Help...my birds have been diagnosed with spirochete in birds

I got a call from my vet just now telling my that both my birds have spirochete. She said it didn't surprise her based on their history with their previous owner. She says it's easy to treat but I will have to medicate them for 20 days! They will show me how but does anyone have more info on this? I looked it up but it was really overwhelming. Also, does anyone have any advice in regards to medicating your birds through the mouth? thanks a bunch everyone. I hope we caught this bacteria in time....

I have only a small amount of knowledge of this bacterial group, and most of the information I have is relevant to human and tick pathologies. If you are interested in the biology/pathobiology in birds, this article might help. There is a HUGE amount of information here, and most of it wont matter to you, but its specific to birds.

Merck Veterinary Manual

Dont panic about the long term antibiotics, this is due to the increasing issue of bacterial tolerance. This is to ensure that you completely eradicate the bacteria from your birds so that it doesnt mutate and become nonresponsive to the antibiotic. As for administration, the vet is the best person to show you how to do this. Make sure you get him/her to show you, and if you dont feel like you can do it, or you dont fully understand, make them show you again. Be really firm and dont leave until you have it down.

Do I need to do a major cage cleaning every day to help with the bacteria or just regular cleaning i.e: food, water, cage droppings, and droppings on anything else? Thank you Megan and I did come across that article.

If they picked it up from lice or ticks its possible they brought it into your house. If it was me I would super clean the house just to be safe (being cautious of course of any dangerous cleaners). I dont know how long the bacteria itself survives without a host, but the ticks or lice will reintroduce it to your birds. Unfortunately these are notoriously difficult to get rid of. Ask your vet if the birds currently have lice or ticks on their bodies (pretty easy to check). Once you ensure they are free of them, then you can tick/lice proof the area. Its possible they didnt come in with the birds, but to be on the safe side you could try some little tricks. I wouldnt use any insecticides etc as they might adversely affect your birdies. Since ticks and lice cant fly though, there are some things you can do. My favorite, and probably your safest bet is to place really sticky double sided tape around places they could be hiding (cracks, holes, behind lightswitch covers etc), along the baseboards and around the parts of the cage that makes contact with the floor. This way anything that walks across will (hopefully) get stuck and wont make it. This is great because you can actually see if you have them in your home, and its really satisfying to squish them. Additionally, there is a product called Diatomaceous earth made from ground fossilized aglae or something. You can get it at most hardware stores. Its abrasive and when the insect walks across it, it rubs off the wax layer that holds in water. As a result the bug dehydrates and dies. I keep this stuff all around my house because I HATE bugs. Its completely safe and since its a powder its not in the air or anything.

I applaud you for asking these very important questions but the first thing that came to mind was "If your Avian Vet could not answer all your questions to your satisfaction then I'd find another vet!" Our vets are there to explain in explicit detail every sickness/concern we have about our birds. You pay for the service so I'd call them for the additional info since they are the professional.

On the other hand, if your vet did answer all questions to your satisfaction and your simply asking for reinsurance or thought of more questions then disregard! It may not sound like it but I am looking out for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

They told me about treatment and that it was curable and at that moment that was all I cared about. These thoughts came after the call. I will double check with the vet on Friday since that's when I pick up their meds. I don't think they picked it up from ticks or lice only because the previous owner told me that birds were never outside but I wouldn't be able to confirm that. However, the doctor thinks it was probably transferred from the parents of the birds which I really have no history of.
Thank you for the questions that I will ask my vet. I never thought about asking whether or not my birds had lice or ticks (eeewwwee).

They dont have to be outside to pick up lice or ticks. They can come in on another pet or through a crack, a hole in the window etc. Its a real problem in some places, it isnt an indication of cleanliness, they are really hard to keep out.

Ok the bug question been answer by Megan so I won't get into it. But I'll answer your question about medicating your birds. Your vet can mix flavorings into the meds and it's a lot easier to get them to take it from you with a syringe. Just make sure you sanitize the syringes afterwards!!!! At the beginning I grab ahold of them and make a little dripplet on the syringe and let them taste it. After they got to like it, it was so much easier giving them meds cause they just sit there and suck down the meds without me holding them period.

By giving them anti-biotic can mess up their digestive tract system as it pretty much wipes out all the good bacteria as well. A few hours after the treatment I also give them yogurt to bring back the good bacteria within their tract. Depending on their weight condition, IF pretty low, I would really suggest you to feed seeds instead of pellets. Cause if their weight are extremely low, they can't really gain it back on pellets. I've gone through medicating sick birds in the past, you'll get through it just fine.

Also another thing I did is I contained them into a smaller room with a humidifier to give higher humidity and a heater running with higher temperature around 80's.

Birds get mites.... I haven't heard of them getting live or mites though.


I would suggest you have the a-vet or their assistant show you how to medicate your tiels when you go to pick up the meds. Also, ask them how to feed the meds if your tiels wont accept it!

Flavoring the meds can help, but sometimes it helps to mix the meds into yogurt, organic fruit juice, put it on bread or mix with treats, mix with honey, etc.



When I give meds or supplements, I have the bird sitting in my lap as I retrain their heads and simultaneously open their beaks using my left hand. I then slowly squirt the medications from the syringe into their mouth and allow them to swallow before giving them the rest. Some people find it easier to wrap birds in a towel/washcloth so the birds don't flail around, however I have found that the birds may become overheated this way.


It is best to have your a-vet show you, but it may also help to read about it... so here's a few articles and a video!

Medicating Pet Birds Orally
How to Medicate Your Bird - Page 1


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVvyy75JFZE]Pet Care's Dr. Poutous Shows How to Medicate a Pet Bird - YouTube[/ame]



Free e-book on medication parrots! Would definitely recommend this! It's a link to a blog, which has a direct link to the e-Book (sample) on medicating parrots! When you get to the page, it says the e-Book is $19.95. Click on "Buy Now" and enter the promo code PARROTRX!!!! Haven't gotten it myself, but definitely going to get it!
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Medicating Your Parrot



And a little humor about medicating parrots!
Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Medicating Parrots (A Bit of Humor)

Thank you everyone for all of your wonderful suggestions. I gave them their second dose of the meds tonight by myself. It was a little scary but they took it like champs and still seem to be ok with me for now. I also did find that video as well so it helped me prepare a lot sooner. I think we'll all be ok after tonight's run.