Expert: Abi - 2/13/2008

Question
QUESTION: hi, my name is shaila and i have 4 birds, all 4 of them have mites. i got them injected once and i was sapposed to go for their second injection but i didnt because it was way to expensive for us. i did some research to find other ways for treatment and a site i went to, said i should use paraffin oil and it also said to make sure this oil is not swallowed by the bird because results can be diareah. i was wondering if parafin oil is okay to use for the bird and i wanted to know some other ways of treatments that will not harm the bird. and please try to answere as fast as possible because i am very scared and want to get them treated. although, the mites on them are not so bad, there is not alot but i still want to get hem treated ASAP to prevent further complications. one of my 4 birds has nails that have all fallen off. the nails just simply fell off. the vet said that it is because of mites and their scally legs and scaly faces have improved since their first needle as well. i just need to know if there is any other way of curing this infection.

ANSWER: I need to know what kind of mites. Feather mites, scaley legs, scaley faces?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: scaly legs and scaly face

ANSWER: The way to cure it is by spraying a little mite spray on the area, but not too much so that the birds become irritated and not on their face; then rub THICK vaseline, paraffin or engine oil over the top. This suffocates the mites and the problem should clear up. You need to do this regularly, once every three to four days. The injections really do help with this problem though, so I would try to continue with that. It takes a long time to clear up just by using mite spray and vaseline!
Just put vaseline on its own on the birds face, don't spray mite spray there because it might irritate their eyes.

Thanks for your question.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: the sites i checked said that any oil is harmful for the birds especially engine oil, and i was told that mite spray is not for birds, its for other things in the cage like the toys and nest

Answer
You can get mite spray that you can spray directly on to the birds. I use spray for pidgeons for my chickens. Vasline won't damage them in any way, but engine oil is carcenogenic. It gets the job done though and is much easier, and my birds have never had any negative effects.