Urgent Female Eclectus with some sort of mite or lice

[dparry]

I just rescued a female Eclectus Parrot called Polly that is suffering from a pretty bad infestation of mites or lice (not sure which it is) Unfortunately I live in Papua New Guinea far away from anybody that resembles a vet, and I am unable to buy any of the traditional meds to kill them. Does anyone know a easy homemade method to cure my poor Bird from this pest?

Her feathers are pretty bad, and there are a few places where I can see patches of skin.

 

[aisia]

can you actually see a mite or louse on her?

 

[dparry]

Yes, I sprayed her with a light mist yesterday (right after I got her) and the little critters started crawling all over.

 

[aisia]

can you get any Diatomaceous earth where you are? if so rub it into the parrots feathers (do not let them inhale it) and powder the bottom of the cage with it. It dehydrates mites.

 

[aisia]

also Apple Cider Vinegar is suppose to help. give her a spray or a bath in it mixed with water and do not get into eyes.

 

[Lady Jane]

Some good info here Bird Mite Treatment Strategies For The Home

 

[dparry]

Thankyou all for your help, The Diatomaceous earth sounds great however I have never seen it here. Cider vinegar is sometimes available so I might try that as it would be an easy fix Does anyone know if lice shampoo for people would help? Obviously I would have to watch the beak and eyes.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Please don't use any the lice shampoo on your bird. It would be too caustic to the feathers and the skin as well as the lungs.

 

[Birdlover]

Here is another post about treatment of mites/lice:
Littlebird has "bird lice" | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[sodakat]

I've seen reference to wood ash (the literal ash left over after a clean wood fire) rubbed onto birds similar to diatomaceous earth to suffocate mites and lice. If she were an African Grey or another species that likes a dirt bath I'm sure she would dust herself, but an Eclectus would have to be held and dusted carefully. Once the bugs were dead you would have to rinse her well with water.

We don't have many instances of mites on pet birds in the U.S. so don't know much about treating them but I think that Australians sometime deal with this. Hopefully someone from Oz will have additional ideas for you.

You can join the Eclectus list on Yahoo if you want to converse via email with other Eclectus owners. Someone there may have an idea for you as there are a number of international members (Yahoo! Groups

 

[dparry]

Thanks, The not sure if the cider vinegar did anything, I am going to try again the day after tomorrow. I picked about 15 mites off her feathers today, they seemed more docile than I would expect so maybe the vinegar did something to them. She also seems a little more agitated, maybe due to not being annoyed by so many mites

 

[dparry]

Polly seems to be doing better, there are a lot less mites/lice on her. I sprayed her again today with more Apple cider vinegar so hopefully we are nearing the end of this issue. Thank for the advice. I have noticed that Polly is a lot more friendly (I said more agitated in the last post, I meant less agitated.) and actually seems to want to be with us. Also found that she likes to be wrapped up in a towel, guess she fells safe.