Urgent I'm so worried about my fids. What should I do?

[SirMarty]

Hello everyone, I'm new here but I'm posting this because this is sort of an emergency.

I'm 19yo, currently without a job and I'm living in an apt with my mom and sister.

I used to have 5 birds, but one of them that I really had a special bond with passed away last year and I've really been even more depressed since his passing (I've had lots of other family issues and his loss really hurt me more). He was a Patagonian Conure.

Fast forward now, I have 4 birds who I love just as much and they've been able to keep me from going totally into the darkness.

However, one of my other birds is sick again (he's mainly been "under the weather" so nothing extreme as of now) and it's likely due to a heart condition—the vet and I aren't sure yet.

That's not the only problem though—the apartment we're living in has had a slight roach problem ever since we moved in over a year and a half ago. Before I got 4 more birds we only had one and we moved her into a room that wasn't being fumigated (she's small and has a "small" cage), and weeks went by and eventually the roaches just stayed within the kitchen area and rarely the bathroom area.

A couple of days ago I felt even more violated, because I turned on the lights, only to my horror, seeing a few roaches either on or around 2 of my birds' cages. I've never seen this ever, and I'm absolutely horrified and now worried for the safety and health of my fids.

I've been staying up countless nights, but now even moreso, with the heat lamp near my slightly ill Jenday's cage because I have not been able to sleep nights at all knowing these disgusting creatures are not only walking around, but now climbing my fids' cages. My Caique seems to be safe... for now, and my lovebird is on a platform where she won't have bugs around her.

And mind you, I got my Jenday, Senegal and Caique big, big cages (32x24). I even tried putting vasoline around the cage legs. I don't know if they're working because I still saw a few climbing around my Jenday's cage and 2 around my Sennie's. I'm thinking—what if they're already breeding within the small holes the cages are created with?

I don't know what to do. I don't want to get rid of them because my fids are LITERALLY all I have. At the same time, they're in perfect health (bloodwork or gram stains show they're fine in those aspects) but I don't want to be responsible for something bad to happen to them health-wise in the future.

My dad—who I personally do not speak to any longer—has told my mom for me to put down my late Paddy, who then passed away 2 or 3 weeks later; and has been bugging my mom for me to get rid of the rest of my birds.

I don't have really anyone to depend on in real life. When I mean that my birds are all I have, I literally mean it but I don't want this slight bug problem growing into an infestation and then my fids getting sick from small roach waste or beaking one.

I'm crying while I'm typing this. My mom has mainly been speechless. She's been helping me clean around the fids' cages while I clean their cages, but recently she told me just use a small nail filer to fling off the one's I haven't been able to kill because they're in small corners/spaces.

What should I do? I'm at my wit's end and I'm so stressed. I want the best for my fids' but I don't don't ever want to see them every again either.

 

[VictoriaVague]

where are you based?

 

[SirMarty]

where are you based?

In Virginia Beach, VA.

I'm so sorry if my OP sounds over-dramatized but I have been easily stressed lately. One of my FB friends told me I can get the apartment complex fumigators as they usually have chemicals that are bird-safe. I've been reading online and usually they're anything but; however, I used to work at a pet store that hired these fumigators who guaranteed their fumes were safe around the birds. I saw it first-hand myself. We would just undome the birds an hour later. I doubt I can afford this though. Anyways, I don't want any sort of spraying if the complex management cannot guarantee that it will not harm my fids.

I'm also worried that this could only be a bandaid to a bullet wound. We did spray when we first moved in (idiot management didn't spray before we moved in because apparently the previous tenant didn't have an issue with it), and I clearly remember a time when a maintenance man said that the people that live above us aren't the cleanest of folk. I have some clutter around the apt because of my mom, but I know we clearly aren't the problem, especially since I've heard the apartment next door to us also has plumbing issues. UGH.

Again, I apologize but I just want the best for my babies and I just feel so, so violated and disgusted.

 

[VictoriaVague]

No need to apologise, you're in the right place. We all want the best for our feathered buddies.

 

[VictoriaVague]

BUMP

 

[msplantladi]

I so feel your pain. I am currently dealing w/ a roach problem that we inherited when we bought our house. I have a company that comes and sprays monthly & any extra spraying inside as i need it.The inside spray appointments require all my animals be out of the house for at least 6 hrs or until my over sensitive nose doesn't smell anything. Its been a year and i am still dealing with this nasty situation. i too stay up nights trying to stay on top of the situation. The only thing I use inside is apply cider vinegar. I dilute it with water in a spray bottle. I also use a roach paste around the wheels & legs of my cages. Just this weekend we took out one of my cages that the nasty creatures seem to be around the most. To my horror when we sprayed inside every nook & hole the amount of roaches & their crap that came out of the cage was disgusting . We sprayed our couch also. Picked up any throw rugs & took them completely out because i am afraid of eggs in anything material.
Now from my past experience being a apartment mgr. unless all connecting units are sprayed at the same time you will only see a temporary fix as they will just be chased from one unit to the other. It is a health issue & your apt mgr needs to keep on top of this. You pay rent for a safe environment & its his job to make sure you have that.The carpet needs to be sprayed also...curtains, bedding everything that can be washed. I clean the bottom of cages every night before I cover them & take out the food dishes. Its a huge chore that needs to be repeated often as they hatch 100's of eggs every 10 days. Make sure all food is stored in air tight containers.
I know money is tight for you-apple cider vinegar is a couple bucks but you have to keep those nasty things from breeding.
I so wish you the best-keep your chin up we are here for you.

 

[SirMarty]

I so feel your pain. I am currently dealing w/ a roach problem that we inherited when we bought our house. I have a company that comes and sprays monthly & any extra spraying inside as i need it.The inside spray appointments require all my animals be out of the house for at least 6 hrs or until my over sensitive nose doesn't smell anything. Its been a year and i am still dealing with this nasty situation. i too stay up nights trying to stay on top of the situation. The only thing I use inside is apply cider vinegar. I dilute it with water in a spray bottle. I also use a roach paste around the wheels & legs of my cages. Just this weekend we took out one of my cages that the nasty creatures seem to be around the most. To my horror when we sprayed inside every nook & hole the amount of roaches & their crap that came out of the cage was disgusting . We sprayed our couch also. Picked up any throw rugs & took them completely out because i am afraid of eggs in anything material.
Now from my past experience being a apartment mgr. unless all connecting units are sprayed at the same time you will only see a temporary fix as they will just be chased from one unit to the other. It is a health issue & your apt mgr needs to keep on top of this. You pay rent for a safe environment & its his job to make sure you have that.The carpet needs to be sprayed also...curtains, bedding everything that can be washed. I clean the bottom of cages every night before I cover them & take out the food dishes. Its a huge chore that needs to be repeated often as they hatch 100's of eggs every 10 days. Make sure all food is stored in air tight containers.
I know money is tight for you-apple cider vinegar is a couple bucks but you have to keep those nasty things from breeding.
I so wish you the best-keep your chin up we are here for you.

My goodness, your situation seems way worse than mine! I don't know how you do it! I'm overwhelmed to put it simply.

I personally don't have an income, and although it's not much my mom does. I'm worried that fumigation will only bandaid this issue if, again, as you said, upstairs people aren't clean and the next door apartment has p*** poor plumbing.

My birds' spaces seem to offer them a place to collect their waste on the carpet that I cannot absolutely clean 100% every single day. I dread that they made these apartments almost fully carpet. Carpet should only belong in the bedrooms/closets! Also, I had less birds but more clutter in a former apt and we NEVER had a roach issue.

I might have to start cleaning and vacuuming daily if that's what you're doing. They haven't made it to their food or water yet, but as you noted and as I've read myself, these disgusting creatures reproduce very quickly and can get to the point where furniture is ruined. I'm afraid that's what'll happen to my bird cages and that I'll have to get new ones.

Unfortunately my dad is the one that pays the rent. I don't contribute at all so it's not like I ever had any power into how our lease and apartment living is handled, although any sane individual would know that this living situation should've never happened in the first place and isn't clean whatsoever. The best option would be to move. I'd be way more comfortable with relocating to at least a different apartment within the complex than possibly spending hundreds on new cages and traps/bait and staying up like this, interrupting my birds' sleep because I see a roach on one of the cage bars.

I do have 3 other questions:

• I do have apple cider vinegar. What would it do exactly? And it's not sticky right (maybe I'm thinking of olive oil)?
• If I fumigate the chemicals could latch on to the bird cages correct, thus being deadly depending on the chemicals?

 

[dragonlady2]

You can try Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, not pool grade. After thoroughly vacuuming and cleaning, lightly sprinkle in places you see roaches, where they might come in, baseboards and you can use it in the bottom tray of the bird cages. Too much powder and they won't walk through it. sprinkle around the outside foundation of your home. It's safe for human consumption. I use it for flea, worm and tick control with my cats and dog. Read the instructions for use carefully. Shouldn't inhale directly, keep away from eyes etc. I have used this in the bottom tray with my birds with no ill effects. Just make sure that it is not too thickly spread so if they flap their wings that they create "dust" in the air. It's inexpensive and regular use should help keep the roaches under control.

 

[Tanya]

I'm not terribly far from those powerless years of having no job and still being under my parents roof.

Life does get better.

I know this is personal so you don't have to answer if you don't want, but do you have some college plans lined up? Most dorms allow birds. And if you get them certified as therapy animals (and it sounds like they already are) you will legally be able to bring them to live with you.

I know college isn't for everyone but if it's for you it could help you get a fresh start.

 

[SirMarty]

I'm not terribly far from those powerless years of having no job and still being under my parents roof.

Life does get better.

I know this is personal so you don't have to answer if you don't want, but do you have some college plans lined up? Most dorms allow birds. And if you get them certified as therapy animals (and it sounds like they already are) you will legally be able to bring them to live with you.

I know college isn't for everyone but if it's for you it could help you get a fresh start.

I don't want to derail the thread so I'll be brief, if you don't mind:

I did dropout of high school. Didn't like school all that much all my life, but when I heard of all the new problems high school would cause then I really hated school. Parents didn't let me homeschool nor did they "agree" with it, so I stopped going to school after almost failing 9th grade and was never re-registered since. I'm pretty much stuck where I live but it helps that I have my fids. I really don't like where I live at all. :/

As for the bug issues, thank you all for your suggestions! My mom went out and bought some roach motels with some egg bait killers. I placed several around my fids' cages and I've been looking tonight and haven't really seen anything on neither my Jenday's nor my Sennie's cages (knock on wood). Pest control is also coming later this morning to apply lots of roach bait around the living/dining room areas, and my mom is considering getting a storage facility (FINALLY!) to get rid of her clutter. I'll let you know how things go, but I will try and push to relocate to different building. I do NOT feel comfortable with roaches around my birds' cages at all.

 

[msplantladi]

So glad mom is on board somewhat, that should help. Pssst...birds are messy, daily cleaning is required-there are somedays it feels like the broom and dust pan never leave my hands.
Ok I am not going to get all chatty just going to say I have been in your shoes mentally, not fun & no way to live life. You have to want change for yourself-there are things you can do, resources available-hugs

 

[msplantladi]

SirMarty...I have been thinking of you, any updates you would like to share. Hope things are better for you & your fids.

 

[SirMarty]

SirMarty...I have been thinking of you, any updates you would like to share. Hope things are better for you & your fids.

Thank you!!

I would just like to start off by saying that a mod may lock this thread. We are slowly (but surely!) starting to tackle this. I'm not actually sure we will be able to relocate, even to a different building in the same complex, but I have been bugging my mom to get a storage facility which she plans on getting. It's just that she's been working and also one of my birbs has been ill since mid-May. A lot of different things going on that has added to the stress, but thankfully we have seen less bugs than when I made this thread.

I am going to start a new thread specifically about my ill birb because I may need some other parronts' opinions.

Thank you guys again for your support! It means a lot!

 

[echobird]

We used to have a roach problem. They were the brown banded roaches which are incredibly hard to get rid of. My solution was one safe to use with animals in the house since the poison would be strategically placed where they cant access it. I used Advion Syngenta Gel Bait. This works wonders. I also lined all the walls in and out of the house with boron powder.

The reason why the roaches are going into your birds cage is because of food and water.

You need to make sure there isn't any food or water available for the roaches to consume. Not in the kitchen, not in the bedrooms, and definitely not in the bird cages.

Empty out food and water bowls (you can wash and dry them and they'll be ready to use in the morning). Make sure all bird food is in tightly sealed containers or bags. Everything must be tightly sealed, you cant let them get into any of it. Clean out cage liners at night and wipe the tray and the cage bars/perches to clean off any food they might have got stuck onto it. I use a water/white vinegar solution which is perfectly safe.


Also if you suspect they have colonized in the cage crevices I would suggest immediately pressure washing the cages. Take it outside and hose it down, making sure to get in the crevices. Use your cleaning solution and then let it air dry.

Hope this helps!

 

[expressmailtome]

I am very glad to hear that your problem is getting better. Generally, unless there is a problem, we do not lock threads. They are left open for members to read and reply.

 

[Lady Jane]

Unfortunately, roaches are the hardest bug to get rid of. They multiply every 6 to 8 days. They can build up a resistance to store bought pesticides. Because you're correctly aware of their capabilities as far as both human and bird food scraps and the contents of trash bins, your only alternative is to get a professional exterminator to do the whole area. They can get into cracks and crevices and live for weeks without anything to eat. Professinal exterminators have the proper tools to get into those areas. You might have to board your birds somewhere else during the treatment. Hope it all turns out well for you.

 

[alshgs]

Never had a roach problem (we do have ants though) but just saw this and wanted to wish you good luck with getting rid of those things and keep us updated with the situation! I wish I had some advice about being under a parents roof with birds but sadly I have only ever owned dogs while I lived with my mom. Keep us updated!

 

[Tami B]

Sounds like you getting a handle on this!
Roach motels have worked great for me in the past!
And borax powder and diatomaceous earth have already been mentioned. Which I use as well.
It takes a while, and you have to keep up with it, but you can do it!