Duck noses are meant to be clear and free from any blockages, this keeps the bird breathing normally and living normally. Unfortunately, if your duck’s nose is blocked the bird’s quality of life can start to decline.
This article looks into what you can do to unclog a duck’s nose
How to unclog a ducks nose:
The two holes on a duck’s bill are the bird’s nares (the nostrils) this is the entry point to the bird’s respiratory system.
The respiratory system of ducks is quite sensitive and fragile so you shouldn’t actually be trying to unclog the bird’s nares yourself, but, you can help the bird unclog its own nares.
Do this by giving the bird access to a body of fresh clean water that the bird can fully dip its head into.
Your bird will instinctively know to dunk its head into the water once you leave the water out for them.
If your ducks are young keep an eye on the birds when they are around water so no accidents happen as they are swimming.
Your bird will also clear its nares by sneezing once or twice a day if that. The sneezing will force out any dirt or debris that may be stuck in its nose.
So if you notice your bird sneezing occasionally don’t worry, this is normal, this is simply how birds get their nares clear.
You’d only need to worry if the bird starts to show signs of distress along with the sneezing, these signs may indicate that the bird has a respiratory illness.
Take the bird to a vet if you notice signs of respiratory illness like continuous and persistent sneezing, voice changes, fluffing of their feathers, eye discharge, watery eyes, nasal discharge, or difficulty breathing.
What not to do:
If your bird’s nares are blocked you may be inclined to want to use an object like tweezers or forceps to get rid of the blockage, this is not recommended.
A duck’s respiratory system is very delicate so you may injure the bird if you stick anything into the bird’s nares.
If the bird isn’t clearing its nares in the water, and the blockage is becoming a real problem, then we recommend you take the bird to the vet or better yet to an avian vet.
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: Why Does My Duck Keep Sitting Down?, Baby Duck Raspy Breathing, Duck Raspy Breathing