Tiel Question

Question
Hello Chrys
 My name is Tami and I have quite a few tiels. They are all my pets, actually family and I am not a breeder. I have a bedroom for my birds. One of them died recently. She had liquid in her lungs. I had taken her to the vet and he said that she regurgitated and swallowed it back. He held her on her side for a momment and some of the liquid came out. When my hubby was waiting for me to pay for the consultation and the medication he gave me for a bacterial infection (that is what he diagnosed it as) she was doing better, seemingly more chipper.
 Yet that night she was weasing again. Rocking back and forth. Poor thing. And that night she passed on.
 Do you happen to know what causes this? The other birds seem fine. My email is TamiLOL@aol.com - I worry if this happens again, I won't know what to do to help them. Thanks!
Tami

Answer
Hi, Tami.  I am so sorry to hear about your tiel.  Birds can get liquid in their lungs several different ways/for several different reasons.  Based on what you state the bird vet said, what happened was the bird basically threw up and in swallowing it back down, some of it got into her lungs (aspiration).  This happens a lot to baby birds (or adult birds) that are being handfed when the food goes down the trachea instead of the esphagous.  This can also happen when a bird takes a drink and, for some reason/somehow, the water "goes down the wrong pipe."  Birds can't simply cough like we can to correct this.  When a bird gets liquid down the trachea, they will usually then develop aspiration pneumonia (if they don't die within minutes) and requires antibiotic treatment ASAP.  Most of the time, the bird  passes away soon because they basically drown or die from pneumonia.  Although the antibiotics prescribed was the right thing to do, it was just too late.  This should not have any affect on your other birds, unless your bird vet was wrong and there is some type of respiratory illness being passed around among your flock.  Keep a good watch on all the others and take action ASAP if you see any others exhibiting the same symptoms.  Remember, by the time you notice a bird is ill (because they hide their symptoms until they can't any longer), it's been ill for too long, and it is now an emergency situation.  If you use an air filter in their room, this is good...tiels produce "bloom" from their feathers, which can be harmful to their respiratory systems if they (or you) breathe too much for too long (birds have VERY sensitive/delicate respiratory systems and clean air is a must).  Bloom is a white "powder" like substance that is normal and a sign of good health (bloom protects their feathers and deflects water...same as ducks so they can swim without drowning).  Bloom can be a problem if you have many tiels (or other types of birds that also produce bloom).  I have 40 tiels in 1 room and they produce enough bloom per week for a light dusting all over everything.

Come back if you have any more questions or concerns.

Chrys