Blue & Gold Macaw - Occassional Sneeze

[WeimerHeimer]

My wife and I reveived 3 Macaws (B&G, GW, & Military) from a friend who has become ill and no longer is able to take of his birds any longer. We picked up the birds Monday night and moved them to our house 30 minutes away. It was a cold evening out, but we transported the birds in large dog crates and the vehicles were well pre-heated. The birds were moved from the house to vehicle, which took all but 2 minutes.

Today I noticed the B&G sneezing a little. She was out of her cage from 1:30 pm to about 8:00 pm (6.5 hrs) and in that time she sneezed about 6-8 times. Only one sneeze, never multiple sneezes. No nasal discharge, eyes clear, no puffing feathers, very alert, very active, etc ...

None of the other two sneeze and none of my other birds have this.

Should I have any concerns?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Changing location can sometimes be stressful, and it may cause a lower immune system. Macaws are known for having allergies, and some birds just sneeze(mine will put a talon in her nare and make her self sneeze).

If I were you I would watch him carefully for 2 days, at the same time check over your house for any thing that isn't bird safe(bleach, fa-breeze, non stick cookware) look for anything that might be irritating him.. Examine his poo everyday to make sure it looks healthy, and make sure the sneezing isn't getting any-worse or continues to persist. If it does you may have a vet visit in order. It's a good idea to take new birds to the vet for a check up anyway. This way you know for sure they are healthy, and if they ever become sick your vet can look back at how his results should be when he is healthy.

 

[weco]

Sounds like a reaction to dust.....our feathered friends react to dust just like we do, but if they sneeze more than a few times or the accompanying discharge is anything other than clear, a vet visit might be necessary.....

For future reference, parrots are not as delicate as we often think them to be. Healthy parrots can handle temps from the mid 80s down to the mid 30s without any problem and they can handle colder temps for short terms.....