

If the birds themselves smell very bad, it may be a sign of an infection. However, I think it is more likely that it is their cage and surrounds. Fallen seeds or old perches can get a bit smelly in humid weather. I would start by doing a deep clean of your cage. Scrub everything down, maybe rotate or get new perches.

We had several weeks of rain where I live that was not normal, and it brought lots of mildew etc. I replaced my birds perches simply because the weather was causing them to get funky and mildewed.
 

trishla

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You should not need to dry your birds. They should naturally dry off even in the monsoon season. Birds will have a natural smell, but it shouldn't be that offensive.

If the birds themselves smell very bad, it may be a sign of an infection. However, I think it is more likely that it is their cage and surrounds. Fallen seeds or old perches can get a bit smelly in humid weather. I would start by doing a deep clean of your cage. Scrub everything down, maybe rotate or get new perches.

We had several weeks of rain where I live that was not normal, and it brought lots of mildew etc. I replaced my birds perches simply because the weather was causing them to get funky and mildewed.
I will deep clean their cage and check for the smell.
 

Pixiebeak

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my green cheek had yeast infection once and she was smelly. Even her feathers smelled like yeast. Tho feathers looked fine and skin was fine.

Took treatment with nystanin ( anti fungal medicine prescribed by vet) to clear it up.

So I guess I add that to the possible. And agree a vet check might be needed.
 

CrazyKozmo

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I have found that diet can really influence how the bird smells. When I got Mickey and Kozmo, from a shop in Portland Oregon, they were on a seed mix. It has been a LONG time since I've had birds on seeds, and the mix had a smell that I didn't really like. Thus, Mickey and Kozmo also had that smell. I couldn't wait until they accepted pellets as their main diet!!
I live in an arid climate, so haven't experienced how high humidity can effect the bird aroma...
A vet visit would be helpful for your birds to make sure that they are healthy.
 

Mizzely

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What is their diet like? Sometimes that can actually influence their scent.

I've never heard of a tropical bird having issues with high humidity.
 

Fuzzy

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Are you talking about smelling when wet? They do tend to smell a bit like wet dogs when wet!
 

justabit

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My conure smells a little like wet dog after he's bathed, otherwise he smells like a clean, down pillow. When he was about 9 months old, his back had a slightly musky smell for a couple of weeks, which I attributed to growing up since he has a rounded diet and was otherwise healthy looking and active with good hygiene and regular bathing. Only time I could smell it though was when he would sit on my finger and lean back into my cheek.
 
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