My parakeet is hacking up foamy stuff. What's wrong with him?

Some crusting can happen when a bird is ready to mate, but that looks a bit more than that -- It is possible your bird has a respiratory issue going on, a fungal infection taking hold in the nostrils, or another type of infection/illness. It would be best to bring him to a vet to have the area flushed out and treatment started for any underlying infection. Separating him to a hospital cage that is kept warm and with easy access to food and water may also help to prevent the spread of any illness and to keep Ocean comfortable if your other parakeet is picking on him until you can be seen by your vet. You can also use a warm washcloth to try and remove any debris to make him more comfortable.

Thanks for including the picture of Kiwi. It seems like Kiwi is regurgitating. Parrots can regurgitated for multiple reasons: food sharing, stress, eating something noxious, ingestion of something toxic or due to infectious or metabolic illness (kidney, liver, etc.). With food sharing, they rarely shake their head and spray it everywhere. One of the other more common causes is eating items with lead or zinc, two soft metals, that affect the vomit center to cause the regurgitation. You'll have to investigate the environment and search for anything Kiwi might be chewing on. If you think that is the case, a visit to the veterinarian should provide a means of confirmation (radiographs) and then the treatment has a fairly good prognosis as long as it is caught fairly early. Providing heat support for an environment around 85-90 degrees will help to stimulate his immune system. But if he continues to regurgitate or become lethargic or anorectic, you need to visit your local avian veterinarian.

Thanks for reaching out about Rue and including a photo. Provide heat support in the 80-85 F range, for aid. Remove perches and place a soft towel on the bottom of the cage. Only provide small amounts of water to drink. This could be a crop infection (bacteria, fungal, yeast), obstruction, toxicity and more. See your veterinarian first thing in the morning to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Good luck.

Submit a sample to your veterinarian to diagnose parasites or bacterial/fungal overgrowth. Discontinue feeding fruits and vegetables until the stool is normal, then introduce one at a time slowly. Clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Use paper towels on the cage bottom and change them daily until his droppings are normal. Provide plenty of fresh, clean water. Keep him warm and as stress free as possible. If he develops lethargy, loss of appetite or if the droppings don't begin to firm up in the next 24 hours, have him examined by your vet or an experienced avian vet.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry your bird isn't feeling well! Vomiting and nasal discharge in birds can be a sign of bacterial or fungal infections, toxin ingestion, as well as damage to the crop (the area that stores food in the esophagus). I recommend having your bird seen by a vet as soon as possible to determine the underlying cause, provide stabilization and treatment as necessary.

Vomiting in parrots could be due to a yeast infection, bacterial infection, viral infection or ingestion of a foreign body in most cases. it is extremely important that you take Magic to an avian vet specialist to get it checked and treated as there is nothing you can do at home to help.

The "spitting up" may be vomiting which can be serious in birds. Vomiting can be caused by infection, obstruction, trauma, toxicity or nutritional deficiency. It differs from regurgitation (which is normal) in that a vomiting bird will rapidly flick it's head from side to side as ingesta is expelled. This can come from the crop or stomach. When a bird regurgitates, the head will bob up and down as partially digested or while food will come up. Ideally, Sydney should be examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury. Contact your friend for additional history which may aid in a diagnosis. Blood work, fecal exam and and examination of crop/stomach contents may be indicated after a physical exam.