Have you noticed that your budgie is sneezing? Are you worried that it might be ill? In this article, I’ll teach you the causes and how to treat a sneezing budgie.
It is normal for budgies to sneeze; thus, when it sneezes occasionally, it is just a normal phenomenon. However, frequent sneezing may indicate an illness such as respiratory infection or environmental problems like dust.
If it is being caused by an infection or environment issue you will need to act as soon as you can to resolve the issue before it becomes worse.
Is it bad if my budgie sneezes?
No! It’s not bad if your budgie sneezes occasionally. It is a way their body gets rid of foreign objects. Sneezing only becomes bad for your budgie if it occurs frequently.
Like every other member of the kingdom Animalia, budgie also sneezes, and it is healthy to do so. Their respiratory systems are designed to get rid of foreign particles by initiating a sneeze.
Perhaps a fly enters their nostrils, or the environment is dusty, budgies get harmful substances out of their body by sneezing.
Therefore, if your budgie sneezes, you first have to pay attention to them to see how frequent it is. If it occurs occasionally, it is fine, if it becomes consistent, it may be bad, and you must find out why as quickly as possible.
Below is a video showing what a budgie looks like when they sneeze
[youtube v=”tFn8Hha4Ua0″]
Why is my budgie sneezing so much?
Frequent sneezing isn’t normal for your budgie, especially if it is accompanied by mucus discharge. It is a sign that something is wrong. It may be caused by several conditions, such as bacterial or viral infection. It may also be due to air sac mites, dust, or nutritional deficiencies.
Hence, if your budgie begins to sneeze so much, you may want to look out for the following factors:
- Environment
- Chemicals
- Infection
- Weak immune system
- Other possibilities
1. Environment
Your bird may begin to sneeze so much if you keep it in a dusty environment. Sneezing, in this case, is the body’s defense mechanism to get rid of the foreign particles penetrating the nostrils.
It might also be that you keep the bird close to the window or by an airy walkway. The fast-moving air in such an environment might irritate the budgie’s sinuses; thus, the bird may eventually begin to sneeze continuously.
Some other environmental factors that may affect your bird include smoke or mist from cooking or household cleaners. These could also irritate the bird’s respiratory tract, causing them to sneeze so much.
2. Chemicals
Certain chemical substances like deodorants, air fresheners, carpet deodorants, and scented candles should be avoided around the pet. Budgie is allergic to these chemical substances; therefore, it’ll begin to sneeze so much if they are kept close to it.
3. Infection
Budgie’s continued sneezing may be a sign of respiratory infection. It might be bacterial, fungal, viral, or yeast infection. To know if any of these infections is the cause, you should check for other infectious symptoms as well.
Some of the symptoms include appetite loss, difficulty breathing, and reluctance to move around. However, your bird might suffer infection for months without showing any of these signs until the infection becomes complicated.
Therefore, when you notice your budgie sneezing or has a nasal discharge together with any of these symptoms, you shouldn’t hesitate to speak to a vet as quickly as possible.
4. Weak immune system
So much sneezing may be a sign that your bird has weak immunity. If this is the case, sneezing isn’t only the problem but an indication of a more complicated problem.
A weak immune system opens your pet to attacks from various pathogens. Often, this is usually due to the lack of enough vitamin A in Budgie’s diet. It is an essential nutrient that aids the development of cells lining the respiratory system.
Vitamin A deficiency might cause abnormal cells to be present in the respiratory tract, and such cells are easy targets for pathogens. Therefore, if your pet has vitamin A deficiency, its immune system may become weakened, and one of the symptoms of low immunity is so much sneezing.
5. Other possibilities
Some other possible causes why your budgie might be sneezing include growths in the sinuses, or related areas. This is often accompanied by dry sneezing. Also, Budgies suffering from an air sac mite infestation might have difficulty breathing or exhibit open-mouthed breathing.
Why is my budgie sneezing so loud?
Your budgie might sneeze so loud if they come in contact with substances that irritate their respiratory tract. It may also be due to infection. However, if the loud sneeze is occasional, like once or twice a day, it may be nothing to worry about.
On the other hand, if your bird sneezes so loud and it is consistent, you may be looking at any of the following reasons:
- Irritating substances
- Medical condition
1. Irritating substances
Dust is a key player when it comes to budgie sneezing so loud. Therefore, if the environment is dusty, the particles might find their way into the budgie’s airways, and while trying to fight it, the body might respond with a loud sneeze.
Other irritating substances that may cause your budgie to sneeze so loud include smokes and chemicals like air freshener and deodorants.
2. Medical condition
Medical conditions such as bacterial infection might be the cause of your budgie’s loud sneeze. The infection can also be due to fungal or viral actions in the bird’s airways.
Again, a single or two loud sneezes in a day isn’t abnormal; it only becomes abnormal when it reoccurs several times during the day.
Why is my budgie sneezing at night
If your budgie is sneezing at night, it may be due to changes in certain environmental factors such as dust and chemicals. It may also be due to a change in the budgies environment.
Perhaps you keep your budgie in a place during the day and in another place at night. There might be differences in the two environments, which makes your bird not sneeze during the day but does so at night.
For instance, budgies love fresh air and prefer to stay outdoors. If you keep it indoors at night, perhaps for safety, it might begin to sneeze, especially if the air isn’t fresh. Some factors that might change the air freshness include dust, and chemicals like insecticides, air fresheners, scented candles, or carpet deodorants.
These are not substances you’ll usually use outside but common inside. Hence if you keep your budgie indoors at night with any of these factors in place, the bird may begin to sneeze so loud.
It might also be that there are tiny insects in the environment where you keep your bird at night. The budgie’s nose is featherless; thus, it is exposed to tiny substances like insects. If insects enter the budgie’s nostrils, it might trigger a loud sneeze, which is the body’s way of forcing out the foreign substance.
How do you treat a sneezing budgie?
You treat a sneezing budgie according to the cause of the sneeze. If it is caused by dust, keep your budgie away from such a dusty area. However, if infections cause it, you should use suitable medication.
Some of the suitable ways to treat your budgie include:
- Antibiotics, antiviral, and Antifungal
- Flush the nostrils
- Supplements
- Surgery
If your budgie sneezes due to viral diseases like pox, Newcastle disease, or avian flu, the appropriate treatment option would be an antiviral medication. If the sneezing is a result of bacterial infections caused by Pasteurella or e.coli, antibacterial can help.
You can treat fungal infections caused by aspergillosis or candida by using antifungal medication. These drugs can be administered orally or via injection.
2. Flush the nostrils
You can also get rid of disease-causing organisms in the budgie’s nostrils by flushing with antifungal or antibiotics medication. This is a very sensitive procedure that a vet should carry out to avoid complications.
Like humans feel uncomfortable when liquids travel through their nostrils to the wrong paths, so do budgies. Therefore, you should protect your pet by allowing a vet to perform the procedure.
3. Supplements
You can treat nutritional deficiencies such as the lack of vitamin A by administering vitamin A supplements to your pet. You can also feed them foods that are rich in such nutrients.
Many fruits and pellets are rich in vitamin A; therefore, you may want to feed them to your bird. It’ll help to boost their immunity and help to stop the sneezing caused by a poor immune system. However, seeds are low in vitamin A. Hence, if this is the dominating feed of your birds, you should consider a vitamin supplement.
4. Surgery
Growths in the sinuses, nares or related areas may require surgery. This, as well, should be performed by an expert vet.
Is My Budgie Ill?
Sick budgies often display one or two symptoms, including loss of appetite, loss of feathers, watery droppings, and sleeping more than usual. If you notice any of these symptoms, it may indicate that your pretty pet is Ill.
Like other animals, budgies can’t tell you when they’re ill; hence, as a pet owner, you must closely observe your pet to know when something is wrong. Some of the symptoms of a sick budgie include:
- Fluffed up feathers
- Continuous sneezing
- Watery nostrils and eyes
- Limping on one leg
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of feathers
- Total weakness
- Sleeping more than usual
- Swelling or lumps in the body
- Elevated or dropped wing
If you notice any of these signs and symptoms in your bird, you should speak to a vet as quickly as possible.
What do I do if my budgie has a cold?
If your budgie has a cold, you should keep it warm by providing heat. Keep the pet in an environment with a temperature around 90 °F (32 °C).
One of the signs that your bird is cold is that it will fluff up its feather, trying to trap warm air. If you notice this in your pet, you should put a heating pad or hot water bottle under their cage and cover it with a blanket or towel.
You can also keep a heat lamp in their cage and maintain the temperature at 90 °F (32 °C). This should help to normalize their body temperature.
Also, you should keep an eye on the temperature to ensure it doesn’t get too high. Read the temperature every few hours by keeping a thermometer inside the cage. On the other hand, if your budgie has a fever, you shouldn’t increase their surrounding temperature.
