My budgie coughs, sneezes, and has red nostrils. Is this normal?

Unfortunately, these symptoms point to illness. A visit to your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet would be recommended. Birds are quite adept at concealing illness, so by the time they are showing symptoms, they are already quite ill. For now, clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Use paper towels on the bottom and change daily. Keep the cage away from strong drafts and keep your budgie warm and as stress free as possible until she sees the doctor.

Thanks for reaching out about Rachel and including photos. Fluid coming from the nostrils could be a sinus infection but also regurgitation. Sinus infections can be bacterial or fungal. Regurgitation can be caused by multiple things: ingestion of toxins or heavy metals (lead or zinc), liver or kidney disease, stomach infections or inflammation, gastrointestinal obstructions and more. Provide heat support in the 80-85 F range to give aid. Monitor appetite and activity. If symptoms continue or worsen, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

Poor little birdie! What a cutie too. It is quite possible he could have some dehydration or loss of energy due to his excursion, or could have become injured or caught some illness. If his lethargy continues, he seems to be sneezing frequently, he isn't eating well, or he seems puffed up/hunched over or is sitting on the floor of his cage then I would bring him into the vet for an examination.

Thanks for reaching out about Petri and including a photo. This could be a low grade sinus infection. Try give a humidity treatment in a steamy shower for 10-15 minutes once or twice daily for a few days. If the clinical condition worsens, a veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. This also would be a good time to review diet, as vitamin A deficiencies can play a part in low grade respiratory infections. Good luck.

If you are seeing discharge from Pegasus' nose or he is having trouble breathing, it is possible he has a respiratory infection ongoing that needs to be seen and treated by a vet to get him feeling better. Until you can get to the vet, keeping his nose clear of debris with a clean washcloth, and keeping him warm and eating and drinking may also help.

Poor Charlie! All of those symptoms are very general signs of illness in birds, so it would be best to schedule a visit with your local veterinarian. They can help figure out what may be wrong, such as an illness, infection, etc and help treat him to get him feeling better. Until you can get to your vet, keeping him in a warm hospital cage with easy access to food and water may help keep him a bit more comfortable.

Anytime a small bird like a budgie has abnormal breathing sounds I recommend they get checked out ASAP. This is because respiratory diseases can become very serious, very quickly so early diagnosis and treatment is important. Your veterinarian may need to do tests but in some cases an exam and antibiotics are what is needed.