Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:34 am Post subject: Mites?
Hi all
just had one of my cockatiel chicks approx 3 weeks old die in the nest.her two older siblings fledged with nps but sadly she didnt make it.When I took her out of the nest to bury her,thought Id better check underneth to see if there were any reasons why.All around her vent were little aphid type bugs that I thought might be mites?Feeling really bad that I didnt keep more of an eye on her but hopefully part of the learning process and avoid it for next time.In that one avairy I have 5 adult tiels,2 chicks 6 weeks and a pair of kaks also sitting on chicks.Ive removes the nest box, burnt the contents, scrubbed the nest box with half half vinegar and water and allowed to sun dry.Is that enough to kill the mites?Can I dust for mites on the other birds while they have chicks or wait till after?
Thanks heaps
What you describe appears to me as what you call the red mite. They suck the blood from the birds. Young chicks and sometimes mature birds finally die of anaemia.
Ask your vet for Ivermectin in a dropping bottle. It is the most effective product against parasites and some worms. A few dropplets on their skin. You have to repeat it every 2 weeks during a month because there are possible eggs left over.
You also have to disinfect the aviary with a pesticide for birds (spray).
Give special attention to cracks and corners because the red live in there.
Also get a mite spray, and mist the aviaries. This may have to be repeated several times over the next few weeks.And keep up the vinegar. Don't spray them together, but on separate days...It is unknown what effect each have on each other..IE the vinegar may break down the chemical mite sprays causing them to be ineffective.
When misting spray, in a direction so it lands on the birds, and have your birds fly thru it
I have no personal experience of the problem. and only advised other breeders who have solved the problem.
You will either get rid of them very easy, or it will be a disheartening on going problem over several months, that will eventually be solved if follow up treatments are carried out.
I believe preventive maintaince is the key, ...the 50/50 vinegar, from a suggestion I made in an older post, is only a pet Theory of mine. The aviaries are sprayed every 4 to 6 weeks. I have nothing to say it actually works, other than we don't get mites and worms, and it worked for the generations before the drug companies decided to convince us (and have) that modern drugs/chemicals are the only things that work. All in the interests of the shareholders. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Princess,
There is a spray (available here in Australia) made by Aristopet. It is called Bird lice and mite spray. It comes in a spray bottle and is perfect for Kakariki and Cockatiels. We have been using it now for the past 3 yrs and it works great. The red mite as described by Peter is probably the cause of death. These mite are distributed into the aviary by wild birds (usually pigeons) and we suffered similar deaths to what you have experienced.
The spray is harmless to the birds and can be sprayed in the box even when there are chicks in the nest. We spray the 4 internal corners of our nest boxes everytime they are cleaned and sometimes when the chicks have reached feather stage depending on the time of year. Mites seem to be at their worst when the weather starts to warm up.
We also spray a mist over the adult birds every 3 months to help keep their plumage shiny and bright. This spray is used by budgie breeders before entering their birds into shows. It is a must if you have mites.
Thanks heaps for the info will try all avenues as I dont want to lose my beautiful birds.We do have a lot of pigeons,butcher birds and honey eaters around our place as we are really close to the coast.
once again and always thank you.
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