is our ringneck becoming ill?

[Pete_and_meeks]

so we have a new ringneck. he is 6 months old and we adopted him from my brother who breeds birds, non of which carry any diseases and are all healthy. Dino has been with us for about 5 days now and he is settling in quite well, allowing us to hand feed him ect. today is the first and old time ive noticed when he was sitting on his purch it looked like he yawned. then he did its again wholst stretching his neck out, and did it for about a minute or so over and over. then he would scratch his nose and it sounded like he did a sneeze, could he have some kind of irritation? he has stopped since and then went on to groom and play with a spay of millet and eat some fruit. what is this and is it bad? could he be getting sick?

[Pete_and_meeks]

he has had a few little sneezes since, and occasionally scratches his nose?

[taywer321]

I wouldn't worry unless you see discharge from the nose or eyes, and your birds personality begins to change. If he is acting the same and just sneezed a little, this is normal. Birds sneeze for the same reasons we do, to remove dust and dander from their nasal cavities. A few occasional sneezes are okay, just be sure there is no discharge or abnormal behaviors (sitting on the bottom of the cage, lethargy, refusal to eat)

Good luck!!

[Pete_and_meeks]

his personality seems fine, he just tends to scratch at his nose from time to time and then sneeze. he is eating fine and there is no change in his personality. could there be something that is irritating his nose? such as something we feed him or perhaps even dust. we do try to keep the house and the cages as clean as possible.

[silent h]

My 25 year old green male IRN has been doing that most of his life and has never had the slightest bit of a sniffle. It seems to be brought on by bright light. If he catches a glint of the sun or a flashlight in his eyes. I can't explain why, but I can make it happen with a pass of a flashlight. (I would never shine a bright light directly into his eyes)
He may have caught direct light or a reflection from somewhere.

[taywer321]

Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems. Many things can irritate them including: scented candles, smoke, cooking fumes, perfumes, air fresheners, etc. But my birds preen themselves and then scratch around their face also, and the sneezing is most likely from their own dust from preening if it is right after grooming. Don't worry unless you see other tell tale signs of illness. Or take him to an avian vet for a check up just to be sure.

[fladder]

Like Taywer321 said, it might be from their own dust. My bird did it as well and my vet suggested spaying him with diluted Savlon. Now every time my bird baths I grab the bottle and spay him with that. It helps with the itchy nose and skin. He's become a very happy bird. We also spray the bottom of his cage and the area around it. it settles all the dust and makes it a healthier environment for you and your bird.

Hope it helps
Anri