Fleas and mites on pet birds can happen just as they do on dogs and cats.
Mites and fleas are common pests that can infect pet birds as easily as they infect cats and dogs. They can make your pet bird uncomfortable and they can spread from bird to bird until they have infected an entire aviary. Learning to recognize the signs of fleas and mites in pet birds can help you take fast action.
Restlessness
The bites from fleas and mites tend to irritate the bird and it might prevent it from being able to rest comfortably. The bird may stir and move about constantly, even when it would normally be resting or asleep.
Skin Irritation
Both mites and fleas bite the bird's skin, so look for redness or irritation. The skin may seem raw and inflamed, or it might simply seem pinker than it usually does.
Excessive Preening
Birds that are dealing with mites and fleas will be consciously grooming themselves to get rid of them. While they will not pluck out their own feathers in a response to mites, they will preen often to get the mites out.
Visible Mites
Examining a pet bird for mites requires a calm bird and a strong light. While some mites are too small to be seen by the naked eye, fleas and red mites are large enough to be seen.
Feather Damage
In extreme cases of mite infestation, there may be damage to the feathers themselves. The feathers may look ragged or they may appear to be less shiny than they were before.
Related posts
Mites are a common health problem in budgies purchased from disreputable and unclean breeders or pet shops. Mites can also occur in pets that have received good care. When this happens, the mites...
Parakeets are popular household pets, with cheerful attitudes and bright colorations. Like any pet, however, birds come with some drawbacks, which include lice and mites. These insects get into a...
Keep your parakeet healthy with regular vet checkups.Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania are finding that pet owners with serious health conditions have a higher percentage of survival...
Bird mites can infest both birds and human households.Bird mites are parasites, which means they latch onto their host organisms to meet their own basic needs. Although bird mites primarily infest...
Birds that nest near apartments and houses can spread bird mites.Bird mites are tiny parasites in the tick family that bite humans when their original hosts are gone. Bird mites can enter the home...
