Budgie Scaly Legs Mites


Budgie Scaly Legs Mites

This is caused by Knemidokoptes mutans, a cousin of the scaly face mite. The budgie's legs swell and flake, and he will be in a lot of pain. A medical paraffin is the usual treatment, but you should speak with a vet first before administering it.

Budgie Lice

These feather-eating pests (Mallophaga) are rare on budgies, but aviary birds may catch them from wild birds. The lice are easier to spot than mites, growing up to 3mm long; but they can still conceal themselves easily in the budgie’s feathers. You will probably be first alerted to their presence by the bird's symptoms – violent scratching, frequent shaking of the feathers, and, eventually, a moth-eaten appearance, as the lice nibble away at their host’s coat.
A vet will be able to treat the lice with a contact chemical. Unfortunately, if one of your birds has them, the whole flock is probably infected.


An infested bird will soon recover after treatment

Budgie Worms

Budgies can become infected with Ascaris roundworm. These creatures live and breed in animals’ guts, and their eggs are passed on via droppings. The adult worms can grow 3.5cm long, which in a bird as small s a budgie is a major problem. Several of these in a budgie’s gut can leach all the nutrients from the birds’ food, causing severe malnutrition. In extreme cases there can be paralysis, but more often the symptoms will be weight loss and listlessness.

A vet will prescribe a medicine that flushes the worms from the budgie’s system. If successful, you will spot the adult creatures in the bird’s droppings. The treatment will need repeating a few weeks later to catch the worms that survived as larvae in the budgie’s gut.

Ringworm is a particular problem in outdoor aviaries, where droppings fall to the earth – a perfect habitat for the worm eggs.


Budgie Air Sac Mites

Budgies, along with many other birds, have an internal organ called an air sac, part of their respiratory system. This is sometimes invaded by a tiny creature called the air sac mite. It also colonises the bird’s trachea (the breathing pipe between the throat and the lungs). An infestation will affect the budgie’s voice. He will stop chirruping, his whistles will sound hoarse, and he will start to make a clicking, wheezing sound when he breathes. If left untreated the bird will eventually suffocate.

A vet will be able to treat the ill bird, along with the rest of your flock – the air sac mite can spread very quickly, and you have to assume that all the birds are infected. This may not be obvious, as it can take several weeks before the wheezing kicks in.

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