Bird mite infestation - help and advice please?

[The Green Demon]

Hello everyone,
Salvador now has a clutch of eggs. Stressful at the time, but we had no issues, thanks to a lot of advice here about supplements etc. She is an extremely devoted mum. It's just too cute. She has built herself an impressive little nest.

The first question I have is about cleaning when she is sitting on their eggs. She isn't in a next box, she's at the bottom of her cage. So to clean it properly, I would need to remove the eggs from the nest, and lock her out somewhere so I can clean. She is very protective of her cage and everything in it when she has a clutch. I have avoided doing a full clean since she started laying a couple of weeks ago, and only clean the messy perches and food dishes. How does everyone else approach this when their bird has a clutch?

Secondly, I have noticed her itching quite aggressively, especially in the evenings. I pulled back her cage from the wall, and found a small mite so I am guessing she has a mite infestation. I have begun trying to remove things from her cage so that it can be washed and disinfected. This really annoys her and its instant attack. I will continue however, and I have ordered all new toys and perches to replace the ones that are in there. Should I replace the cage as well or is that a little OTT? I have also pulled off her cover, her rope perches etc. and they are all going on a very hot cycle in the washing machine.

The other concern is the actual nest? I understand from reading online that EVERYTHING needs to be cleaned, toys removed etc but what do I do about her nest? Do I risk just clearing the whole thing out, replacing the bedding with some shredded paper and then pop her eggs back in to see if she will return? And I can only do a quick clean with a disinfectant as I have to get her in a different room and I won't be able to take the whole cage into the shower like I normally do. I have also now ordered a steamer so that I can more effectively clean her cage and surrounding areas.

I called the vet this morning, and they can't get her in until next Monday. That's a long time for her to go, and she is clearly uncomfortable. It upsets me to know she is literally being feasted on. She is not unwell; she is still eating, not feather plucking, but terribly scruffy-looking. She scratches constantly, poor girl, and I don't want to risk her getting unwell. Is there anything I can do, haven't done and advice to prevent future infestations? I do wonder as the is sat on an IKEA Kalax that has those wicker-type baskets in it, whether they will also be harbouring themselves in there.

Long story, sorry. Worried bird Mum.

 

[Jcas]

Ugh, I hate mites . How to treat them partly depends on what kind she has. Some mites live on the actual bird, others live in the bedding, toys, perches etc. and only get on the bird when they need a meal.

Unfortunately, it is likely that the mites are in the nesting material as well as the rest of the cage. Yes, they will be in the wicker baskets, yes HOT water will kill them. She sounds pretty dedicated so hopefully moving her eggs to a clean nest will not cause her to give up sitting on them. As for your bird herself, hopefully the vet can give her something that will kill the mites. Poor girl. In the meantime, misting her with water might help a little? Hoping your mama bird can get some relief soon

 

[The Green Demon]

They are pretty disgusting things. I have cleaned as much as I can around the cage. Most of the day has been spent trying to encourage her into another room so I can clean the bottom, but she isn't playing along. As she isn't going to see the vet until Monday, I won't completely remove her nest until then. In the meantime, daily cleans, wipes, and hoovers, I guess. All of her other perches have been cleaned, covered in boiling water and then disinfected. Fingers crossed that's been effective.

I feel like a bad bird mum. She's five and we've never had them before. She's so uncomfortable but not at all interested in a bath. She has never been keen on baths and needs lots of encouragement generally, but she's especially hesitant when she's sitting. She is still eating, drinking and active. If that changes, I will see if I can move the appointment up.

Ugh, I hate mites . How to treat them partly depends on what kind she has. Some mites live on the actual bird, others live in the bedding, toys, perches etc. and only get on the bird when they need a meal.

Unfortunately, it is likely that the mites are in the nesting material as well as the rest of the cage. Yes, they will be in the wicker baskets, yes HOT water will kill them. She sounds pretty dedicated so hopefully moving her eggs to a clean nest will not cause her to give up sitting on them. As for your bird herself, hopefully the vet can give her something that will kill the mites. Poor girl. In the meantime, misting her with water might help a little? Hoping your mama bird can get some relief soon

I really appreciate your comment and support. Thank you for your kind words.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The eggs aren't fertile are they?
Assuming no, when my budgie Joey laid an infertile clutch on the floor of her cage and I let her brood them for 10 days, she wouldn't poop in he

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Joey wouldn't poop in her cage while sitting on her cage. I had to keep her door open so she could hop out a few times a day to poop and run back in to her eggs.

I'm sorry to hear she has mites when she's got eggs. I suppose you could just take her out of the cage and put her in another (clean) cage and toss out the eggs and all her bedding and nesting material. Then treat her and disinfect her infected cage.

I know it sounds harsh to take her eggs so abruptly but I took Joey's away from her and put her in another cage to change her environment and within hours she had forgotten about them.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Yes I think knowing if the eggs are fertile or not and if you are hoping for chicks if fertile, would be important info for us to have because it would prompt different advice.

 

[The Green Demon]

Joey wouldn't poop in her cage while sitting on her cage. I had to keep her door open so she could hop out a few times a day to poop and run back in to her eggs.

I'm sorry to hear she has mites when she's got eggs. I suppose you could just take her out of the cage and put her in another (clean) cage and toss out the eggs and all her bedding and nesting material. Then treat her and disinfect her infected cage.

I know it sounds harsh to take her eggs so abruptly but I took Joey's away from her and put her in another cage to change her environment and within hours, she had forgotten about them.

They are infertile. She is a single bird and this is only the second clutch we've had. Last time, it took her months to abandon them, but as time went on, she was away from them for longer and longer. I keep her cage door open too, because she doesn't like to poop anywhere near her eggs. I think that's a protection thing, isn't it, from when they are in the wild to protect the location of the nest.

I do have a travel cage, but she hates it. I have been considering getting a new cage since this all started. It might be good to have a spare one. I have partially cleaned the cage today, taken out the majority of the nest and replaced it. I had to trick her into another room, close the door and do it quickly before I opened the door and let her back in. She has gone back to them. Perhaps, after the vets, though, she will just ignore them.

The main reason I don't want to take away her eggs is that I don't want her to lay again. It makes me nervous that she will end up egg-bound, and I will lose her. I know that as long as she is sitting on this clutch, she won't lay another. I do everything I can to discourage any hormonal or nest behaviour, which is why we have managed to get through two years without any.

I don't know. I am probably not being very rational about all of this. I hate upsetting her. I dote on her. Honestly, this little lovebird is all that got me out of bed some days, and I don't say that to be dramatic. I got her after losing my dog after 17 years, and my house felt so empty. She's my little companion.

Thank you again for your advice. I will chuck it all away when we return from the vets. She will have had a treatment of some kind then, and I can completely strip and clean the cage properly. I have bought all new toys, new perches and a steam cleaner as well as a mite treatment spray that is meant to kill on contact. A couple of hours of her worrying about where her eggs have gone will be better than seeing her so uncomfortable from the scratching.

I wish I had found this forum before. It is wonderful to share with other people who are bird lovers who understand what it's like to own one. Too many people look at me like I am crazy or make comments like, 'It's just a bird' why can't you just ... So support here is great. Much appreciated.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

It sounds like a good plan. I know how you feel about worrying about losing her to egg binding. My Rocky is the light of our lives and she laid 5 eggs a couple months ago. She laid them on top of the cage and off the perch inside and I removed them right away before she got the urge to brood them. We would be devastated if Rocky got egg bound.

Make sure she's getting enough calcium and protein in her diet. She should always have a mineral block and a cuttlebone. For extra protein I give my budgies plain scrambled egg a couple times a week. Birds that are overweight and out of shape are more likely to get eggbound. It sounds like she gets a lot of out of cage time which is great for keeping her fit and trim.

Just in case of emergency you should have a liquid calcium supplement on hand in case she does get egg bound. Calcivet is great. If she gets egg bound taking her to the vet immediately is the first priority because they can save her. If the vet isn't available you can administer a few drops of straight Calcivet right into her mouth and that will raise her blood calcium rapidly allowing her muscles to contract better so she can pass the egg.

 

[The Green Demon]

Thanks for that. I do have Calcivet. I made sure I had it here after the last time she laid a clutch, as she became egg-bound on the second egg. She did eventually manage to lay it, but I was so unaware of laying behaviour that I hadn't realised until after she laid the egg that it had been a struggle for her. She was panting and exhausted, and to be honest, I think I nearly lost her. But luckily, she pulled through with some hydration and rest. Needless to say, I have read and researched as much as I could possibly find out before it happened again, as well as ways to try to prevent her from laying eggs in the first place.

So when I realised she was indeed pregnant again, the Calcivet came out, she had mineral and calcium blocks everywhere, and she loves a hard-boiled egg! She doesn't like cuttlebone, funny enough. I read somewhere else that the Calcivet right in the mouth of the bird is a method to help, so thank you for confirming that! I was super prepared the second time around!

With reference to an avian vet, we do have a vet here, but the one time I did take her, I wasn't too impressed. The woman actually seemed frightened of handling her in any way, had gloves on (Salvador hates gloves), and really didn't help much with the issue I was having with her at the time. I am dreading the visit on Monday, but it is a different vet and apparently he is actually classified as their 'avian vet' so wish me luck!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

You're very well prepared! I lost a budgie to egg binding a few years ago and it was horrible. I hope your new vet is more helpful. I wonder what the other vet would do if someone walked in with a macaw!

 

[rheashard2]

Nameliss had her beak and nails done at vet this morning. While there a blue&gold and Amazon showed up for same. I wondered about that vet being nervous around parrots. Especially with 3 large ones arriving at same time.