Whistling Gander

[Phalanx]

Hi everybody,

Long time lurker first time poster; you guys have helped me out a lot with questions I had in the past but I couldn't find anything quite like this. I have a gander who looks like he has something stuck in his throat (a feather maybe?). Usually I'd just let him deal with it but he seems to be very irritated by it and I don't know if it's dangerous.

He's briefly done this before, though not as loudly. We have wormed him about a month ago. Is it possible that this is worms anyway?

Thanks for the help!

Edit: This started happening pretty suddenly this morning. I don't know anything about worms, but wouldn't that be a more gradual onset if he was accumulating them?

 

[Flufferes]

My guess would be gapeworm, but i am not specified in geese. Do they eat slugs and earthworms a lot?

 

[Phalanx]

My guess would be gapeworm, but i am not specified in geese. Do they eat slugs and earthworms a lot?

There are slugs and earthworms in the garden where they live, but I've never seen them eat one. I've seen them purposefully avoid slugs that were in their eating path. I guess I should worm them again to be safe though.

 

[jtn42248]

Does the whistle seem to be coming from his mouth or his nares? I ask because mine will sometimes get something stuck in their nares and make a whistle sound. Once they have water to dip their head in it goes away.

 

[Phalanx]

Does the whistle seem to be coming from his mouth or his nares? I ask because mine will sometimes get something stuck in their nares and make a whistle sound. Once they have water to dip their head in it goes away.

He kept "coughing" for about an hour, now his voice is back to normal. He did take a drink but it didn't seem to help much. I think it was coming from his mouth (had to look up 'nares') but it's done now.

Do birds with gapeworm squeak off and on like that, or is it a continual thing?

At this point it really does seem to me like he probably swallowed a feather and it got stuck or something, but if he does need worming I'd like an outside opinion...