Treatment of perioda in a parrot at home

Down parasites are parasites that cause significant harm to the health of budgerigars. They are not dangerous to humans because they feed on feathers and skin particles of birds.

It is quite difficult to see them on the body of a down-eater parrot, since they are small in size and grayish-brown in color. The length of the body varies from 1 to 2 mm, but such small parasites can cause irreparable harm to the health of the bird, so if they are identified, it is necessary to undergo surgical treatment.

What it is

The disease caused by exposure to lice beetles is called mallophagosis . For beginners, identifying this disease is quite difficult, since in the first stages of infection the bird’s behavior practically does not change. It is quite difficult to notice insects on feathers due to their small size.

The first signs of infection include a change in the behavior of the parrot, which becomes agitated and restless. The bird often begins to itch or even pull out feathers, so many bare areas appear on its body. The feathers become damaged and many small holes appear on them.

In the photo you can see what the fluff eater looks like:

The main symptoms of fluff eaters

The first signs that down feather eaters have appeared in necklace parrots, as well as other species of this family, include the following signs:

radically changes the behavior of the feathered friend, he becomes very nervous and restless;
there is constant scratching and pecking at the affected areas, even to the point of causing bleeding wounds;
The pet's feathers will be damaged, there will be small holes, as well as obvious areas of eaten areas of the feather along the edges.

In addition to the main signs of a fluff eater, you can see it on your pet’s body with the naked eye. The body length of the insect reaches from 1 to 3 mm. They do not drink blood, but only eat down and feathers. Therefore, when the colony size is low, you can notice large eaten away areas of the bird’s plumage. Small parasites actively crawl over the parrot's body and cause significant discomfort and an itchy feeling. The bird tries to get rid of insects and sucks them out of its feathers, causing wounds to itself. When the first signs of disturbance in the bird are detected, it is necessary to conduct a visual inspection and, if necessary, begin treatment.

How does infection occur?

Periods can appear in a parrot for various reasons:

contact with an infected individual that gets into the pet’s cage, but usually this situation arises in pet stores or the owner does not comply with quarantine when purchasing a second wavy;
a person brings parasites home on his clothes;
using unprocessed twigs to create perches;
purchasing a cage or accessories that are infected with parasites, so immediately after purchasing any item for a parrot you need to treat it with special protective compounds;
exposing the cage with the wavy to the open air in the summer.

The owner must independently ensure that his wavy does not become infected with these parasites, which cause serious health problems.

Causes of infection

Puff eaters can get onto the plumage of a parrot in various ways:

Chicks are highly likely to have parasites if their mother is infected;
a grain mixture purchased at a low price from a dubious seller may contain insect larvae;
cages and accessories that have not undergone the necessary treatment will cause infection;
lice beetles enter a home along with a person’s shoes or clothing. A weakened bird will be subject to a massive proliferation of mites, unlike a healthy bird with good immunity, whose body can cope with parasites;
if you do not thoroughly wash fresh grass or twigs collected from the street, you risk bringing insects into the cage;
a new bird that has not passed quarantine can become a source of infection for other inhabitants of the cage;
contact with birds living in the wild while the parrot is walking in the garden or on the balcony can lead to illness.

Reasons for appearance

Most often, fluff eaters appear in a parrot after contact with another infected individual. For example, if a person decides to buy a pair for his pet, then for the first 2 weeks the new individual must be kept in a separate cage.

During this period of time, all diseases or other health problems in the bird are identified. If a new wavy is immediately placed in a pet’s cage, then this becomes the cause of the transmission of many diseases. Additionally, the parasites spread to the pet parrot.

When purchasing a new cage, drinking bowl, feeder or toy, it is necessary to treat this item with special protective compounds. For pets, it is recommended to purchase only high-quality feed mixtures sold in closed packages, since if you take the mixture by weight, there is a high probability that the grains will be infected with various pests.

Has your parrot been sick?

Not really

Information about lice eaters

Symptoms of feather eating in a parrot

The behavior of an infected bird is usually noticeable. She becomes disheveled and very restless, because the parasites that live on her constantly cause itching for the bird. The parrot itches and even tries to peck at some areas of the skin, plucking feathers. Blood emerges, which also serves as food for the lice eater.

Infestation can also be judged by its general appearance. The parasites gnaw small holes in the feather, and after a while it becomes noticeable that something is wrong with the parrot’s clothes.

The outlines of its individual elements lose their integrity and look clearly damaged. It is worth paying attention to the flight and tail feathers - pest attacks are especially obvious from them.

Experienced amateurs recommend an original way to detect these insects: at night you should lay a clean sheet on the cage tray, covering its edges with Vaseline. If there are fluff eaters on the birds' bodies, in the morning you will find several copies on paper.

Symptoms of a parakeet in a parrot

Important! If you have any doubts about the presence of parasites in your pet, contact your ornithologist. With the help of tests, he will either dispel or confirm suspicions.

Sources of the disease

A bird can become infected through direct contact with a sick individual, for example, if it is in the same cage with it. This happens when parrots offered for sale in a pet store live together in a bird hostel. When purchasing, the new owner may not even realize that the animal he likes is sick.
Sometimes a person himself can infect and bring a down-eater into the house from the street on his clothes.
The same applies to twigs brought from the park or forest. It is possible that an infected bird was sitting on them.
Parasites can also appear on a purchased cage, especially a used one, and on the accessories included with it. If you want to be sure of the cleanliness, and therefore the health of your pets, do not be lazy, carry out a complete disinfection of the new bird house. The same goes for drinking bowls, feeders, toys and other things.
If in the summer the cage is placed, for example, on a balcony, it is necessary to protect your pets from contact with wild birds. Sparrows, tits, crows, and jackdaws are often carriers of various parasites.

How can a parrot become infected with a downy feather eater?

Important! Down-eaters are especially active in warm, often hot, seasons.

Prevention

Below we provide a list of measures that should guide every fan who keeps birds in the house and wants to preserve the health of their pets.

Of course, providing the bird with the right living conditions and a well-chosen diet will be in the foreground. This is important, since a healthy creature is able to cope with any individual pathogens without any consequences;
in the room in which the cage with parrots is located, normal temperature conditions must be maintained, the same applies to humidity;
It is advisable to subject all items intended for your pets and brought from outside to thermal or other disinfection methods;
the cage must be kept clean: in addition to the usual regular cleaning, from time to time it must be disinfected in the same way as everything in it;
If you brought home a newly acquired bird, then before placing it with the other inhabitants, be sure to inspect the condition of the feathers and keep the bird in a month-long quarantine in a separate room. It is advisable that your other birds, flying around the room during walks, do not have the opportunity to sit on the cage to communicate with their new neighbor;
Some amateurs, in addition to all these measures, recommend pouring dry crushed birch or bird cherry leaves onto a tray. They can be covered with paper on top. It is believed that these products are good at repelling parasites;
dried chamomile flowers, twigs of wormwood and lavender, due to some of their toxicity, are packed in linen bags or paper boxes with holes and hung in close proximity to the cage and nesting houses in the summer.

Symptoms

When the first symptoms of infection appear, it is necessary to promptly begin treatment to avoid negative consequences.

The main symptoms of the presence of lice eaters include:

the parrot begins to behave restlessly and anxiously, and also refuses to learn and communicate with humans;
decreased appetite;
the bird tears out its feathers and constantly itches with its paws and beak;
in advanced cases, the parrot not only tears out feathers, but also pecks at the skin, which leads to the appearance of sores and bare skin;
the formation of small black spots on feathers, which are represented by eaten away parts, and they are usually located on the flight or tail feathers.

If you lift a bird's wing, you can see the parasites with the naked eye , since there are few feathers, so the insects are clearly visible on the bare skin. They are represented by small black dots, the size of which does not exceed 2 mm.

Symptoms of infection

Signs of illness in birds include loss of appetite, poor sleep, scratching of the skin with their paws, dull feathers, a disheveled appearance, and loss of plumage.

Down feather eaters eat holes in the feathers of parrots, especially in the flight feathers and tail feathers. This symptom is considered the most characteristic. The bird constantly pecks at itchy areas of the skin and plucks feathers. The parrot's behavior changes, it becomes inactive and very restless.

You can notice parasites if you look under the wing, where there are almost no feathers. Short dark lines will be visible on the skin. The skin itself has bald spots and is covered with flaky crusts.

How to get rid of the disease - treatment methods

It is advisable to immediately contact a veterinarian who can prescribe competent treatment if you discover down-eaters. The sick individual is separated from other birds, and the cage in which the wavy was located is disinfected with insecticidal compounds.

Sick birds are treated with commercial drugs sold in the form of a spray or powder. In order to remove the lice eater, it is possible to combine such treatment with traditional methods that reduce the negative impact of parasites.

The main methods of treatment include:

Store-bought sprays. They are easy to use and effective, so they are often used to combat parasites.
The most popular are Frontline and Insectol sprays. The spray is sprayed on the neck and back of the bird’s head, where the wavy cannot reach with its beak, which prevents the drug from getting on the mucous membranes. It is necessary to press the sprayer about twice so as not to overdo it with the composition. Sometimes it is necessary to spray the drug several times a week, for which the number of detected parasites is taken into account. For prevention, it is recommended to repeat the procedure after a week. To prevent overspraying, you can spray the product into the cap and then apply it to the back of the bird's head with a cotton swab. Do not allow the product to come into contact with the bird’s beak, eyes or ears.
Powder. Means for combating fluff eaters are represented not only by sprays, but also by powders. For processing, the powder is poured into a bag made of gauze, after which the wavy feathers are powdered. This method is considered not very safe, since there is a high probability that the insecticide will get on any mucous membrane of the bird.
Cell processing. To completely destroy the parasites, it is important to treat the cell in which the wavy lives with insecticides. The most aggressive agents, presented in liquid form, are used for the process. Solutions of disinsectal or neostomozan are used. After treatment, the cell is washed with water and dried. It is recommended to repeat this procedure periodically to prevent the reappearance of parasites.
Folk methods. They alone cannot cope with the destruction of pests, so they are used as an auxiliary means. To relieve itching and inflammation, baths made from infusions of chamomile and calendula are used. A more concentrated solution can be rubbed into the bird’s feathers. Treatment is carried out for three days, after which a break is taken for 5 days. Another method is to use sulfur powder or pyrethrum. To do this, wavy feathers are powdered through a gauze bag. The treatment is repeated for several days, but after the first application, the owners notice a significant improvement in the condition of the pet, which stops itching and tearing out feathers.

Regardless of the chosen method of treatment, it is forbidden to delay the process, as this can cause serious consequences.

Down-eaters in parrots

Down-eaters

belong to the family of wingless insects, the order
Mallophaga
- permanent parasites of birds that parasitize the body of parrots, feed on skin scales and particles of feathers and down, released when the skin is damaged by lymph and blood and cause the disease
mallophagosis
. The parasite resembles a louse in appearance. The insect has a yellow-brown color and a slightly elongated flattened body shape. The mouthparts are gnawing type. The paws have claws with which the parasite attaches to the feathers and moves along them.

The disease is transmitted through direct and indirect contact. The source of infection is birds with mallophagosis, as well as infected care products (feeders, drinkers, toys). It is important to remember that wild birds

, so if you bring twigs from the forest for your pets, they should definitely be treated with boiling water before placing them in the cage. Parasites are not resistant to high temperatures and die at temperatures above 80 degrees.

As a rule, the symptoms of the disease are pronounced and easily noticed by owners. Infected birds show severe anxiety, parrots experience severe itching, so they constantly itch and lose feathers on the back, belly, neck, and under the wings. As a result of parasitism by feather eaters, inflammation of the skin develops, bald spots, sometimes covered with crusts, form on the bird’s body, and conjunctivitis

(inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes). The plumage becomes ruffled and loses its shine. When infected with parasites, feathers have many small holes, as if stitched on a sewing machine. A sick bird weakens, loses appetite and sleep, becomes exhausted and becomes easily susceptible to various diseases. In some cases, self-plucking is observed. At the same time, the parrot begins to pluck its feathers.

The diagnosis is made based on clinical signs and identification of mallophages on the body of birds. To facilitate the identification of mallophages, their thermotropism is used. To do this, place the bird in the sun for 5-10 minutes or heat the affected areas with a lamp. In this case, mallophages emerge on the surface of the feather cover.

Treatment. If you become infected with lice-eaters, you must thoroughly treat the cage with special disinfectants, and then rinse well with water and scald with boiling water. It is also necessary to treat all perches, feeders, drinking bowls, and toys. To treat sick birds, various insecticides are used in the form of aerosols (Frontline-spray, Celandine-spray, Insektol, Arpalit). The bird is processed from a distance of 20 cm, avoiding contact with the oral cavity and eyes. Repeated treatment, if necessary, is carried out after 7-10 days.

Prevention

To prevent the wavy from becoming infected with down-eaters, it is important to follow certain rules.

These include:

creating optimal living conditions, so all purchased products are disinfected, and high-quality food is purchased in closed packaging;
a competent diet allows you to create a strong immune system that easily fights various diseases or parasites;
in the room where the cage is located, optimal temperature and humidity are maintained;
Regular cleaning of the cage and the space next to it is required;
new wavy birds require an adaptation period and quarantine;
the condition of the feathers is periodically checked to quickly identify insects;
It is recommended to place dried lavender and chamomile flowers next to the cage, as the smell from these plants repels parasites;
It is not recommended to take the cage out into the open air and place it directly on the ground, so it is advisable to simply open the window in the summer.

If you plan to purchase a new individual that will join your pet, then it is advisable to buy the bird from a breeder, and not at the poultry market.

Treatment methods

If there are several feathered pets in the house, then it is urgently necessary to isolate the infected bird from other individuals. The cage where the sick parrot was kept is disinfected using

insecticides or soaked in a manganese solution. Parrot therapy involves applying a special anti-parasitic spray to the body. As traditional methods of treatment, you can use baths for bathing birds with infusion of chamomile or wormwood.

Treatment should be carried out as early as possible; with a large number of parasites, the health of the parrot significantly worsens. If the immune system is very weak or the lesion is observed in a young individual, then fluff eaters can cause the death of the pet. Only a timely response from the owner to the problem will improve the pet’s well-being. If it is not possible to carry out treatment on your own, then you should take the bird to an animal clinic, where an ornithologist will perform the procedure in accordance with all the rules and give recommendations for further care.

Negative consequences of exposure to parasites

Infestation with downy feather eaters can lead to numerous negative consequences for the bird.

These include:

the appearance of dermatitis associated with the fact that the bird constantly scratches its skin with its beak and paws;
if the parrot tears the skin, then serious bleeding wounds are formed, due to which the inflammatory process begins;
the habit of pecking skin becomes so entrenched in behavior that the wavy continues this activity even after the destruction of pests;
such a disease leads to a weakening of the body, therefore, due to reduced immunity, the bird is exposed to other microorganisms and infections;
since the bird’s appetite decreases, this becomes the cause of exhaustion;
Down feather eaters are especially dangerous for young individuals, whose eyes become inflamed, and the feathers on their backs almost completely fall out, and some weak chicks die altogether.

To avoid such negative consequences, it is necessary to quickly identify parasites, as well as use high-quality medications to destroy them.

Treatment

Therapy is carried out with insecticidal preparations, which are not always well tolerated by birds. If your pet has contracted parasites for the first time, consult a specialist about the remedy and its dosage. The drugs are toxic, and exceeding the dose can cause even greater harm. Ask your veterinarian to show you how to handle a sick bird so you can do it correctly later.

To combat down-eaters, ornithologists recommend the Frontline insecticidal spray. It is used to remove parasites from dogs and cats, but it also works well on feather eaters. “Insectol”, “Arpalit”, “Clandestine” spray and “Epocid alpha” are also used.

The parrot is carefully sprayed from the back, moving the can 10-15 cm away from the bird. The manipulation lasts no more than 1 minute. It is important to protect the eyes, beak, nasal and ear passages of the bird from contact with the spray. The frequency of repetition of the procedure is determined by the doctor or guided by the instructions.

Severely affected areas are treated more thoroughly. Holding the bird in your hands, spray the product for literally 1-2 seconds.

Exner Petguard is considered the safest product because it contains non-toxic lactic acid, which only affects parasites and does not harm the parrot.

Treatment with home methods gives a good effect at the very beginning of the disease:

Birds are bathed in water with the addition of infusions of wormwood, chamomile or calendula. The bird is washed carefully and thoroughly, being careful not to wet its head.
The same, but dried herbs, ground into powder, are powdered onto the affected areas through a gauze bag.
Sprinkle the feathers with the low-toxic preparation pyrethrum or colloidal sulfur.
The procedures are repeated after 3-5 days.

To increase immunity, it is recommended to feed a sick bird with vitamins and mineral supplements, give crushed eggshells and fresh herbs.

To successfully treat your pet, you need to take care of some more important things:

If there are several parrots, you should immediately remove the sick bird.
Disinfect the cage with an insecticidal agent, then pour boiling water over it, dry it and make sure that there are no insects or larvae in it.
If there is a play stand, then this also needs to be treated, as well as the places in the apartment where the bird likes to sit when it is released from the cage.

Treatment of the pet should be started immediately, especially for fragile chicks, aged individuals or those with weakened immune systems.