What is Bird Lice ? How can I tell if my bird has it ?

Answer 1

Bird lice are small (0.5-11mm) ectoparasites, they are part of the chewing lice which are closely related to the sucking lice which many people are familiar with... If your bird is scratching a lot, is acting rather relentless, feathers may be damaged, it is possible it has lice, or mites. If you can take your bird place him over a white towel/ paper and brush his feathers a bit, once off the bird even small lice become rather obvious on the white background, another clue is when they actually crawl off the bird and onto your arm; but no worries they are bird specific. If you do find lice you will have to give his cage a thorough cleaning/ throw out nesting material to make sure the cage itself doesn't have any left in it, as for the bird there are a number of powders/sprays which will kill off any lice quite fast, but you may want to consult your vet since some birds may be sensitive to some treatments, your vet will recommend the best product for your bird. It is also possible that you find mites (mites are usually smaller and have 8 legs instead of 6) at the instead of lice, deal with them in the same way.
Close up of a bird louse
http://bugguide.net/node/view/66314

Close up of a bird mite
http://medent.usyd.edu.au/photos/birdph.jpg

Answer 2

Look under the bird's wings for missing feathers If the bird keeps scratching and preening under it's wings this is a good sign your feathered friend may have lice.

You can get a bird protector to hang on the cage while the cage is covered.

These bird protectors use pyrethum (SP) a substance that is dafe for birds and unsafe for the mites.

Clean the cage, bars, perches, etc with a solution of 50% distilled vinegar, and 50% water (a cleaning solution safe for birds.

It is possuble the bird has lice; but it is also possible the bird has dry skin.

Answer 3

Bird louse is any chewing louse (Mallophaga) living on birds. Probably all bird species have chewing lice. Bird lice feed on feathers, skin surface, and sometimes blood but normally are not harmful; however, if too numerous, their irritation may cause the bird to damage itself by scratching and may even interfere with egg production and the fattening of poultry.

To tell if your bird has it and for treatment, see your avian vet. http://aav.org/vet-lookup/

Answer 4

Birds do not get lice. They can get mites. Hang a white sheet over cage over night and if you see black or red specks call your avian vet and get bird seen.

Answer 5

mites are minute if you have a magnafing glas after you handal your bird youfeel crulis on your skin use the glas you will see them round or hear thin