can my pet budgie catch my cold?

Question

I know that there are infections and illnesses that humans can catch from birds, but, can my Budgie catch my cold? I've been sick for 3 days and I'm a little worried.

SydneySparrow-How would I know if he had a cold? What are the symptoms? Thank you guys for your answers thusfar.

Answer 1

While your budgie can't catch a human cold virus, he/she can still get a respiratory infection from poor husbandry/chills/drafts. Please make sure that the cage isn't near any doors or windows that might send a breeze his/her way!

A bird with a respiratory infection will sit with feathers fluffed, and breathing will be labored. Usually, you can hear little sneezes or snorts, noises like we make when we have a cold. You might notice some discharge from the eyes and/or nostrils. If it's a female, and she has a brown cere, it may be hard to see the discharge in her nostrils, but look close! Often, their appetite diminishes, since they can't smell their food. If the bird starts hanging out at the bottom of the cage, it's not a good sign.

While pet stores do offer remedies for respiratory infections, rarely do they work. They're put into the drinking water, but if the budgie won't drink, then they don't get the meds. They can turn for the worse pretty quickly, so if you think your bird is sick, get him/her to an avian vet. They'll test for what's wrong, and give the right meds, to fight the right organism.

I hope things turn out OK!

Answer 2

As a bird owner and breeder, yes they can catch a cold and if they do, it can kill them. I have lost a lot budgies. If they have a cold take it to the Vet ASAP.

Answer 3

i'm assuming that you have "the common cold" in which case your pet cannot catch it. I don't think both you and your pet shoot up because that's pretty much the only way that you can transmit anything through blood and bodily secretions not including saliva

Answer 4

No, you can't pass your illness to animal