Lice - Mite Treatments for Non-Tamed Eclectus

[Jayson_Black]

So we have a pair of Eclectus that we have been slowly trying to tame or rather "trust us". They kind of do, we have a great relationship, but at a distance. By that I mean they interact with us, so long as we don't try to touch them. My wife fairs better than me with this as she is the one who feeds them. She can get Bootz (the Male) to gently/playfully bite her fingers and hand. When trying to teach "Step up" he will often jump over her hand or at best momentarily "Step Up" then quickly Step Off. My point is they are not Fully Tame, but not quite Un-tame either.

The previous owners had little to no contact with them and kept them outdoors in an aviary (specifically for breeding). We keep them in the lounge and have contact with them almost all day everyday. We give them an amazing diet (Consistently) we have been very good like that. We have even provided them with an Artificial Sun.

Anyway the point is that for the purposes of being thorough and vigilant we know we need to spray them for lice and mites. But, we are scared that we will cause them to dislike us/not trust us and we have put so much work in already just trying to get them this tame.

we have seen no evidence that we have lice or mites, but we really want to do the right thing for them without causing them any stress. We really want to work towards being able to handle them. But, we are scared that forcefully holding them to spray under the wings for e.g. will cause them to take a step (or many steps) away from being Tame.

What would you suggest we do about this? Or how would you suggest we go about handling this.

Thank you so much

 

[Laurasea]

Get an avain vet exam. If you don't see lice and mites I wouldn't risk treating them.
Maybe some avairy keepers will weigh in..

 

[Noahs_Birds]

Buy a product called Moxidectin Plus
It is mixed into the water and gets rid of lice, mites and even worms, and savea stress of spraying your birds
Thanks
Noah Till

 

[Jayson_Black]

Thank you both for your replies. An Avian Vet is not a viable option unless something urgent or obvious occurs. This is because we don't have an avian vet anywhere near us. the nearest two are 350km and ~600km away. So quite a drive and they (The Eckies) are not too used to travel. Obviously they traveled back when we purchased them. We do have regular Vets near by, but none of them are Avian Specialists.


I will definitely look into "Moxidectin Plus" that sounds like the type of thing I am looking for. The Worming is a bonus. It sounds a lot like it might be "ivermectin" type stuff. If I can find the weight guides I have plentiful access to the base chemical for use on poultry and cattle. The problem is you need to know how much of that strength to give X Body weight. I do not know that for Eclectus or any parrot for that matter. With the exception of one for Budgerigars called "Avimec" they suggest that be applied to exposed skin. Avimec's Base Chemical is indeed Ivermectin.



Anyhow, I will definitely look into "Moxidectin Plus" and see if I can get it. I trust Ivermectin and judging by the name I am willing to bet that is the Active ingredient of Moxidectin Plus. At least then I will be supplied with the right dosage information. Ivermectin can be deadly of overdose occurs and useless if under dosing occurs.


Thank you so much.

 

[Noahs_Birds]

You can use Avimec on all birds, I use it on my finches and all the other birds, it has the weight to dosage ratio on the back of the bottle
And yes, Moxidectin plus is like Ivermectin, but is actually not recognised as an avian medication, as you can only buy it as 'sheep strength', at a dosage rate of 1.5ml I am pretty sure per litre of water
Thanks
Noah Till

 

[vsk101]

Did you spray them? I'm a member of a number of ekkie groups and have always been told ekkies rarely get mites and the treatment is toxic to them. I wouldn't spray them unless a vet confirm they have mites.