# Snorting/Coughing?



## TheRubixHorse (Jun 14, 2010)

So I've had Lint for exactly 1 week now, and while he was sitting on my knee today, I had his mirror laying next to him. He was looking down into it and started making a noise that sounded suspiciously like a cat with a hairball and his neck was bobbing as he did so. At first I thought he was going to vomit, but nothing happened. I've noticed he does make a very soft "snorting" type sound when he's in front of the mirror (like when birds hiss at something they are afraid of, only you can only hear it out of his nose rather than his nose and mouth like my female used to do), and it seemed like this was just a more pronounced version of that. He is not handleable at this time enough to take him to a vet without completely stressing him out, and he seems to be normal as I know him.

He is 10-12 years old and seems to be a seed junkie. On occasion I have noticed his tail bobbing slightly when he breathes, but it's so inconsistent and he is so unfamiliar to me in the grand scheme of things that I'm not really sure if I'm just being a worrywart and he's just a different bird than I'm used to, or if he has something going on. He is very active and there's no discharge from his nares or eyes, and he doesn't seem to be panting at all. I'm also not sure if he could just be imitating a sound from his old home, but I did find it odd that he only did it when he as looking down into the mirror. If he's wandering around on my dresser with the mirror in front of him he won't do it. Has anyone else ever run into something like this? I'm planning on taking him to the vet anyway, but right now we are only 1 week into the quarantine and he isn't comfortable enough with me to reassure me the trip there wouldn't upset him more >.<


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

If he does this in front of mirrors only I'd say it sounds like he's trying to regurgitate to what he believes is his "mate". Its not common in tiels but some do it. As to the tail bobbing, it can be a sign of a respiratory issue but without a vet there's no way to say for sure.


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