Cautionary Checkup

[Sheldon89]

Hello, err'body.

 

Congo, just last night, sitting on his perch up and decided to freak me out, coming from no apparent incident. While he was preening, I noticed he whipped his head extensively afterward, probably getting the dust/dander out of his eyes, nose, ears, what have you - but something else happened… I saw a clear, thin, sliver of liquid underneath both sides of his nose. Immediately, I thought this was danger and went to get a flashlight to check his nostrils. Fortunately, it went away within a minute, and I'm slightly convinced it was just because there was dander/dust in his nose, and he whipped his head so much that it expelled the juices from his brain!

 

All joking aside, I'm bringing him to an Avian Veterinarian today to get an $80 check-up… Goodness gracious, this bird is worth it! Perhaps it's just the excitement from last night, but I've also noticed he's less talkative today and puffed up more than usual.

 

Better safe than sorry, of course. I just can't believe the veterinarian I took him to last time didn't notice anything? Perhaps he wasn't an Avian Vet? He only looked at him for the better part of 10 minutes, checked his respiration, nostrils, mouth, etc… This one said I'd be in there for an HOUR

 

As I type this he's playing with his toy on top of his cage, but very quiet… I guess he's still getting used to being in my home, so I don't know what the norms are - but this is how I learn, I s'pose.

 

No other signs of being sick, though - so I hope if it is anything, it's nothing serious.

[Timbersmom]

Always better safe than sorry, as you say! Good for you.

[Sheldon89]

And just a fair warning - I'm feeling lost in this whole ordeal. I've never been one to be a hypochondriac, going to the hospital and whatnot only when in dire need. My father always said: "if it isn't bleeding, and the bone isn't sticking out, you'll live."

 

So, while I've only had him a few weeks, he's scaring the poo out of me! I know they can pick up on these things, so I usually keep them bottled inside myself, so he isn't afflicted by my emotions.

 

Maybe this is just also atypical of Molting behavior? The being more silent and all. Blargghhhhh Crash course for me!

[Dave007]

As I type this he's playing with his toy on top of his cage, but very quiet… I guess he's still getting used to being in my home, so I don't know what the norms are - but this is how I learn, I s'pose.

 

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I think you should also study the type of bird you have. Greys are known as one of the quietest parrots in the parrot world. And they get much more quiet as they grow. And, they become less active. In the future, most of the time you can't confuse the bird being extremely quiet with illness. If you do, you'll be living at the vet's office.

[Sheldon89]

I think you should also study the type of bird you have. Greys are known as one of the quietest parrots in the parrot world. And they get much more quiet as they grow. And, they become less active. In the future, most of the time you can't confuse the bird being extremely quiet with illness. If you do, you'll be living at the vet's office.

 

I think I've been more worried about the combination of the symptoms rather than just the quietness. I know they're quiet types, but have also been told that whenever I see discharge to dash to the vet as quick as possible. But thank you for your response. My budget doesn't allow living at the vet, so that won't be a problem

[Luvparrots]

I believe it's always good to be more safe than sorry. I took each of my parrots to an avian vet I trusted when I first got them. They were wellness checked and micro-chipped. Now their avian vet has an normal basis to go by and I have peace of mind knowing they are healthy and easily identifiable. If one of them does happen to get ill, their vet has a record of them when they are healthy. Fingers crossed that Congo's vet will give him a good bill of health.

[judygram]

If $80 is all you will have to spend to find out about the liquid coming from the nares then it is money well spent but I am hoping it is nothing, it will at least allay your fears and put you at ease, thats priceless.

[Sheldon89]

Went to the Vet, today! Just getting back from work, I can finally reply. The Avian Vet was far more concerned with the chewing and feather plucking than the Nares - he said if it persisted at all to call him immediately, but it may have been that, while preening, congo tipped his head down and got some up-chuck from his crop, and since the Nares are connected to the mouth, it must have come out there… He wasn't worried at all about that.

 

He told me to go buy some Aloe Vera spray and (to my surprise) Benadryl for the itching/over-preening/chewing. He said he'd call in a week to follow up with me on how it's looking, and I felt very relieved. I've started applying the aloe spray, today, and holy moly - that stuff gets Congo wet more than water ever has - or at least LOOKING more wet. I've also completely stopped feeding him a seed diet, as he said that not getting the correct nutrition could also be leading to the chewing, and have gone straight to Zupreem FruitBlend. Confused when his droppings turned brown when I got home, but a quick google search cleared that right up.

 

I haven't given him the Benadryl, yet, as I was waiting to get your opinions on this… He said, furthermore, that if the problem persists, we could look into Prozac - but that's also not a definite 100% chance in solving the problem.

 

So, 80 dollars later, I've learned something new - and am eagerly awaiting times ahead for Congo and I. Thanks, all.

[Jayd]

You couldn't get better or more honest advice than these great people have given you. A couple of question? What was the results of the blood tests? CMP?...Zupreem has had a recent recall on their Fruit blend, Seeds are a essential need for a parrots health and diet, [Fresh veggies, legumes are, pellets aren't] there are many threads and posts on the Grey forum about this subject....Stay away from colored pellets and a small piece of fruit a day is all our Greys need. Prozac?, a little chamomile tea a day won't hurt a thing....A lot of bird people and vet's recommend small seeds for large parrots because there time consuming to eat, in turn they believe it keeps the parrot occupied instead of plucking.....

[Timbersmom]

Glad to hear Congo's checkup went well! It is always a relief to hear they are OK. Read Jayd's post above carefully, good advice there. Also, be sure your Zupreem isn't on the recall list. Those recall's seem to be coming more and more often lately...

[Greywings]

I am not a pellet fan either, fresh is best. So many good ideas and recipes on this site to give you and your bird a "greyt" variety to try out. Veggies, cooked beans & grains as well as seed and a small amount of fruit. Even a few insects get eaten in the wild and their diet may vary day to day as different foods ripen or become available. I second the Chamomile tea idea you can even put some cooled off chamomile tea into a spray bottle and spray them down. He may always chew or he may get over it with a varied diet, real unfiltered sunshine, lots of baths and plenty to do.