The girl who's lived through the poisining now has a feather pulling problem. I didn't want to overwhelm her little body when i got her, but now she's more settled in.

She's pulled out a row of feathers across her chest, and under her wings there's lots of skin. I sprayed her with lice and mite spray yesterday, the vet recommended I put her in with my other birds so she doesn't feel left out.

Is there any advice you people can give me? I don't like having unhappy birds.

Was it an avian vet?

 

I wouldn't put her with the other birds until the plucking stops (the cause could be something contagious). Most plucking has to do with a physical ailment when dealing with budgies; they rarely pick for behavioral reasons. It sounds like it could be a parasite, possibly giardia. But I wouldn't use a spray until she's tested by an avian vet and its confirmed as the spray might just irritate her even more.

 

What happened with the poisoning? It might have something to do with that.

The avian vet I took her to suggested I use a lice and mite spray on all my birds. Needless to say the tiels were NOT impressed...I've also put some psittavet in their water (it was originally bought for my rats, but it's sold for birds).

I told the vet about the poisoning, he said there's medication that you mix in the water, and on hot days the birds can overdose, so I have to keep an eye on how much psittavet they get, just to make sure I don't poison them.

Other then that, I have a rat who's recovered from an absess, I have 3 others that go 'home' on sunday, I switched the cockateils perches for branches that've been treated, Grass is ignoring the breeding box, the other budgies are enjoying the pot plant I put in the big black cage, and the cat loves being brushed (makes my life easier, it's moulting season and she's a longhair!)

Hm... from what I've read it is used to treat pscitticosis/chlamydia in birds? It may not even be necessary? Have they been tested for those things? No use risking poisoning unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

Just out of curiosity, when did the plucking start? Before or after the mite spray (I'm guessing afterwards since it sounds like you started using it because of the plucking?) And was it before or after using pscittavet?

I have no idea what it's used for with birds, but it completely cured a rat with raspy breathing, and I think it helped when I dosed my rats with colds/flu.

The plucking started first. I gave her the mite spray 5 or 6 days before the psittavet, because the plucking just didn't get better. I didn't try the mite spray with the psittavet, I know how dangerous mixing meds can be.

 

She's okay now. The plucking's stopped, and I'm just feeding her up now, she's still a bit skinny. I think she was very unsure about me, and she'd had to grow feathers like a fur rug to withstand being outside never warmed never fed...so when she was presented with 'luxury' she must've felt overdressed, and having nothing familiar can't have helped her.