does my bird have mites? how can i tell? can mites harm me in any way?

Question

i got a cockatiel, but its seems to be scratching or grooming itself alot i cant really tell. do you think it has mites? is there a way to tell? and can mites harm me in any way?

Answer 1

The second post was pretty accurate in my books but if you are still worried...try this...Put a white sheet over your birds cage and leave it all night...then set your alarm and get up without turning on any lights. Have your flashlight ready and look at the sheet...If your bird has mites you will see little red spots on the sheet (mite full of blood from your bird) If you dont see them, then feel safe that all is well.....When birds molt they tend to do alot of preening....the way to tell if your bird is molting is to look at the feathers and see if there are any new quills anywhere...takes around 6 weeks to molt so its not an overnight thing....I bet ya that your birdie is molting and just rearranging all those new feathers.

Answer 2

Mites usually hide in the perches and such and come out at night to crawl on your bird. At nighttime get a flashlight, walk up to the cage, turn the flashlight on and quickly observe the bird and the surrounding perches.
If there are mites, you will see really tiny red things (sort of like those tiny baby red spiders you sometimes see) quickly scatter away from the light.
You can buy mite and lice spray from the pet shop.

* Check through the feathers and check for lice (they look similar to human lice).

* Or it might be dry skin.

* Or your bird just needs a bath (mist with a spray bottle or provide a shallow container of water)

* It could just be pin feathers (new feathers coming through that are covered in a sort of white wax). If the wax is really white and long, use your fingers or fingernails to rub it off around the cockatiel's head and neck

* It's rare for cockatiels, but it may be overpreening which may lead to feather plucking (which could be happening due to many different reasons). If your cockatiel is preening itself until it bleeds, or is pulling out a number of feathers, take it to the vet

* On the other hand, your cockatiel might just be preening and scratching the normal amount, and there is nothing to worry about

Answer 3

Mites on domestic pet birds are very rare. Your bird may have dry skin, or new feathers coming in. Parasites like giardia are pretty common in cockatiels and they cause itching and feather plucking. They do preen themselves a lot, which is normal. They learn to enjoy being gently sprayed with a water bottle, which helps moisturize and clean the feathers. An experienced bird vet can take a look at your bird and see if there is a problem. Don't use products for mites, they can be toxic and aren't necessary.

Answer 4

Cockatiels Love to groom themselves every day. You can look at some of the shed feathers with a magnifying glass to see if there are any mites. If you suspect mites there are products that you can buy at the pet store to treat an infestation.

Answer 5

Mites are available in all colorings no longer basically black, they're purple and white too. staring at this variety of mites the fowl could have. terrific to have the fowl checked by ability of an avian vet and not basically take care of for something blindly. maximum birds do no longer even have mites and that they run to a puppy keep and use between the products over the counter which do no longer artwork and reason greater injury to their birds and then finally end up with a ineffective fowl or finally end up at a vet besides. in case you're uncertain, make an appt with an avian vet. it truly is going to likely be greater then worth you cash. If desire be, digital mail me and that i'll chat one on one with you!