What do they look like?
Dog, cat and rat parasites are widespread in the European part of the continent. Parrots have fleas, that is, avian individuals are not much different in appearance from their counterparts. The insect's body is flattened on both sides and protected on top by a chitinous shell.
The length of a mature insect varies around 2-3 mm. The color can vary from light brown to black, depending on the subspecies and age of the pest. Bird fleas feel equally comfortable on all birds, regardless of size, be it a massive cockatoo or a small budgie.
Flea
For reference! The largest fleas are elk fleas. They reach a length of 1 cm, and after drinking blood they swell to 1.5 cm. Naturally, such large individuals do not take root on birds, but only on large warm-blooded animals.
Appearance of parasites
There can be quite a lot of fleas in a parrot, the treatment of which we will consider a little later, and they all have a certain resemblance to canines, but they are not them. Surely you did not know the fact that the parasites that affect dogs are not subsequently transmitted to birds and vice versa. The same goes for yourself.
If your pet has fleas, then you should not be afraid that they will subsequently spread to you. It will not happen.
As for their appearance, they look quite distinctive. A small flattened body, three pairs of legs, etc. The length of their body is about one to five millimeters.
The lifespan of these parasites is only a couple of weeks. However, during this time they manage to produce large offspring.
Therefore, if your birds do have parasites, then there is no point in separating them into different cages. As soon as fleas are found in a room, they will automatically reach each of the feathered pets living there. Moreover, considering the fact that they do not live on the parrot’s body itself.
Ways of infection by parasites
Many people believe that if a parrot does not leave its cage and does not come into contact with other pets, then in principle it cannot become infected with fleas. Actually this is not true. Parasites enter the home not only through cats and dogs.
Ways of flea infection:
- through the ventilation system and other technical openings;
- through food;
- through filler (sand, sawdust);
- is carried by a person.
If the owner had contact with infected animals, then fleas could become attached to the sleeves of clothing. The bird could also already have parasites if it was purchased at a poultry market, where there is no pest control as such.
For reference! Fleas are especially noticeable in small birds with sparse plumage, such as budgerigars, while in large birds such as cockatoos or African African Grays, it is much more difficult to diagnose an infestation, especially at an early stage.
Danger of parasites
Insects carry life-threatening diseases for parrots and people: typhoid, plague, tularemia, salmonellosis, hepatitis B and C, plague. They can also infect your pet with helminth eggs. Due to pests, the mental state of the bird deteriorates and anemia develops. The general condition becomes worse: the parrot becomes lethargic and lethargic, eats worse, and sleeps poorly.
A weakened immune system is also dangerous. Because of it, birds get sick more often and become vulnerable to infections. Diseases and their complications can cause death.
Fleas are also dangerous for people and other pets. Parasites can jump on them and bite painfully.
How can you tell if a bird is infected?
Alas, you can find out whether a parrot has fleas only after another week, when the parasite population has grown. It is extremely difficult to notice several lonely individuals on a bird with the naked eye. In addition, the pet does not show visible concern at the initial stage of infection. Therefore, most often you have to fight with an entire colony of insects.
Signs of parasites in a parrot:
- anxiety;
- loss of feathers;
- lack of appetite;
- the bird often hides its head under its wing;
- liquid droppings;
- barely noticeable insects at the base of the feathers.
Why are fleas dangerous?
First of all, this is serious discomfort for the bird. When the parasite population grows, they require more food and with each bite the animal experiences severe pain, scratching itself until it bleeds. In advanced cases, the bird loses its plumage.
Fleas are also carriers of dangerous infectious diseases and other parasites, such as worms. If the insect ends up on interior items or on the floor, then the next victim will probably be a person or other pets.
Preventive actions
To prevent the appearance of ectoparasites in the cage and re-infection of parrots, the following measures are taken:
- In the morning and evening, water clean the room where the cage with the parrots is located.
- The new bird is not immediately placed in a common cage, but is pre-treated with insecticides and kept in quarantine for some time.
- Remains of food are removed from the feeder at night, and the drinking bowl is thoroughly washed with hot water.
- The sand in the cage is sifted once a day and changed weekly.
- General cleaning of the cage is carried out once a month. Then it is treated with tincture of wormwood, eucalyptus or chamomile. Or hang a twig of wormwood grass in the cage.
Daily care of birds, close attention to their behavior, preventive measures and timely removal of emerging parasites will prevent the spread of fleas and diseases in pets. If your parrot gets sick, immediately seek help from a veterinarian.
How to remove fleas from a parrot?
You should get rid of parasites as soon as the first signs of infestation are detected. Otherwise, in a few weeks there will be hundreds of fleas around the apartment. Only one female is capable of laying about 300 eggs, so you can’t delay pest control.
Flea infestation
Poultry processing
Industrial preparations are considered the most effective: aerosols, sprays, powders and powders. As a rule, these are universal remedies that allow you to get rid of not only fleas, but also solve other problems, such as lice.
Popular remedies for parasites:
- Frontline;
- Eco spray Vitomax;
- Insectal;
- Celandine powder;
- Canina PETVITAL Verminex.
Important! Not all birds have an adequate body response to contact medications. For example, fleas in budgerigars should be treated only with gentle means, since this species reacts particularly sharply to industrial chemicals. Your pet may have a severe allergic reaction.
All drugs against parasitic insects are quite toxic. To avoid unpleasant consequences, you should consult a veterinarian. He will prescribe allergy tests and select the optimal remedy in a particular case.
Processing the cage and equipment
If a parrot is infested, the cage should be treated with detergents. First you need to remove all accessories: feeder, drinking bowl, toys, etc. They are disinfected separately. If sawdust or sand are used, they must also be replaced: under no circumstances should the old filler be diluted with new filler in such scenarios.
A solution of laundry soap and soda is most often used as a detergent. Heat-resistant elements and accessories are doused with boiling water. If the problem appears in winter, then the cage with equipment can be taken out into the cold. At sub-zero temperatures the parasite quickly dies.
Home treatment
After disinfecting the cage, it is necessary to treat the house to eliminate the possibility of the parasite spreading. Here it is also more advisable to use industrial means, since the modern market offers a lot of solutions for any scenario.
Popular anti-flea insecticides:
- Clean house;
- Sinuzan;
- Get;
- Raptor;
- Combat Super Spray.
For processing
Important! To completely get rid of fleas, it is necessary to carry out disinfestation throughout the entire house, and not just in individual rooms.
Parasites actively migrate and when treating one room they will simply move to another.
Method for treating fleas in budgies
The problem of cure is complicated by the fact that the bird will need to be picked up, and this is not easy. A feathered friend can bite very painfully, which is generally safe for humans, but, in rare cases, the wound can fester, so it is recommended to contact an am. The fight against blood-sucking insects is similar to how to get rid of ticks. Comprehensive measures need to be taken. The treatment takes place in three stages: treating the budgie, cleaning the cage, and treating the house. In the future, only prevention will be required to prevent parasites from rampant again.
Any anti-insect medications should be used strictly after the recommendation of a veterinarian. The skin of the bird is treated with medications, making sure that they do not get on the feathers. Following the recommendations will ensure that the bird is not harmed. Anostomazan is considered a safe medication for budgies.
This product must be dissolved in water and applied to the body of your feathered friend using a spray bottle. To dilute the medicine in water correctly, you need to know the weight of the parrot. To completely remove all insects, you will need to carry out insecticidal treatment in the bath. The temperature of such a bath should not exceed +35°C.
How to make anti-flea baths?
The owner should take the parrot by the wings with his left hand, and with his right hand he will need to hold the pet’s head. Next, place the pet in the solution. The procedure lasts from 7-10 seconds, after which the bird is placed back into the cage.
How to properly treat a cell?
Before treatment, the feathered friend is transplanted into another cage. The main dwelling should be thoroughly washed, dried, disinfected, placed on the balcony and ventilated for several hours. When cleaning the house for your pet is finished, the cage will need to be wiped with napkins or a towel; the same is done with toys, perches, and mirrors. Food containers should be washed thoroughly with hot, clean water.
Can a person become infected?
Fleas parasitize warm-blooded animals, using the host's blood as food. Insects live on parrots, dogs, cats and other pets. Animal fur and bird feathers protect the parasite from the eyes of potential enemies and unfavorable climatic conditions. It also contributes to the rapid reproduction of the pest.
A person is deprived of fur, so a flea cannot physically gain a foothold on him. In this case, the parasite obtains food according to the principle of eating and retreating. That is, there is no talk of infection as such. The flea hides under baseboards, in floor cracks, carpets and furnishings - wherever it can crawl or jump.
It is quite easy to detect the presence of a parasite based on obvious symptoms. These are primarily bitten legs and other parts of the body where the skin is especially thin: shoulders, neck, armpits, etc. Just as in the case of parrots, such proximity is fraught not only with painful bites and the desire to scratch problem areas, but also with the development of dangerous infectious diseases.
What fleas can bite parrots
Of the huge variety of blood-sucking insects that live on the body of animals and even humans, there is a separate species that has chosen birds. This is the so-called bird flea, which is not particularly different from cat or dog parasites, but prefers to live with birds and feed on their blood, laying offspring in nests. She also reproduces quickly and actively, producing new offspring in 2 weeks.
Most likely, a bird parasite will not settle on the body of cats and dogs, and dog and cat fleas are unlikely to be interested in a parrot. It is also unlikely that a bird flea will bite a person. But this cannot be ruled out for sure.
Preventive measures
The optimal environment for the development of any parasites is dirt, leftover food and an abundance of excrement, that is, unsanitary conditions. Therefore, the cage must be cleaned and disinfected at least once a week. The same goes for related accessories.
You need to watch what gets inside the cell. It is useful for parrots to gnaw on fresh branches and sharpen their beaks on them. But the latter can be infected with fleas, so everything brought for the bird from the street or store must be disinfected.
Important! Particular attention should be paid to the feed. It is better to buy grains or nutritional supplements in specialized pet stores, and not at the poultry market, where there is practically no control over the quality of products.
Diagnostics
Many bird owners wonder: how can you tell if there are fleas? Unfortunately, this is quite difficult to do and sometimes the symptoms are completely inexpressive. And since parrots are always active and constantly clean their feathers, it is difficult to figure out whether they are doing this procedure out of love for cleanliness or because parasites bite them.
Often fleas can be detected too late - when there are a lot of them. The parrot becomes overly restless, itches all the time against the bars of the cage, constantly screams and loses feathers. All these symptoms should alert owners.
It is necessary to conduct a more detailed inspection of the bird, sorting through all the feathers one by one. Better yet, contact a veterinarian - the doctor will help rid the parrot of parasites by prescribing special medications.
