10 Reasons Why Your Cockatiel Is Sneezing

Published by Joseph Calabrese on March 11, 2023March 11, 2023

In general, the occasional sneeze is perfectly normal for cockatiels.

You should only worry if your cockatiel is sneezing all day or if the sneezes are abnormal. Cockatiels usually sneeze to simply clear dust and debris from their nostrils, which is similar to why we sneeze.

But cockatiels can sneeze due to a range of other reasons too.

Some of which require the investigation of an avian vet…

Below are 10 possible reasons why your cockatiel is sneezing, according to various reliable sources and vet-approved articles.

Disclosure: I’m not an avian veterinarian or a medical expert. All info in this article has been well researched from reliable sources, but the author himself is not a vet. The info in this article should not be taken as medical advice nor should it surpass any professional recommendations.

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10 Potential Reasons Why Your Cockatiel Is Sneezing
Abnormal Sneezing In Cockatiels Explained
How To Help Prevent Excessive Sneezing

10 Potential Reasons Why Your Cockatiel Is Sneezing

Firstly, this is what a sneezing cockatiel looks like:

The bird on the left is sneezing

So what causes this behaviour?

1. Clearing Dust, Debris, Or Dander

As mentioned, the most common reason why cockatiels sneeze is to simply clear the nares.

Dust from your home and the dander that comes off your cockatiel will find a way into the nostrils, which a sneeze will help clear. Cockatiels are one of the dustiest bird species, so they’re more likely to get their own dander up their nostrils than most other birds.

If they sneeze after fluffing up or preening, they’re likely clearing dander from their nose.

2. Smoking In The House

Cigarette and marijuana smoke can irritate your cockatiel’s nostrils, leading to a sneeze.

Smoke travels far, so your cockatiel will be affected even if you smoke at the opposite end of the house.

Not only does smoke irritate the nares, but regular inhalation can also cause sickness.

My suggestion is for all household members to smoke outside where it has no chance of reaching the bird.

That’s the rule I have in my home.

Additionally, you should change clothes after smoking to ensure the residue doesn’t affect your bird.

3. Indoor Air Is Too Dry (Low Humidity)

If the indoor air is too dry, your cockatiel may respond to that with a sneeze.

According to BirdTricks, 50% relative humidity is well-suited to most parrots, including cockatiels, so anything below that could be considered too dry. Low humidity basically means there isn’t much moisture in the air, which not only irritates our bird’s nares, but our human nostrils as well.

Try to keep the air of your home between 30% – 50% humidity.

You can easily measure your home’s humidity using a humidity meter.

4. Cleaning Products & Odours

Many household cleaning products are toxic for birds due to their smell.

The chemical smell that comes off of most disinfectant products can irritate and damage cockatiel nostrils, potentially causing a sneezing fit. Regular disinfectant sprays and wipes have the most potent chemical smells to them, which are poisonous for birds.

Instead of using toxic cleaners, you should only use bird-safe cleaners in your home.

My favourite one is simply apple cider vinegar, which is non-toxic and has disinfecting properties.

Apple cider vinegar, as well as other bird-safe disinfectants, have no strong odours.

Whenever you clean the house, cage, or perches, it’s safest to use odourless cleaners.

cockatiel sneezing — Apple cider vinegar

5. Aerosol Sprays (Deodorants, Hairsprays, etc.)

Just like cleaning products, aerosol sprays release strong odours into the air that can affect your cockatiels nostrils. When exposed to hairsprays, deodorants, or spray-on sunscreen, cockatiels will sneeze as a symptom of irritation.

Luckily, aerosol sprays don’t travel like smoke, so they’re safe to use far away from your birds.

Or if you want to be as safe as possible (like I do), use them outside.

6. Responding To Airborne Toxins

Disinfectant odours and aerosol sprays aren’t the only airborne toxins.

Your cockatiel can be irritated by a whole range of other toxic scents, which include:

Carbon monoxide

Scented candles

Incense

Most cooking fumes (especially non-stick items)

Nail polish fumes

Paint

By no means is that a complete list, it’s just the most dangerous toxins that came to mind.

Exposing your cockatiel to any of these toxins will likely result in an allergic reaction, which may include sneezing.

7. Mite Infestation

According to PetKeen, a mite infestation can cause your cockatiel to sneeze.

These little parasites can find their way onto your cockatiel, especially if you don’t keep their cage and perches hygienic. The mites can set up shop within your bird’s feathers and in their nostrils, which can cause sneezing fits.

If they’re in the feathers, your bird may also begin to feather pluck.

Take your cockatiel to the vet ASAP if you believe they’ve been exposed to mites.

8. Respiratory Illness

Cockatiels are prone to a range of respiratory diseases, many of which have sneezing as a symptom.

The most well-known disease that affects a bird’s respiratory system is psittacosis, but cockatiels aren’t as prone to this disease as other species are. If your cockatiel is infected with any respiratory illness, including psittacosis, they’ll likely show it by sneezing.

Tail bobbing, lethargy, loss of balance, and coughing are other symptoms of respiratory illnesses.

A sick cockatiel will sneeze while also showing these other signs of sickness.

9. Mimicking Sneezing Household Members

This one only applies if your cockatiel is a little trickster!

Cockatiels have been known to copy the sneezing sounds of household members who are sick.

If anybody in your home has been sick with the flu and sneezing, your cockatiel may have picked up on that sound.

Here’s a video of what that may sound like:

What a little prankster!

Don’t let your little guy fool you into thinking he’s sneezing when he’s just copying.

10. You’ve Encouraged Sneezing In The Past

According to Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue, birds will sneeze if it’s regularly encouraged.

Of course, giving treats after a sneeze is an encouragement, but simply saying something like “bless you” can also be seen as positive reinforcement. If you’ve encouraged a sneeze that sounds real, your cockatiel will likely make that convincing sound again, even if it’s fake.

If you want to save yourself some confusion, I suggest not encouraging sneezing.

Abnormal Sneezing In Cockatiels Explained

Continuous sneezing is abnormal and the possible reasons for that are listed above.

However, there are situations that precede sneezing that might seem a bit odd or confusing to you.

Below we’ll discuss why cockatiels sneeze after drinking, after preening, and why they would discharge blood.

Why Cockatiels Sneeze After Drinking

A sneeze after drinking means they got some water in their nostrils.

My cockatiel used to sneeze after almost every drink when he was younger. He would dunk his head in the water bowl a bit too far and water went up his nose, causing a few sneezes. Don’t worry if this happens as they’re just clearing out the water via a sneeze.

Your cockatiel will soon learn how to drink water without getting it in their nose.

Why Cockatiels Sneeze After Preening

Getting their own dust in their nostrils must be pretty annoying for a bird.

If you notice your cockatiel sneezing shortly after preening or fluffing up, they’re just clearing dander that made its way into the nose. Cockatiels are one of the dustiest bird species, so there’s a good chance for dander to enter the nares.

Cockatiel Sneezing Blood? Why This Could Happen…

Blunt trauma to the head or beak can cause internal bleeding, in which case blood will discharge when your cockatiel sneezes. Flying head-first into a window or falling off the perch has a high likelihood of damaging the head area, which can cause blood to come out during a sneeze.

If you see nose bleeds shortly after a traumatic event, the trauma is the reason why.

Take your cockatiel to the vet as soon as you notice blood coming from the nose.

How To Help Prevent Excessive Sneezing

Considering the causes of sneezing, there are 2 main ways you can prevent excessive sneezing:

Clean the environment regularly

Get yourself an air purifier

These won’t directly stop sneezing, but they’ll prevent your cockatiel from dealing with most things that cause it.

Cleaning The Environment Regularly

The environment includes your cockatiel’s cage, perches, feeding dishes, and the home environment that surrounds them. If you keep these clean, you’ll prevent dust and germ build-up, which ultimately prevents causes of sneezing.

Wipe down surfaces regularly, especially if they’re known to collect dust

Clean the cage weekly or fortnightly (depending on how many birds you have and how often they’re in the cage)

Clean ALL perches weekly

Wash your hands before interacting with your bird

A clean environment is a clean bird, and therefore, two very clear nostrils!

Get Yourself An Air Purifier

Air purifiers clear dust, dander, and even toxic odours from the air if you get a good one.

This is beneficial to your cockatiel AND yourself as you both won’t need to breathe in dust and tiny feathers. Although many high-quality air purifiers are expensive, it’s a good investment in clean air and the overall health of you and your bird.

An air purifier will keep the air near your bird clean and clear, even when using aerosol sprays indoors.

If you want the most effective air purifier for a relatively cheap price, I suggest the Levoit LV-H134.

It has 360° air intake, clears 700 square feet of space, and collects 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.

It’s the ideal device for those who own dusty birds like cockatiels!

When you get it, use it in the space your bird spends the most time in and it’ll constantly be dust-free and toxin-free.

That should stop the sneezing for good!

Thank you for reading!

10 Reasons Why Your Cockatiel Is Sneezing