cockatiel left nostril crusted

Question
Dianna,
 Peter is a seventeen year old Cockatiel. His left nostril is completely crusted over. Is his condition one with which I should be concerned? If concern is waranted, what would be your recommendations? Thank you for your time.
                                                Robin

Answer
Hello Robin and thank you for your question.
Yes, his condition is one that warrants some concern.  Take him into the bathroom, close the door, and run the hot water, but do not let him go into the water.  You just want the steam on the room.  This will help to loosen up the crust on his nose.  You can also use a vaporizer in the room that he is in.  The biggest thing right now that you want to do is to get plenty of moisture in the air.
When the crustiness starts to loosen up, he will probably start sneezing, which is ok for him to do.  This is a sign that the crustiness is loosening up enough for him to be able to sneeze it out.  
If it looks like he's getting worse, or not improving at all, then you might want to consider taking him into an Avian Vet, as he probably need some antibiotics.

I hope this helps.  Please keep me informed on his condition.

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna