hi everyone, trying to find out more info on red mite as we are still trying to determine why my last chick died and what the problem was, what are the symptoms apart from being itchy and are they only itchy at night when the mite is out and about? or can they itch during the day too. what kills it? will ivermectine do the trick? or does the bird mite sprays do it as well? and what are the effects on chicks if they get attatcked by red mite anyone have any pics of birds or chicks that have had these mites and what they looked like if there were any visual signs. i noticed my 2 adults itching and today after the girl had a bath i noticed she had quite a red strip up the side of her wing which looked slightly bald and def irritated and wondered if she had itched at it to make it like that. i contacted the only avaian vet i know of and she has not gotten back to me at all and is to far to travel to (near 2 hours) so as yet dont know much about it all. any info especially pics appreciated.

I havent ever had a case of red mites but there is a test to see if you have them. Could well be something like that. Try the test in this article and see what comes of it.

 

Red mites, Dermanyssus sp., can occur in all psittacines, including the small ones. These mites are very contagious between birds of different species, and they suck blood. They are visible to the naked eye as tiny specks of red pepper. Diagnosis can be attempted at home by covering the cage with a white sheet at night and then examining it in the morning for the presence of little specks of red or black. Red mites remain off the bird and climb on the host to take a blood meal at night. They can make the infested birds very nervous and irritated as they interfere with normal sleep patterns. They sometimes bite people when birds are absent. In addition to treating the birds with red mites, the entire cage and bird area must be thoroughly disinfected to prevent reinfestation. The main thing to remember is that the mites will NOT be visible on the bird during examination during the day, so it is easy to miss them.

Good luck :dbb1: