Doug

Dave, most of this was discussed with the vet. I've included answers to most of your questions below... If you went to an avian vet, he'll probably ask these kinds of questions---- When did the problem begin? Did sneezing and nasal discharge occur together? As I mentioned in the original post, I took Ellie to the vet two days after getting her from the breeder. The vet noticed the sneezing. (She might've been sneezing the previous two days, but I wasn't looking for it...) There was some build-up in one of her nostrils and she was scratching at that nostril enough that the skin around the nostril was a bit inflamed. Only one time (a day or two after that visit) did I notice spray discharge when she sneezed. (She was on my shoulder and I felt the spray against my neck.) Has the appearance of the discharge changed? Has it changed in color or consistency? The build-up in the nostril went away after the initial course of antibiotic. I can't give an exact number of days. (Heck, for all I know it was a bit of food or something else external.) I only noticed the spray once. Is the discharge in one nostril or both nostrils? Did it begin this way? ( that's if there was or is any discharge.) Only one nostril. Qualified by the comments above. Is your bird rubbing or shaking its head, or yawning excessively? It is very difficult for me to say what is excessive since this medical drama has been going on since I initially brought her home. But from what I've seen on-line and in limited exposure to other birds, I would say no. I haven't seen her shake her head much at all, other than when she's got food stuck on her beak. She seems to yawn at normal times and not that frequently. Perhaps she scratches her nostril still. Did the discharge begin when the household heat was turned on? Is the bird kept in a dusty room or with birds that produce a lot of feather dust (cockatiels, cockatoos, African grey parrots)? I think you can rule out greys because you have a TAG and they don't produce as much dander as a CAG. Plus I think you only have 1 bird. Right? The heat was on & off during the initial period. No other birds. Two dogs. Is the bird on a complete, balanced diet, such as a commercial pelleted diet? Pellets are the majority of her diet. Something like Pretty Bird African Grey with Added Calcium. Some fresh veggies, with fruit and almonds as treats. He'll ask about drafts. He'll ask about the amount of humidity that's around your bird .More than likely, he'll try to find out if your bird is VIT A deficient. The humidity is starting to be a problem. But (as you've noticed in another thread) I'm conflicted as to the solution! True, some of these tests are somewhat expensive. The price is up to the vet. So, maybe you wanna ask your present vet about these things.

Thanks. I didn't mean to push you - I was just hoping that, with the vast diversity of occupations of the forum members, SOMEONE might have the explanation...

But what about essential oils? Are they uniformly dangerous? If so, then many well-meaning bird owners are slowly killing their birds by maintaining simmer pots.

Dan, I certainly understand your statement: While I have been in sales (drive/control systems for port cranes) for MANY years, I have my masters in electrical engineering. I crave data and confirmed sources! Most vets are not able to accurately determine cause of death. Many unfortunate deaths go unsolved but lead to speculation which, via meme propagation, becomes fact. As much as I would like to have statistically significant data, I wouldn't dream of performing median lethal dose studies on our feathered friends!

As I mentioned in my epic post at the start of this thread, the vet is NOT avian-certified. (There is not an avian-certified vet in the area.) At this point, I think the sneezing is not related to health problems. The vet found gram-negative bacteria in her nostril but not enough to culture. That was the reason for the antibiotic treatment. He also found some yeast so we treated with an antifungal medicine. On the follow-up visit, he found gram-positive bacteria and put her on a different antibiotic. On the next follow-up, he found some other yeast or something and started her on antifungal medicine again. That course (21 days) is almost complete (this coming Monday). Ellie's sneezes don't seem to have any "spray" at this point. (They did early on...)

I spent several weeks in Klang back in 1993 installing some equipment at the port. I didn't have a lot of time to be a tourist but enough to appreciate the area! I've been to KL a couple of times, but only for a day or two at a time.

I remembered that, when I bought my new crock pot (the old one did double duty as a deep fryer when you removed the crockery and it was Teflon-coated), that it included a small serving pot: Crock-Pot® Little Dipper® Warmer I've been told by other bird owners to use a simmer pot with things like orange or lemon peel, cinnamon or nutmeg. So, I cut up an orange, filled it with water and a cinnamon stick. I put it in the basement while my wife was taking our daughter to the dentist. That way, it should have the basement filled with pleasant aroma by the time she gets back. If it works well, she will see the impact and maybe she'll accept it... BUT! (And this is a big "but" so to speak...) The aromatic effect of an orange peel is due to the essential oils in the peel. The aromatic effect of a cinnamon stick is due to the essential oils in the cinnamon bark. Most aromatics are that way because of essential oils. Simply because they convey aroma. So, are all essential oils evil (as stated in the link provided by Dan)? If not, then how do we know what is safe and what isn't? If so, then are there ANY aromatic items/compounds, which DON'T have essential oils, that can be used in a simmer pot?

Dan, I'm not denying the conclusion, but that reference is anedotal and does not show correlation. (It has all the hallmarks of an urban legend - emotional appeal, name-dropping (why mention specific names of people that don't actually contribute any information?), bunching together of unrelated facts.) I'd really like to see some real data, but perhaps it isn't out there anywhere. I will look into simmer pots...

Still sneezing about once an hour. No real correlation to specific activities or locations.

fidsandfrats: you might want to avoid "Reply with Quote" when the post to which you are replying is thirty miles long (roughly)... "Reply" is sufficient, especially in your case, where the object is clearly understood as the photos posted by the thread creator...

Your photos are amazing! Where in Malaysia are you? It has been many years since I've been to Malaysia, but I remember it fondly...

I have a few months before I have to officially "open" my on-deck aviary. Which means that I am not at all procrastinating in coming up with a design... What is the mesh material? What is the mesh opening dimension? In the late spring to early fall, I spend the evenings on the deck by my pool. (Next summer I plan to build some beer taps out there...) I'd really like to have a place for Ellie to hang out while I am enjoying the "cool" evenings... (Of course, will that be a problem with her sleep cycle? She's going to bed between 9 & 9:30 now, as winter approaches...)

And how, exactly, did she manage that? I've been trying to envision how Ellie could get into a cupboard but my imagination is obviously not as good as Talon's...

I do not intend to belittle my dearest wife, Kel, but she doesn't get that parrots are at higher risk than people and dogs with regard to certain in-home hazards. "Ellie can just deal with it!" Well, maybe she can't... Kel loves scented candles. (Especially in the basement, since we both have our "work" offices in the basement. Which has its own aroma issues.) I took away Kel's no-stick frying pan and pancake skillet. I took away Kel's panini press. I've given her a lot of extra work. (I travel a lot and she has to care for Elegua while I am gone.) I'm struggling to take away the scented candles. Are they really a risk to our feathered friends? Serious question! (Is it instant death? Is it cumulative resulting in death in a few months? Is it cumulative resulting in a reduced lifespan? Is it perhaps harmful, so "better safe than sorry"?) If they are a risk, what are my options for aromatic "enhancement"? I could throw some citrus and spice in some water on the stove (and hopefully remember to deal with it before it bursts into flames) but the basement is completely free of stoves... Can I make my own scented candles that are risk-free? (Look, I am personally overly sensitive to "perfumes", meaning air-fresheners, candles, actual perfumes, etc. (Excepting my own "funk" of course...) My wife could possibly be cynical enough to think that I am using Ellie as an excuse to ban any of that stuff... I'm not but I wouldn't complain...)

Does n-propyl disulfide accumulate fully or partially? In other words, is there a mechanism within birds to eliminate part of it? Sure onions mold. But put a cut onion side by side with a whole peach and see which one molds faster! All fruit and vegetables grow mold and bacteria. Look, I'm not saying to feed onions to your bird. I'm just trying to understand.

Thanks. It is good to see a reason instead of just a blanket "X is bad" without any information on why it is bad, how bad it is or how quickly it can act... That said, how much onion is too much? Does cooking degrade n-propyl disulfide at all? Some?

Remind me in two weeks. I leave on a business trip tomorrow and don't get back until the 23rd. No Ellie pix between now and then...

I was a bit taken aback when Kel painted the wall that color, but it grew on me. Of course, I poo-poo all of her color schemes until I've had a few weeks to get used to it....

Okay, I checked with Kaz, makers of Vicks and Honeywell brands of humidifiers (as well as the Kaz brand, of course). This is the response that I received: Unfortunately, all of our warm mist humidifiers do have some form of PTFE on the heating elements , thus I can't recommend using one for your birds. However, our vaporizers do not use this material and do produce a warm steam. That, my dear friends, is how you do a definitive statement. So, we have the following from Kaz: Warm Moisture Humidifier - incudes PTFE (Teflon) Warm Steam Vaporizer - no PTFE Cool Moisture Humidifier - no PTFE

We don't have much in the area, but maybe I can check it out... Thanks for the idea!

It's just the, umm, "interesting" colors of the end of the perch. I see, maybe, a chewed tamale stuffed with canned salmon...

What is Nilah's perch? (From the end it looks like a roasted head of garlic, top cut off of course...)

It would be easy enough to make a kit (all the pieces pre-cut), but I doubt that I could mark it up enough to make it worth my time! I could make a parts list, though...

It's very simple to make...

Is that a real concern? Onions are acidic and that is a harsh environment for bacteria. (There is an old-wives tale about onions attracting bacteria to keep your house safe, but that is a crock of shit, of course.)