New member!

[Angie]

I guess it is pretty hard to find a really good avian vet, mhm. And since there aren't a lot of avian vets in my country, makes it even harder. I guess it's important for me to do some research on these kind of diseases so I can maybe prevent her from getting seriously ill when she does show signs of illness.

Monty has.. dipped her head in her bowl of water a few times before. Those were the times I knew what caused the wet sneezes lol. Probably wasn't her idea to dip it all the way in, just in her excitement it happens.

As for the sneezes now. Not a single wet sneeze all day long. I have moved her tree away from where it was standing (in front of the window) and for some reason she has been sneezing a lot less than normally. I'd say about 75% less. No idea why, though. I will have to keep a close eye on this.

I will have a look at that tea stuff, see if I can find it here. Sounds like a good idea to have her drink that once in a while.

[Wolf]

Sounds to me that the problem may be the air borne dust and pollens. If moving her away from the window has that much of an effect, I am pretty sure that this is the cause that we have been trying to find.
I remember saying that I had read somewhere that this species was more prone to respiratory distress than other species and this appears to be being borne out. So I would keep on watching this, as you may have other problems with it in the future.

[Angie]

I would be very very VERY relieved if this really is the reason why she sneezed so much, cause I would be able to fix it by just moving her away from there. But I will still keep a close eye on her just to be sure.

Been looking for that Echinacea tea. A small incense kind of shop sells Echinacea tea by a brand named Yogi Tea. Would that be okay?

[Harpmaker]

You have to check the contents on teas. Black or green teas are bad because of the caffeine. Herbal teas might be OK. Yogi Brand says their teas are organic, which is good. But the only Yogi brand Echinacea teas I find on the web contain Elderberries and/or Elderflowers. Avian Avenue says they are safe http://forums.avianavenue.com/index.php?threads/are-elderberries-safe-for-the-birds-to-eat.29126/ but Most valuable pets calls the berries questionable, although the flowers seem OK. http://mostvaluablepets.com/MVP/birds/bird-safe-plants/ , so if you can get the tea without the elderberries, that would be better.

I suspect the danger is from the fermented berries, which grow wild here and can make birds drunk. But I would hate to find out the hard way.

[Pajarita]

You can buy Echinacea capsules and put some of the content in his soft food but only for 5 days in a row and then 'rest' the other two. Noni juice, oregano and Ceylon cinnamon are good immune system boosters, too.

[Angie]

Thanks for the replies!

Been looking for the ingredients on the tea I had found:

Cinnamon, Echinacea 14%, Ginger, Fennel, Rooibos 10%, Roasted Chicory, Carob?, Cardamom 4%, Basil, Burdock root? (noticed that burdock is listed on 'the plants to avoid' list, would that count for the root aswell then? Might be a stupid question >___<), Turmeric, Black pepper, Tragacanth, Vanilla beans.

Found some of those capsules aswell, but they all contain some added stuff which I have no idea what they are. With the oregano, do you just mean feeding her a leaf once in a while?

[Wolf]

I never buy herbal mixes, if you look in health food stores and pharmacies you should be able to find the ground plant without additives. Failing that check with plant nurseries, they may have some plants that you can plant and grow your own or chop up and make the tea from.
You can use ground oregano by sprinkling some on your birds soft food or in her water, for a tea.

[Pajarita]

Yes, oregano the spice, my birds get it once a week in their soft food (they like it very much because I also add chopped fresh garlic and white pepper at the same time). Dry is more powerful than fresh (I have a plant in my garden, I harvest it in the fall and hang the little branches to dry upside down, once they are dried, I ran the branches through my hands to separate the little leaves off them and store in a tight container).

Burdock root is not good for birds, it's a potent diuretic and birds should never get any.

[Angie]

I went to the only health store here in town and got some oregano. Couldn't find any good tea's. Put some of the oregano over her soft food and she absolutely loved it!