Flying is an everyday activity for birds, their bodies are designed to be able to do this in the most effective way possible. If you notice that your bird is suddenly wheezing after flying, you’d be right to worry. This article looks into why this happens
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Bird wheezing after flying:
Birds don’t make too much noise when flying, unless they’re trying to do this on purpose (read more here), if a bird is wheezing after flying, this isn’t a good sign. Here are reasons why this happens:
It’s overweight:
Flying is natural for birds but if the bird is overweight, problems will develop.
Bird bodies are designed to be able to support a certain amount of bodyweight. If the bird puts on too much weight, and it tries to fly, then the bird can start to wheeze after it flies because it is so exhausted.
What to do:
Helping the bird lose weight will stop it from wheezing after flying, it will also prevent the bird from developing other health issues as well.
You can help the bird lose weight by reducing the amount of unhealthy snacks and treats you give them, rather feed your bird healthier snack options like fruits and vegetables.
The bird will stop panting after flying once it loses weight and gets fitter.
There is a threat in the area:
Birds will fly harder if they are scared, your bird will be more winded after flying from a threat when compared to flying as a leisure activity.
If they see a threat, birds will want to get away from the area as quickly as possible and will put a lot of effort and energy into flying away from the predator, how the bird flies can mean the difference between life or death.
The bird flying so hard may be the reason why your bird is wheezing after flying and is more winded
What to do:
If you think this is the reason why your bird is wheezing after flying then you’d need to find whatever your bird is afraid of and remove it from the environment.
Animals that seem harmless to us, like cats and dogs, can be very threatening to birds. The bird will stop flying and stop wheezing if you remove the threat.
Sinus infection:
Sinus infections can develop in both humans and birds.
A bird’s sinuses are made up of a network of moist narrow channels, this moist and dark environment is a great place for bacteria and viruses to grow.
Bacteria can quickly pass through a bird’s airways and cause it to get sick quite quickly. Other signs of your bird having a sinus infection include sneezing, nasal discharge, lethargy, and other breathing difficulties
A lack of vitamin A can make birds more susceptible to developing a sinus infection.
What to do:
Taking your bird to a certified avian vet is the recommended solution for this issue.
If your bird does in fact have this issue, then it will likely have to stay in a hospital cage at the vet for a couple of days. The vet will likely steam the bird’s nares (bird nostrils) to try to clear its sinuses. The vet may also prescribe bird antibiotics for your pet.
Other respiratory problems:
There are a variety of respiratory problems that can affect your bird, problems like acute bronchitis, aspergillosis, psittacosis, coryza, canarypox, and air sac mites. These can all cause birds to have difficulty breathing.
What to do:
The best thing to do for your bird is to take it to a certified avian vet. If your bird does have a respiratory problem, then the bird can die within a few days of the first symptoms presenting.
The vet will take x-rays of your bird to try and figure out what’s going on, they may draw blood as well. Take the bird to the vet as soon as you realize that it has breathing problems. Going by how the bird is eating and drinking may not be the best decision in this case.
The key to treating many ailments is having the bird see a vet as early in the illness as possible. If you can see the vet early on, your bird will be treated and will likely recover, so don’t delay.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Bird Panting With Mouth Open, What Do Birds Do When Their Babies Die?,
