Help! My lovebird is itching the left side of his face bare!

[Jake]

My masked lovebird is a year and a half old, and about 5 days ago he started itching his face, now it's bare and he's still itching it, any ideas as to why he is doing this? I will include pictures. And he is only itching this spot, that's it. Pictures: Share.photo

Please someone answer soon!

 

[Begone]

None here can give you a answer to that. You must visit a avian vet ASAP! Why wait 5 days?

 

[Jake]

I tried different things to make him stop, and he never stopped. Do the pictures show any sign of anything?

 

[Begone]

Do the pictures show any sign of anything?

Yes that you must visit a avian vet.

 

[Jake]

And also the nearest avian vet available on the day before I discovered it is 2 hours away. The avian vet I plan to see is available Monday.

 

[Jake]

I do not have the option to visit a vet right now. So based on what you see, is there anything I can do right now?

 

[painesgrey]

Given the location, I would suspect a parasite like mites. There are quite a few mites/lice sprays readily available if you can get your hands on one. That being said, even if you find an OTC treatment for mites please do take him to the vet anyway because it's better to have it seen and diagnosed by a vet than take a wait-and-see approach with OTC medications only to have them be ineffective and have the condition worsen.

Here's another recent thread on mites with a lot of helpful tips.

 

[webchirp]

If that is an ear infection or other infection...waiting for vetting can make it so much harder to treat. Poor guy has bruised himself rubbing.

 

[parrotluv]

Yes could even be fungal or bacterial and could spread quickly.he needs to be seen on Monday.

 

[SandraK]

Can you tell us where you are located? That might help give us an idea of what type of meds are available IF any can be recommended. I would still see a vet, preferably someone who has experience with birds, before administering anything.

 

[Laurah]

Poor little guy! He is adorable. Hope he gets some meds tomorrow.

 

[Jake]

Thank you all for responses, I am taking him to vet first thing in he morning, I've been applying coconut oil and distracting him with lots of toys and music and extra play time. There is a mite/lice slow release emergency pesticide sitting on his cage above his favorite perching spot, I bought it a while back just in case something like this might happen. He has definitely stopped itching as rapidly.