Did I get my bird sick?
November 30, 2015 3:59 AM Subscribe
For the last few days I've been ill - mostly very sore throat (like waking up every couple of hours in the night to take pain killers). 2 nights ago I had a fever of >38c for about 8 hours.
This morning my partner noticed our Galah has a wet (and possibly kinda bald) patch around 1 nostril. I suppose he could have been splashed drinking but I haven't seen him drink today
He's been a little extra jumpy the last few days and not hanging out with me as much, I thought it was just that his nails need a trim and he's avoiding us because we're sick.
My partner has been ill for about a week, tiredness, sore throat, aches, sneezing, coughing and now a runny nose. For me it started Friday afternoon - a sore throat came on very quickly on Friday afternoon. Saturday evening my temperature was 38.3C 30 minutes after taking paracetamol my normal temperature for that time of night would be about 36.8C. I had a really rough night with the fever so I didn't sleep well but felt like it had mostly burned itself out by the next morning. My throat is still unbearably sore and I have slight congestion but I'm not feeling like I'm dying or anything. I've also had headaches and earache but the sore throat hurts so bad I don't really notice anything else.
I've had plenty of contact with the bird during this time - he's actually sat on my arm right now and I had to stop to give him scritches twice.
Could we have gotten him sick? Everything I can find online is about birds making humans sick not the other way around. How could we have caught anything from him? He's 15 years old and has only left the house once to be transported from my parents house to mine and that was a year ago and he spent the whole time in the car in a pet carrier
He's been a little extra jumpy the last few days and not hanging out with me as much, I thought it was just that his nails need a trim and he's avoiding us because we're sick.
My partner has been ill for about a week, tiredness, sore throat, aches, sneezing, coughing and now a runny nose. For me it started Friday afternoon - a sore throat came on very quickly on Friday afternoon. Saturday evening my temperature was 38.3C 30 minutes after taking paracetamol my normal temperature for that time of night would be about 36.8C. I had a really rough night with the fever so I didn't sleep well but felt like it had mostly burned itself out by the next morning. My throat is still unbearably sore and I have slight congestion but I'm not feeling like I'm dying or anything. I've also had headaches and earache but the sore throat hurts so bad I don't really notice anything else.
I've had plenty of contact with the bird during this time - he's actually sat on my arm right now and I had to stop to give him scritches twice.
Could we have gotten him sick? Everything I can find online is about birds making humans sick not the other way around. How could we have caught anything from him? He's 15 years old and has only left the house once to be transported from my parents house to mine and that was a year ago and he spent the whole time in the car in a pet carrier
I wouldn't worry about a jumpy bird being ill, I'd worry about a fluffed up isolating-itself bird that is sleeping a lot more than usual. Is the wet face from bathing, is it a one time thing or ongoing? My avian vet says keep a weight record to monitor health, it's nice to know normal and then be able to note a discrepancy.
posted by Lou Stuells at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2015
posted by Lou Stuells at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2015
Parrots nostrils do not connect to their trachea like in humans so they don't get runny noses as a sign of colds. They are super duper prone to respiratory infections but a runny nose in a parrot is not a sigh of one of these. If there is fluid coming from the nostril it is most likely to be an infection caused irritation or by a foreign object or injury.
In some species of African parrots it can be a sign of a vitamin deficiency, but I've not heard of it in Galahs. Maybe up the Vitamin A rich veggies in it's veggie mix just in case.
The best thing to watch if you are worried about your birds health is it's poop. The color of the white & dark bits should be clearly separate & not too runny. If they start blurring together or the bird has a bout of diarrhea that is usually a sign they are not in good health. Also getting in the habit of weighing your bird regularly, like Lou Stuells said is an excellent suggestion.
IANAV I have just picked things up over the years I had parrots. When in doubt talk to your Avian vet.
posted by wwax at 8:37 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
In some species of African parrots it can be a sign of a vitamin deficiency, but I've not heard of it in Galahs. Maybe up the Vitamin A rich veggies in it's veggie mix just in case.
The best thing to watch if you are worried about your birds health is it's poop. The color of the white & dark bits should be clearly separate & not too runny. If they start blurring together or the bird has a bout of diarrhea that is usually a sign they are not in good health. Also getting in the habit of weighing your bird regularly, like Lou Stuells said is an excellent suggestion.
IANAV I have just picked things up over the years I had parrots. When in doubt talk to your Avian vet.
posted by wwax at 8:37 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Aww sweet thing. Well, I wouldn't worry too much about not seeing him drink, unless you usually see it all the time; I know my birds drink because they're still alive, but the times I've caught them actually mid-sip are few and far between.
I hope you feel better soon, and yes, if you see anything like sleeping all the time puffed up, or tail bobbing when breathing, or lots of sneezing, avian vet IMMEDIATELY. Birds can go downhill fast.
Sending scritches to the feathery one.
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:06 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I hope you feel better soon, and yes, if you see anything like sleeping all the time puffed up, or tail bobbing when breathing, or lots of sneezing, avian vet IMMEDIATELY. Birds can go downhill fast.
Sending scritches to the feathery one.
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:06 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Adding a thought re: poop - you can get really anxious reading about 'Is my bird's poop normal, does it match this internet description?' There are lots of example photos online if you want to see what sick poop looks like.
My vet simplified things enormously by pointing out the obvious: pay attention to what's abnormal for your bird. Poopwise, behavior-wise, appearance-wise.
Oh - is it molting time where you are? I'll never get used to it.
posted by Lou Stuells at 1:57 PM on November 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
My vet simplified things enormously by pointing out the obvious: pay attention to what's abnormal for your bird. Poopwise, behavior-wise, appearance-wise.
Oh - is it molting time where you are? I'll never get used to it.
posted by Lou Stuells at 1:57 PM on November 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh, good point, Lou Stuells -- if your bird is currently exploding feathers, that's a time they might seem to be a bit under the weather, too. I can tell because my entire house looks like the inside of a featherbed. YMMV.
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:56 PM on November 30, 2015
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:56 PM on November 30, 2015
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It's pretty unlikely you made the bird sick though. A wet patch, absent sneezing or head shaking or labored breathing, isn't much of a disease sign. Just make sure you wash your hands, don't cough on the animal, etc. If you think he's sick, take him to an avian vet.
posted by zennie at 7:15 AM on November 30, 2015