A Note of Caution Regarding the Opercula, & YOUR Bird's Health

[yehudasf]

Some days ago I saw an entry in the "Ask The Experts" area that caught my eye. Briefly, the person was concerned because her bird seemed to have a clogged nare. This person had tried cleaning, steaming, etc, but the "clog" did not go away.

my questions is, ... looks like one of his nostrils seems to be plugged. I'm not an expert but ...'s nostrils look open. I've seen ... clean her nostrils with her nails but I don't know if is something ... cannot do or if is something that needs more attention.

I posted the following:

You should be very cautious about trying to remove anything inside a parrot's nares. There is a structure inside each nare called the Operculum[pl.Opercula] (somewhat analogous to our adnoids) that (when visible) looks rather dirty brown, & can get a bit crusty, flaky. This structure will also on occasion swell & subside, all on its own. Make certain that what you are looking at is indeed an exudate, not a physiological structure.

Since I cannot tell if the person ever saw the post, I felt it important to post this where everyone can see it. If by accident, one were to tear, cut, or excise out this structure, it would cause rather serious bleeding, a good bit of pain, & could lead to a life-threatening infection. If you think that there is something in your birds nare, let your avian vet examine the bird. It is important to remember, that this structure looks rather "dirty brown", & sometimes swells. These changes can be exacerbated by radical changes in humidity, (turning on the heating unit for the winter season, & humidity drops by 70%), new allergens, or other factors. It could easily be mistaken for an obstruction. Always exercise caution when attempting to "remove" anything from any parrot's orifices