my next door neighbour also has an avairy of budgies but they are dying of one at a time young and old including babies and she is close to opening the avairy door and walk away. her avairy faces the same direction as mine (northish), better fed than mine (they get greens nearly everyday) so on the weekend we're moving her birds into another avairy without nestboxes, digging her floor out and replacing it (we use untreated wood chips) burning out her nests and spraying for mites and scrubbing all containers. just wondering disinfectant could we use and should we also scrub the avairy itself. i said to her that she should then leave tha avairy empty and not breed for a couple months.

her other avairies of canaries and turks are perfectly healthy

is there anything else that we should do to make sure that avairy is pest and disease free. she rents so cant concrete floor.

Oh boy, I don't know the complete answer but I am so sorry to hear about this.

First you have to see if she can found out what caused the dying babies. I know I have heard mega is almost impossible to get rid of because I believe it lays dorminant.

 

Good luck

Timbo, prior to birds beginning to die, did your neighbour introduce any new birds without full quaratining them at all and putting them in with the others ( introduced disease like psittacosis ) ?

Megabacteria that Elly mentioned is a secondary illness which rears its ugly head AFTER something else has hit.

Psittacosis will knock birds down very fast. Here one minute gone the next.

What birds have been affected ?

What were their symptoms ?

Has any birds been sent for tests ?

 

I would not be in a rush to dig up an aviary floor that may be harbouring possible psittacosis as humans can contract that. I am not saying thats whats happening but until we have more information I would not be digging up or breathing in any droppings dust if I was you. For the money value loss of birds alone, it is well worth paying for an autopsy to be done on a newly dead bird to see what you are dealing with. Failing that a sick bird taken to the vet for bloodwork is essential. Mites wont do it, it must be something much more "nasty" going on.

Edited September 28, 200717 yr by KAZ
spelling

Just a tip, I hope that you change your clothes & shower,before going to do anything

in your avery.Or you will have them droping off the perch as well.

It is best to take a very sick or moribund bird in for tests if it is a virus. Dead ones will start to autolyse immediately after death, so it is best to collect the dead ones as quick as possible and put them in a refrigerator so that you can take them to the vet for a necropsy. If any are seen to be becoming sick take it to the vet as it will just be starting to have the virus attack and thus the virus should be easier to detect. Most dead and sick ones have lost the virus already if it is a gastrointestinal virus.

 

So take to your vet some dead budgies and sick ones.

Edited October 1, 200717 yr by Sailorwolf

i'll tell her that about the vet and i've told her no more birds till we solve this problem unless they are exceptional then they will have to into one of my empty avairy for awhile

That is so sad but I agree with the others, it is worth taking a dead one to a bird vet and have it tested it is the only way you are going to find out what is going on. Good luck

Has she tried any medicines to stop the birds dying ?

Start with cocivet or bacox , then doxicycline (turbosol) or Sulfa 3 . It may halt the carnage but by doing this way you will not know exactly what they have . To some people this does not matter they just want the birds to stop dying . Many people in the hobby medicate their birds on a roster several times a year and have the medicines in their cupboards ask members of your club to lend you some medicine to try until you find the one that works if you dont want to spend a lot of money until you know what works . The best way is a trip to the vets to get the problem properly diagnosed but this can be a costly exercise and some people are not prepared to spend that sort of money this is where the try it and see method may work . Research in a book may help there are some good books available on bird health and medications , Australian Birdkeeper has one that is excellant and give a list of medications and their uses . Hope this helps you some , good luck .

 

Bubbles.