Pest Control

Apr 17, 2014
4
0
Hello,
I just recently bought a male eclectus from a breeder and a cage from Craigslist. Since I brought the cage home, I have noticed an uptick in roach activity around the cage. They don't seem to bother the bird, but they sure bother me. What can I do to control roaches and other bugs around my eclectus that won't make him sick? Thanks in advance
 

Grimace

New member
Apr 3, 2014
25
0
Hello,
I just recently bought a male eclectus from a breeder and a cage from Craigslist. Since I brought the cage home, I have noticed an uptick in roach activity around the cage. They don't seem to bother the bird, but they sure bother me. What can I do to control roaches and other bugs around my eclectus that won't make him sick? Thanks in advance

Ooh I can actually help with this one since I raise 3 large colonies of roaches.

Yeah, roaches are absolutely harmless to your bird and whatever else. They're there for the food. Are they in the cage, or going for stuff that gets kicked onto the ground? They likely are raiding the food bowl at night. If the cage is on legs, my best suggestion would be to be meticulous about keeping the floor clean, and then apply a little something around the legs so they cannot climb up to get the food. A few things I've used in my colonies that roaches are generally unable to climb are olive oil cooking sprays (dunno how great that'd be for a bird though), vaseline, clear packing tape, and then there are products specifically designed to keep bugs from climbing it.

Can I get a picture of the cage and area around it? I might be able to give better instructions then.

Diatomatious earth is also highly effective and non "toxic" but i wouldn't recomend it around a bird because its main health concern involves inhaling it.
 

labell

New member
Feb 17, 2014
1,988
5
East
There actually have been new studies done and I think at one time someone posted a link here that roaches carry many types of mold spores in their bodies. That is why many people are allergic to them including myself. I had a colony long ago that I kept for a type of gecko as food and my reaction kept getting worse and worse until it darn near put me in the hospital. So I can say I wouldn't want them any where near me or my birds and not crawling through their food for sure.

Having gotten the cage on craigslist there is no telling what kind of environment it was in but I can tell you I know enough about cage construction that I can bet I know where they are suddenly coming from. Legs on cages are typically hollow and I would say if you took it outside, took off the casters and sprayed water up into the legs you would have an exodus of roaches. They can fit and lay eggs in unbelievably small spaces.

I am a big fan of DE but as was said in just a powder form it can be harmful if inhaled but you can mix it with water in a spray bottle and spray it into crack and crevices and it does a marvelous job of getting rid of bugs, roaches included. You do have to keep shaking the bottle as DE is heavy and tends to separate and sink. I would clean and spray out the cage as much as you can outside. Then spray on the DE into any and all openings in the cage especially the legs. Let it air dry outside and then bring it back in the house. DE and water can also safely be sprayed around pets except fish tanks and I wouldn't spray it on a bird but the surrounding area to keep bugs away it is completely safe.
 

Grimace

New member
Apr 3, 2014
25
0
There actually have been new studies done and I think at one time someone posted a link here that roaches carry many types of mold spores in their bodies. That is why many people are allergic to them including myself. I had a colony long ago that I kept for a type of gecko as food and my reaction kept getting worse and worse until it darn near put me in the hospital. So I can say I wouldn't want them any where near me or my birds and not crawling through their food for sure.

Having gotten the cage on craigslist there is no telling what kind of environment it was in but I can tell you I know enough about cage construction that I can bet I know where they are suddenly coming from. Legs on cages are typically hollow and I would say if you took it outside, took off the casters and sprayed water up into the legs you would have an exodus of roaches. They can fit and lay eggs in unbelievably small spaces.

I am a big fan of DE but as was said in just a powder form it can be harmful if inhaled but you can mix it with water in a spray bottle and spray it into crack and crevices and it does a marvelous job of getting rid of bugs, roaches included. You do have to keep shaking the bottle as DE is heavy and tends to separate and sink. I would clean and spray out the cage as much as you can outside. Then spray on the DE into any and all openings in the cage especially the legs. Let it air dry outside and then bring it back in the house. DE and water can also safely be sprayed around pets except fish tanks and I wouldn't spray it on a bird but the surrounding area to keep bugs away it is completely safe.

Nah, roach allergies are from the poop. Eventually it gets really dry and dusty, and inhaling a bunch of it is what causes problems. What are these mold studies? I'd be surprised if roaches could carry something like that, they groom themselves constantly and even bacteria has a ton of problems staying on them.

Does DE work mixed with water? I was under the impression it only worked on insects when it was dry.
 

labell

New member
Feb 17, 2014
1,988
5
East
There actually have been new studies done and I think at one time someone posted a link here that roaches carry many types of mold spores in their bodies. That is why many people are allergic to them including myself. I had a colony long ago that I kept for a type of gecko as food and my reaction kept getting worse and worse until it darn near put me in the hospital. So I can say I wouldn't want them any where near me or my birds and not crawling through their food for sure.

Having gotten the cage on craigslist there is no telling what kind of environment it was in but I can tell you I know enough about cage construction that I can bet I know where they are suddenly coming from. Legs on cages are typically hollow and I would say if you took it outside, took off the casters and sprayed water up into the legs you would have an exodus of roaches. They can fit and lay eggs in unbelievably small spaces.

I am a big fan of DE but as was said in just a powder form it can be harmful if inhaled but you can mix it with water in a spray bottle and spray it into crack and crevices and it does a marvelous job of getting rid of bugs, roaches included. You do have to keep shaking the bottle as DE is heavy and tends to separate and sink. I would clean and spray out the cage as much as you can outside. Then spray on the DE into any and all openings in the cage especially the legs. Let it air dry outside and then bring it back in the house. DE and water can also safely be sprayed around pets except fish tanks and I wouldn't spray it on a bird but the surrounding area to keep bugs away it is completely safe.

Nah, roach allergies are from the poop. Eventually it gets really dry and dusty, and inhaling a bunch of it is what causes problems. What are these mold studies? I'd be surprised if roaches could carry something like that, they groom themselves constantly and even bacteria has a ton of problems staying on them.

Does DE work mixed with water? I was under the impression it only worked on insects when it was dry.

You spray it on mixed with water to get into tight places, once it dries it works exactly the same but dries to a residue so it isn't easily inhaled.
 
Last edited:

labell

New member
Feb 17, 2014
1,988
5
East
Found this which is bad enough. The mold spore study was found to be on Hissing cockroaches.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Roaches in general are held suspect as disease carriers. Laboratory tests have shown such diseases as Salmonella and infectious hepatitis can be carried by these pests. "When feces infected with Salmonella oranienburg were spread on human food and on glass, the bacteria survived for the following periods: on corn flakes - 3.5 years; on crackers - over 4.25 years." ... New York State Department of Health.
[/FONT]
 

wendaustin

New member
Apr 18, 2014
3
0
Hello,
I just recently bought a male eclectus from a breeder and a cage from Craigslist. Since I brought the cage home, I have noticed an uptick in roach activity around the cage. They don't seem to bother the bird, but they sure bother me. What can I do to control roaches and other bugs around my eclectus that won't make him sick? Thanks in advance

Normally, I clean down their cage with a mix of vinegar and lemon juice mixed with water, yet never had roach issue. And actually yes, roaches are not dangerous for the birds (they are there for food). However, you might have seen many flea exterminator charging hundreds of dollars for the same, but I think olive oil cooking sprays would also work. If nothing works, then you should use a sort of pest spray or something.
 
Last edited:

SoCalWendy

New member
Jun 29, 2013
1,571
0
Kihei, Hawaii
Parrots
None at the moment
Call an exterminator. They can lay down bait that the roaches eat and take it back to the colony. We had squatters next door who were very dirty. When the finally left, their bug moved to my place. I woul see one, then two, up to five at a time. But only in my kitchen. I finally saw one in my shower, that was it! The exterminate wanted to set off bombs, but I said no way. So he did what i explained, no more roaches
 

Grimace

New member
Apr 3, 2014
25
0
Call an exterminator. They can lay down bait that the roaches eat and take it back to the colony. We had squatters next door who were very dirty. When the finally left, their bug moved to my place. I woul see one, then two, up to five at a time. But only in my kitchen. I finally saw one in my shower, that was it! The exterminate wanted to set off bombs, but I said no way. So he did what i explained, no more roaches


Roaches do not take food back to a colony.
 

SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
5,937
94
Columbus, GA
Parrots
Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
I would be very concerned about any bait or poison rout, as birds, children, and other pets could be exposed even by finding a dead roach. I have always been told that roaches, which get into very gross places, can carry diseases around on their feet, etc. The only breeder I ever visited kept a large chicken population to kill the roaches because she would rather lose chickens than parrots, so she said. I also agree that they are likely laying eggs in the legs, etc, of the cage, and a good flushing is in order. I would use vinegar and water, but I do not really have experience here.

As far as keeping them away, yes, keep that floor CLEAN. I also suggest several weeks of being an absolute freak about keeping your cage clean, which I know can be a challenge. It would also be wise to clean and wipe everything down before the lights go out at night, and I also would remove any food overnight. I would hate to have those roaches all over my bird's food while I was asleep. That said, I take food at night anyway because I feed a lot of fresh food and don't like it to sit out for that long, etc.

Keep us updated?
 

SoCalWendy

New member
Jun 29, 2013
1,571
0
Kihei, Hawaii
Parrots
None at the moment
I would be very concerned about any bait or poison rout, as birds, children, and other pets could be exposed even by finding a dead roach. I have always been told that roaches, which get into very gross places, can carry diseases around on their feet, etc. The only breeder I ever visited kept a large chicken population to kill the roaches because she would rather lose chickens than parrots, so she said. I also agree that they are likely laying eggs in the legs, etc, of the cage, and a good flushing is in order. I would use vinegar and water, but I do not really have experience here.

As far as keeping them away, yes, keep that floor CLEAN. I also suggest several weeks of being an absolute freak about keeping your cage clean, which I know can be a challenge. It would also be wise to clean and wipe everything down before the lights go out at night, and I also would remove any food overnight. I would hate to have those roaches all over my bird's food while I was asleep. That said, I take food at night anyway because I feed a lot of fresh food and don't like it to sit out for that long, etc.

Keep us updated?

The type of bait that we used you couldn't see it. It was a gel applied in the areas around my kitchen where they were coming in. I am a very clean person. I even took apart my stove to make sure there were no crumbs or anything there they could eat. When they eat the gel it gets on them and they take it back to the colony. I have not seen one roach, not even a dead one since this was applied. It was a much better option then bombing and the residue left all over my home.
 

SoCalWendy

New member
Jun 29, 2013
1,571
0
Kihei, Hawaii
Parrots
None at the moment
Call an exterminator. They can lay down bait that the roaches eat and take it back to the colony. We had squatters next door who were very dirty. When the finally left, their bug moved to my place. I woul see one, then two, up to five at a time. But only in my kitchen. I finally saw one in my shower, that was it! The exterminate wanted to set off bombs, but I said no way. So he did what i explained, no more roaches


Roaches do not take food back to a colony.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I didn't say they feed it to the colony, I said they eat it and take it back to their colony. Let me clarify, this stuff attracts them, they eat it, it gets on them, they take it back. I will tell you I haven't seen one roach, live or dead since applying this gel.
 

SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
5,937
94
Columbus, GA
Parrots
Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
SoCalWendy, sounds like what our exterminator told us. He said the reason he can spray for roaches but not for spiders (brown recluse in my basement!) is because the roaches actually "clean themselves like a cat" so anything they walk in can kill them.
 

jkudywoods

New member
Jun 15, 2016
6
0
I was also facing similar problem, then one of my friend suggested to contact professional exterminator.
 

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