Jump to content

Megabacterioses - One More

Featured Replies

Posted

When I got up this morning I found another hen down with Megabacteriosis. This time it was the quick acting strain.

 

I (mum actually) had been treating her & 3 others since last Sunday (2nd lot since other hen died). My mother emailed me at work Thursday saying she way worried about the 2 hens being treated as it was extremely hot Thursday (40C) and Friday (40C) and they looked very stressed.

 

I brought her inside this morning as she was sitting on the side of her food bowl & made very little attempt to get away from me. As soon as my hand closed around her body I knew without a doubt what it was. I believed she would make it as she has been treated for nearly a week. I've got 2 photo's of what she looked like this morning but they are a bit overexposed but you can see how pathetic she looks.

 

I now know who is causing this illness. The littluns father. Let me refresh a little for the ones who don't know any of the history of these particular birds.

 

Mr & Mrs Littlun had 5 beautiful Lutino babies & I witnessed one starting to hatch. Over the course of 3 weeks 4 babies were killed without reason. The fifth I found on the floor of the cage & looked after inside for a couple of days before finding a foster budgie. Baby died of unknown reasons 3 or 4 days later.

I put Mrs Littlun in with another male in hopes she might breed once more before summer & I put Mr Littlun in with another hen.

 

Mrs Littlun died of Megabacteriosis 2 weeks ago tomorrow.

 

The hen with Mr Littlun died of Megabacteriosis today. I went out shopping just after 10am this morning and got back around 12.30 this afternoon & I went straight to her cage but she was dead.

 

See the pattern? Mr Littlun is in perfect health & yet the last 2 hens he has been with have both died of the same disease.

 

In this photo you can see an indentation in the middle of her torso? There was no meat there, just bone sticking out.

 

Mega-sickhen8-10-2005.jpg

 

 

Hard to see anything in this picture put look at her feet, she couldn't grip my hand . . .

 

Mega-sickhen8-10-2005x1.jpg

Oh Karen, more bad news. Lots of hugs going your way. Well, now you have found the culprit, so to speak, you have obviously isolated him. Is it worth getting him tested? I suppose not. I didn't realise that a bird could be a carrier like that. What are you going to do?

once megabacteriosis is present in the avairy it is very hard to get rid of. even if the culprit is isolated there is still a chance that a different bird will pass it on through the feeding of another bird. megabacteriosis is commonly found as a naturally occuring organism in the gut of healthy budgies but i guess it is killing the breeding hens off because they are under stress. the megabacteria can only cause disease when the immune system is put under pressure.

 

the best way i can think of helping the situation would be to isolate Mr litlun from the group, stop breeding completely (if you havent already done so), and it is advised that all the birds be rested for 3 months and re-tested to see if the organism is still present in the gut after this time. and then breeding can continue.

 

how often are you treating the aviary with megabac-s karen? are you always treating the whole aviary or just the known infected birds? strains of fungus are renowned for becoming resistant to anti-fungal treatments - so you may be doing more harm than good if you always treat the whole aviary. also - prolonged or persistant use of amphotericin b can actually cause severe damage to the kidneys - if the birds that are coming down with it have been treated recently before, their immune system may be impaired because of the medication and are therefore vunerable for the organism to cause disease.

 

i feel for you karen, i really do - ive seen what its like. (((hugs)))

The more I hear about this (and especially with seeing your pictures) the more I wonder if that's what my budgie, Pixie died from. :/ I didn't have her very long and wasn't able to have a necropsy performed. She died before I could even get her to the vet so I was left in the dark as to what caused her death. She was poorly from the start but perked up once I brought her home and out of that terrible shop but then she suddenly crashed and lost weight...it was so terrible. How thankful I am that I kept her quarantined from the rest of the flock.

 

I hope you're able to get this under control soon, Karen. I can't imagine how heartbreaking and depressing it must be but at least you're able to spread the word and bring some good out of the situation. :/

Edited by eterri

was pixie bullied in the pet shop? if she was a weaker budgie in the group she could have been picked on and the megabacteria could have resulted. either that or it would have been an underlying illness that triggered megabacteriosis. scientists now believe that over 60% of domestic budgies carry the organism naturally. only the weaker ones are picked off by it.

 

it is certainly a possibility that megabacteria could have contributed to pixies death. the weight loss is trade mark of the disease. peanut was a healthy 42g most of his short life - but the day before he died he was little more than 35g. :blush: its so sad.

I've heard of something similiar where most budgies carry a disease and then all of a sudden an illness like this can develop as it's a very fine balance between a healthy bird and one with problems.

 

Karen sorry to hear the news (again), hope you manage to sort it out and your budgies are okay.

Yeah, Pixie was badly picked on (missing feathers in the typical picked on places such as the top of the head) and the manager refused to listen that she needed to be separated (he said she was just molting) so I bought her. She also had scissors beak but was *really* starting to look better when I got her home and into her own little cage with her own food and such. Right at the end she started looking poorly again, I made the vet appointment (tried to get an emergency one but they were "all booked up") but she died the night before her appointment. She'd lost a lot of weight in a very short amount of time despite her really good appetite.

 

I have a feeling that she had more than one thing wrong with her but it sounds like megabacteriosis could have been part of the problem. :/

I've heard of something similiar where most budgies carry a disease and then all of a sudden an illness like this can develop as it's a very fine balance between a healthy bird and one with problems.

 

Karen sorry to hear the news (again), hope you manage to sort it out and your budgies are okay.

 

megabacteria is known as all sorts of things budgerigar wasting disease and avian gastric yeast to name a few. you could have been reading about the same disease but under a different name.

 

Yeah, Pixie was badly picked on (missing feathers in the typical picked on places such as the top of the head) and the manager refused to listen that she needed to be separated (he said she was just molting) so I bought her. She also had scissors beak but was *really* starting to look better when I got her home and into her own little cage with her own food and such. Right at the end she started looking poorly again, I made the vet appointment (tried to get an emergency one but they were "all booked up") but she died the night before her appointment. She'd lost a lot of weight in a very short amount of time despite her really good appetite.

 

I have a feeling that she had more than one thing wrong with her but it sounds like megabacteriosis could have been part of the problem. :/

 

you can tell megabacteria if there was no white portion to the poop at all in her final days. thats just one of the signs but again it could be due to something else relating to her scissors beak? i thought peanut was eating just fine before he died but he was being anorexic and grinding the food down but not actually swallowing any of it. the seed husks where still in the dish and i still saw him trying to eat. megabacteria can cause ulceration of the digestive tract in its later stages and actually prevent digestion of food in the stomach leading to starvation. (sorry to be so graphic).

In the end it did look a lot like starvation. :blush: I tried to see if she was actually eating or just grinding the seeds but it was so hard to tell because she wasn't tame and I tried not to upset her by being too close. She had a white portion to her droppings at first- they seemed very normal. But later on that became more of a yellow color so it definitely seemed like *something* was going on in the digestive track.

Karen I am sorry to hear about this is still going on. It does look like the father could be a carrier.

 

What are you thinking of doing?

  • Author

First and foremost the male has been isolated from all other budgies in the 'six pack' breeding set.

The birds who were next to him have been moved up one cage & are being treated. Their 10 day treatment ends on Wednesday.

 

I do not breed over summer as it is hot enough for them without the added stress of breeding, so after this current lot fledge (about 3 weeks) I will be removing the nest boxes until March. Then I will remove all birds to temporary cages and bleaching the entire thing top to bottom, then giving it a good going over with Avicleans & airing it out for about a week before returning the birds. (don't worry I have enough cages to keep them comfortable for a week + I am buying 2 more cages in the next 2 weeks)

 

The last time I treated all the birds was around June 2004. I have only treated isolated 'suspected' cases since then (about 3 birds) that turned out to be a more minor illness.

 

I also don't treat the whole lot at once as megabac-S is so expensive.

 

I have treated 5 cages this time round as both Mr & Mrs Littlun were in or had access to these cages and I was not taking any chances (I was just too late with this hen).

 

The male I really don't know what to do with him as I cannot breed him again. My mum suggested euthanising him to protect the others. I don't like this suggestion as he is in perfect health and a very happy & beautiful bird, so I might put him in a cage by himself on the back verandah & Boris can talk to him.

I couldn't sell him knowing what he contains as what if someone wanted to breed him? He is about 16-18 months old so not really young enough to tame.

 

The last & final thing to permanately eliminate this disease will be an extreme last resort & I would give up birds forever. Destroy my entire flock & demolish all cages & aviaries & digging out all dirt and burying it. If that were to happen I'd refuse to do it myself, I'd tell the vet to come and do it while I went out, then I would plant a garden in it's place as a memorial. Hopefully this would never ever happen.

Edited by karenfernvale

Oh Karen, I certainly hope it doesn't come to the last scenario. I know that would break your heart. Sounds like you have a very workable plan, and have covered all possibilities. I have to say I agree with you about keeping the bird - it would be different if these birds were your livlihood, but their not, they are pets. If you can safely keep him on the verandah, then please do so, it's not his fault he carries this. I gather for a carrier like him there is no cure?

 

My thoughts are with you, and I am sending healing vibes your way, and the biggest hug you have ever had in your life :D

  • Author
Oh Karen, I certainly hope it doesn't come to the last scenario. I know that would break your heart. Sounds like you have a very workable plan, and have covered all possibilities. I have to say I agree with you about keeping the bird - it would be different if these birds were your livlihood, but their not, they are pets. If you can safely keep him on the verandah, then please do so, it's not his fault he carries this. I gather for a carrier like him there is no cure?

 

My thoughts are with you, and I am sending healing vibes your way, and the biggest hug you have ever had in your life :P

 

 

Thank you for your kindness Lin.

The male cannot be cured as he is not sick and probably won't get sick. He just makes others sick. :P

karen, megabacteria can be completely passed through the budgies system in a period of 3 months. it is possible and definitely worth a try. it sound like youve got everything planned out. but it would be so sad if you gave up your hobby. :(

 

why not have your vet test all of the aviary birds by a series of faecal tests now and again in march? that way you could move the infected birds to a separate area from the non carriers until march and then see if the megabacteria has cleared in some of the birds. if it hasnt cleared by then you wouldnt have to get rid of the whole flock - just the ones that are a danger to the healthy birds, or if possible you could just keep the megabacteria carriers in a separated part of the aviary and just never breed them. megabacteria is only passed by direct contact so you will have no worries of the infected birds transferring the illness if they are in their own little aviary. its going to be very difficult, but thats what i would do if i wanted to continue to breed birds at a later date.

 

i guess it depends on your circumstances and how much space you have - i just think it would be so tragic for you to give up your hobby, you obviously love each and every one of them.

 

good luck with everything,

 

love Pix x

Edited by pixie25

What a good idea Pixie. I think it would be easier this way than you going through all this again Karen. It will break your heart if you lose them one by one.

Karen don't give up. I hope you manage to rid this disease from your birds without any more sad losses.

Karen If you have to distroy your flock and the aviaries and bury them. Just make sure you have a cold beer. Lite Ice is nice. Or Harn Lite. I need a cold beer when I rebuild your aviaries. :D

So sorry to hear this Karen! :D Don't know how i missed this post. I really hope it doesn't come down to the last scenario.

Im sorry to hear your birds are getting sick, that must be a very scary situation to be in. I would consult with a vet and find out (if you dont know) wether it is safe to keep the male bird on the premises at all i know some bugs can be transmitted in so many ways having an infected animal full stop can put lots of others at risk. its very sad i hope you manage to get it sorted soon.

This is so tragic. I think the plan to test, treat, and re-test later is your best bet. It would be horrible for you to have to give this up. I really do hope things don't come down to your worst-case scenario.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with this. I know it is hard for you. :D

  • Author

Another bird (Bourke) has gotten sick and died. I believe it to be isolated to one small aviary, the only problem is it contains my entire population of Bourkes (except 1 pair) & Budgies: my best 2 breeder albino's (Boris' mum is one), a great breeder male & Charlie the super sized budgie. This is the cage the male came from so I hop it is isolated. I don't want to lose my Bourkes as they are so sweet & important to me, it would hurt me more to lose the Bourkes than it would the budgies as I know every one & they all know me. Also my last surviving pair of Turqs are there as well. :P

The budgie hens have eggs due to hatch soon so I will have to throw them away & remove the nest boxes to take the stress off the hens.

 

Direct quote from a major vet supply:

Diagnosis of Megabacteria may be difficult. Not all infected birds shed the organism in their droppings, so false negative tests do occur. The most accurate method of diagnosis is the Gram stain of the proventricular mucosa at necropsy. Avian veterinarians and pathology laboratories can perform this test.

 

I just have to be extra vigilant with my examinations of the birds & do a physical exam once a week of each and every bird.

 

Natty: The other birds are safe from the carrier as it is not an airborne disease but transferred through the birds feeding each other or from eating droppings.

Is there any way you can use one of the testing labs you find online to send off swabs? Maybe you could test a few birds from each aviary (not sure of how many aviaries you have) to see how widespread it is? :/

 

It sounds like they all need to be treated at once or else it's a bit futile, isn't it? Is there no way you could set up some sort of payment arrangement with your vet for the medication or buy a large supply at discount online somewhere?

 

I'm just pulling at anything right now so I'm sorry if my suggestions are just plain impossible. I wish you the best and I'm sorry you have to go through all this. :P

  • Author

I have a supply of Megabac-S (Water soluble Amphotericin-B ) and I am going to retreat that aviary - I had finished treating it a week ago, but as my mother said, the last Bourke hen might have been too far gone for the medicine to do any good.

I have 1 large aviary (where all the babies are), 1 small aviary (where outbreak is), 1 R&R cage (sick budgie hen had stayed there for 3-4 days) & a six cubicale (cage) breeder set-up. The small aviary & R&R cage is what I'm most worried about as I am reasonable positive the aviary is clean (95%). The carrier male is quarantined in an empty breeder cubical in the breeder set, he finishes medication today.

I am going to get faecal tests done on random birds as I am a member of Vetafarm who do the tests, so get 2 free & discount off others. Even though false negatives happen it is better than not bothering.

But none of these birds will ever be allowed back into the main aviary, it is not worth the risk.

Edited by karenfernvale

Ahh okay. I don't think you can possibly do any better than what you're doing. Hopefully it's already under control and like you said, the poor hen was just too far gone for the medication to work. :P

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

Sign In Now