Hi All,

 

I've been breeding since about JUly this year and have successfully raised about 30 budgies so far.

 

I have a bird room with 24 cages of which 16 i am using for bredding my beautiful Budgies.

 

Just in the last 2 weeks I have started having problems.....

 

I lost a couple of birds in different cages and im not sure why, this morning like i do every morning I checked my birds and i was horrified to learn i lost 2 Adults and 4 Babies in one bank of 8 Breeding cages. The 2 Adults were in one cage, 2 babies out of the nest box in another and 1 baby in 2 other cages found in the nest box (One had 3 other babies in there) and one had 3 eggs)

 

I am devastated, I dont know what to do. I've been going through in my head what the problem may be. A bit of back ground....

 

I have only lost the birds in a bank of 8 cages which were brought 2nd Hand and cleaned thoroughly before use.

 

I have noticed mouse droppings in the last 2 weeks as well in the bird room and set traps straight away, and caught only 1 in that time.

 

The Bird room is part of my aviary and is fully sheltered and not enclosed.

 

All my birds are healthy and the ones i lost were fine one day and gone the next.

 

In one of the Nest boxes i found a little blood with little red bugs or they could of been a different colour (Not sure) in the groove of the lid to look inside.

 

I would appreciate if anyone has any advice on what may be wrong.

 

My other bank of 8 cages, I have had no problems at all, thats why im thinking it may not be the mice but something else specific to the 8 cages on the other side.

 

Thanks

Not aure at all but I'll start with the mites which you have seen- try a drop of ivermectin on the birds to rid them of mites off themselves, try the vet for this it seems to work better than most petshop sprays. Spray all cages and boxes with a decent insecticide- Daz uses good ones and will know the name of them- from vetafarm I think, make sure it gets into all the joins. I have also used a paste of salt and water lathered all over the nestboxes it will sweep out once dry,

Are the birds showing no signs whatsoever? Losing a bit of weight (needs to be felt as feathers dont give you an accurate assessment by looking).

Mice- I leave poison laying in an empty powerade bottle on the floor as it has a bigger lid opening for the mice to get it out. ALot of people wont use poison but I havent had any problems so far.

ARe the chicks being fed as mites will stop them eating properly?

It might pay to get some necropsies done.

Would you know if i can spray whilst there are babies still in the nest box as i dont really want to move if i dont have to?

 

 

 

Not aure at all but I'll start with the mites which you have seen- try a drop of ivermectin on the birds to rid them of mites off themselves, try the vet for this it seems to work better than most petshop sprays. Spray all cages and boxes with a decent insecticide- Daz uses good ones and will know the name of them- from vetafarm I think, make sure it gets into all the joins. I have also used a paste of salt and water lathered all over the nestboxes it will sweep out once dry,

Are the birds showing no signs whatsoever? Losing a bit of weight (needs to be felt as feathers dont give you an accurate assessment by looking).

Mice- I leave poison laying in an empty powerade bottle on the floor as it has a bigger lid opening for the mice to get it out. ALot of people wont use poison but I havent had any problems so far.

ARe the chicks being fed as mites will stop them eating properly?

Hi there , be careful treating young babies with ivomec as you can easily overdose them , you can spray with ail from vetafarm or you can use coopex from any farm supplies.

If your looking to self treat your birds you must know what the symptoms are and treat the symptoms first , First question is have you had rain in the last week as this can bring on coccidiosis which is the sudden death of both aged birds of both sexes and young. You treat with a sulfur base medicine which all budgerigar owners should carry as this can save most birds if any disease pops up and is caught in time.

Secondly a mouse problem can bring salmonella which will bring deaths check your water and seed for any signs of contamination and change if required , address the mouse problem with traps or poison , I have poison out all the time and i will change brands also .

Good luck .

Hi,

 

Thanks for your reply, When i got home after work today I quickly raced out to the aviary to make sure everything was okay, thankfully it was, I closely inspected the cages again and found them to be infested with a little red/brown creature, Are these Mites??

 

I brought some spray and sprayed all my cages, they were everywhere, I quickly took all food and water containers out and washed them. then cleaned all the cages.

 

What I am wondering now are the mites the problem?

 

Reading what you wrote about "coccidiosis" we have had rain in the last week or two, not alot but enough. I will read more about this on the internet, do you know what the sulfur based medicine is called? as i do not have it.

 

My water and feed is changed constantly so i do not think it is the mice, I also trap and bait for mice all the time and have in the past and never had a problem.

 

Thanks for your advice if you can tell me any more info I would greatly appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

Hi there , be careful treating young babies with ivomec as you can easily overdose them , you can spray with ail from vetafarm or you can use coopex from any farm supplies.

If your looking to self treat your birds you must know what the symptoms are and treat the symptoms first , First question is have you had rain in the last week as this can bring on coccidiosis which is the sudden death of both aged birds of both sexes and young. You treat with a sulfur base medicine which all budgerigar owners should carry as this can save most birds if any disease pops up and is caught in time.

Secondly a mouse problem can bring salmonella which will bring deaths check your water and seed for any signs of contamination and change if required , address the mouse problem with traps or poison , I have poison out all the time and i will change brands also .

Good luck .

You have red spider mites, common in poultry. They come oput at night and are blood sucking creatures. They hide in crevices during the day.

 

The poultry red mite is one of the most important ectoparasites affecting egg layers in all types

of production system across the UK and Europe. It is an obligatory blood-feeding parasite of

birds that attacks the resting hens, mainly during the night, for a short (1 – 2 hours) blood meal.

After feeding, the mites hide in cracks and crevices away from daylight, where they mate and

lay eggs.

At high levels of infestation, attacks by the mite can cause increased stress to the birds and

subsequently reduced egg production, anaemia and in severe cases, death. They have also

been implicated as vectors of several significant disease organisms such as chicken pox virus,

Newcastle virus and fowl typhoid. The mites can even occasionally bite mammals, including

humans, causing painful skin irritation, thus posing a working environment problem.

LIFESTAGES

§ Red mites only parasitise birds in darkness and blood-feed for 1-2 hours per night.

§ Red mites spend the majority of their lifecycle in cracks and crevices, and the

females lay eggs there.

§ Red mite eggs are small (400 x 270m) oval and pearly white. Under warm

conditions, these can hatch into six-legged larvae within 2-3 days.

§ Before feeding, the larvae moult into an eight-legged protonymph within 24 hours.

§ Protonymphs start to feed on the roosting birds, moulting to a deutonymph that

continues to feed before becoming an adult male or female.

§ Under favourable conditions the lifecycle (egg-to-egg) of the red mite can be

completed within seven days.

§ Populations can, therefore, rapidly build up within poultry houses.

§ Red mites can also survive without a blood feed for up to eight months and can

resist desiccation.

RED MITE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

The four basic components of any management programme are:

§ Cultural control - exclusion of red mite harbourages and crevices as much as

possible by sealing joints in nestboxes and feeders.

§ Good personal hygiene to prevent the spread of mites between sites.

§ Frequent monitoring of mite infestation and prompt localised treatment of mite

hotspots.

 

As the red mites are able to survive rigorous cleaning and disinfection in sufficient

numbers to infest subsequent flocks, and the destruction of all their habitats is hard to control, chemical solutions seem to be the only remedy.

 

Mites can be a big problem in large quantities , I have Known them to drink the blood of a chick in one night leaving them dead or close to it in the morning. This could have been your problem , I would now follow up with sprays once a week during the hot weather to make sure you are free of the mite. Its the hot weather that gives the mite a real chance to take hold in the bird house , you have to spray more frequently during the hot months.

If you still loose birds after spraying then you have a second problem , Thats why I mentioned to watch out for any symptoms that may be unusual .

Coccidiosis is a parasite that lives in the lining of the birds intestine, here they stop the absorbtion of nutrients from the food or they can cause the intestinal wall to haemorrhage which either way leads to starvation or death.

The parasite is passed on by the droppings where other birds come in contact with them, overcrowding can be a problem .

Generally prevention is better then cure i use a product called carlox or vetafarm has a product called coccivet.

The sulfur product I use is sulfur avs , but if you go to any good pet shop they should have sulfur D this will keep your birds alive long enough to get a diagnosis from a vet in bad cases or it will fix them, within a day you will notice the bird picking up , but remember Good Husbantry before antibiotics , the old term good avairy management will give all your birds a better life then medicating all the time.

Goodluck.

You need to go to apet shop,that sells veta farm products

& get container of .Avian Insect Liquidator.Spray the boxes & the birds

& that will get rid of the Red Mites.As it has been said they suck the blood

from the birds,The spray will not hurt the birds.

wow... I hope you can resolve this mite problem soon. Good luck!

I don’t like using too many chemicals, but I have found Ivermectin to be very helpful with mites & worms. If I were you I would try to get some from a vet, as to buy it in a full pack is very expensive if you only have a small number of birds.

 

Just one drop on the skin of each bird, like some have said you would have to be real careful with small young, as I have never treated them. As your problem seems like it’s red mite, they suck the blood of birds at night or in the nest, so Ivermectin will make every bird toxic to them. So it should completely eradicate the mites, as it remains active for about 21 days & all mites should have hatched in that time. This treatment should work without the need for sprays or anything else. I used to get cases of red mite in the summer, but since using Ivermectin for scaly mite I haven’t had any cases, as once eradicated it would have to be reintroduced from somewhere else.

 

If unnoticed Red mites can build up into enormous numbers at this time of year.

If you have mites, Hold a bird up to the light and look through the feathers to see the dark spots.

If you have red mite. Check the nest boxes early morning and you will see them.

 

If you are losing so many birds, and adlut birds as well, there would have to be a "BIG" mite problem. .. I don't think this is the case.

 

Sailorwolf has the best idea and have them checked. I suspect that you are transmitting the problem from cage to cage on your hands. Start washing your hands with anti bacteria soap or Chlorahexidine between cages.

The Mites were absolutely everywhere in this one bank of 8 cages. I have sprayed all the cages and sprayed all my budgies, I'm hoping this eradicates the problem.

 

I checked my birds this morning and everyone was happy and I could not see any moving mites. I will respray again tonight just to make sure I have got them all.

 

I beleive that this is now the problem as all my birds were dying throughout the night and not during the day.

 

Fingers crossed all is now over. I have learnt so much and thankyou to everyone who has given me advice. It really makes this forum so valuable.

 

I will purchase the products you have mentioned and hopefully will not have this problem again as I am now fully aware of it.

 

Thanks again

What did you spray them with,if you havent brought the Liquidator yet.

What did you spray them with,if you havent brought the Liquidator yet.

 

 

Macka,

 

I went to a pet place and brought Aristopet Mite and Lice Spray, its all they had, and i needed something very urgently. I will purchase the other products from a supplier I deal with and will make sure I get the right products.

 

I made sure the spray i used killed the mites thus why i double sprayed the cages.

If you only use the spray you will probably have to re spray in a week to three weeks, as it probably wont kill any eggs. Ivermectin is good in that it lasts long enough in the birds blood stream to kill off later hatchings.

If you only use the spray you will probably have to re spray in a week to three weeks, as it probably wont kill any eggs. Ivermectin is good in that it lasts long enough in the birds blood stream to kill off later hatchings.

 

Norm,

 

Where do I buy this Ivermectin? Is that the Brand Name or the product name?

If you only use the spray you will probably have to re spray in a week to three weeks, as it probably wont kill any eggs. Ivermectin is good in that it lasts long enough in the birds blood stream to kill off later hatchings.

 

Norm,

 

Where do I buy this Ivermectin? Is that the Brand Name or the product name?

If you have an avian vet near you, phone and inquire if they are selling this product over the counter, as mine does. Sold for spot on scaly face treatment. It is a product sold for cattle but has a dilution needed for the birds I believe and I do not know what the dilution is. If you have trouble getting some, let me know and I will send you some.

Cheers kaz

Like Kaz says, try a local vet, some will cooperate & sell you a small amount, others wont, as it’s not registered to use on birds.

 

I bought Genesis pour on, it is sold under quite a few names, but for 250 mls it cost me over $80 so you need a lot of birds to make it worth while or some goats or sheep etc.

 

I put a small drop on the bare patch under their beak, they say to be careful, but I have had no bad effects & I have treated hundreds of birds, but I have never treated young in the nest. Like someone said, it would take lots of Red mite to kill birds, usually you will get them over yourself if you handle the birds, especially in nests, as they love that situation. So you would notice them before they got too bad. So mites may not be your only trouble, but certainly the birds will do better without them. Hopefully it will solve your problem, but at least without the mites, you can see if there is another problem.

I use it straight no dilution , one drop on back of neck . I get it form friends that live in north west NSW , they have cattle, as im originally from there I got some when I was home once , about 250ml has now lasted me 2years and I still have about 50ml left so you dont need much.

I use it straight no dilution , one drop on back of neck . I get it form friends that live in north west NSW , they have cattle, as im originally from there I got some when I was home once , about 250ml has now lasted me 2years and I still have about 50ml left so you dont need much.

Good to know

Hi everyone, just thought I would give you a progress report.

 

It has been 3 days now since i had that awful day of losing 6 Beautiful Budgies. Since Spraying the cages on Monday night I have not lost another bird.

 

I am still noticing mites in some places but as i am finding them I'm terminating them. My budgies seem quite happy and the babies I have in my nest boxes have not had any problems.

 

I have decided to let my 8 pairs continue their clutches and then give the bird room a good clean.

I cant believe I have never had this problem before.

 

A couple more questions for you all:

 

My sister thinks I should paint my breeding cages, would this be a good idea?

 

Do you think I am having these Spider Mites becuse my aviary is made of wood?

 

Do you think I will be able to get rid of the mites?

 

Thanks again

 

Wayno

Painted breeder cages are easier to clean, but you must use a childsafe type paint.

The spider mites would most likely have been introduced on or in something.

Its not because of the wood, but that they have crevices to hide in during the day. A hard thing to sort out in an aviary and birdroom. You have to "think like a spider mite" to combat their hidey places.

Yes you will get rid of them. Now that you have had the problem you will be a little "paranoid" about them ( justifiably ) and you will be on your guard to prevent re infestation.

Good luck

Why I recommend the Ivermectin Wayne, is because it’s so much more effective, you can spray as much as you like but during the day Red mite hide in cracks wherever they can find them & you may not get into all of them & also you can remove all birds from the cages & leave them empty & the mite can live without feeding something like 6 months or even more, but when you treat the birds, the mites will always feed when the birds are available, especially in the warm time of the year. But once the birds are treated the mites will feed & die. Not only will it treat Red mite but Scaly mite & any other mite or louse that eats their blood, also it kills internal worms also. I found it hard to just get one drop of Ivermectin onto the birds, as I found syringes were dangerous & would suddenly give much more than one drop, so I use a small plastic spoon that you get with take away meals & just dip the handle in the Ivermectin & rub the small amount adhering to it onto the bird.