Mites or moult

[Artémise]

Hello
My eclectus is about 11 months old
And she has been scratching badly for some days
She always scratches a little but it seems a lot these last days and also she lost many feathers.
I am posting some pics.
Can someone tell me whether it’s mites and lice or moulting?
And whether I can use a mites and lice medication as prevention?
Thanking you for any information.

 

[sunnysmom]

That doesn't look like a molt to me. Are you located in the United States? Indoor birds rarely get mites here. One way to tell is you can put some white paper on the bottom of the cage and in the morning if there are dark specks on it, it may be mites. I would never use an over the counter mite or lice medicine on a bird. If it's mites, she should be treated by a vet. Also the medication should only be used if she definitely has mites. It's not preventative treatment, like with dogs and fleas. I would take her to a vet and have her looked at. I'm not sure what's going on with her feathers.

 

[Artémise]

Thnx for the reply
No I’m in Mauritius and unfortunately there is no avian vet here.
Took her to a vet about a month ago
He was not sure she had mites and told me to put something as prevention and said he couldn’t do it without gloves
I put paper towel in her cage and have never seen anything moving
Never seen anything moving on her also.

 

[sunnysmom]

Try leaving the paper towel there overnight and see if there are any specks on it in the morning. I have always been told not to treat for mites unless the bird definitely has mites and that a prescription is needed, not the over the counter meds. Did her feathers/skin look like that when you took her to the vets?

@Birdbabe ? @webchirp ?

 

[Artémise]

I always use paper towel and have not noticed anything.
I’ll look more attentively tomorrow morning.
Not exactly but her tail was a mess... she plucks it out.

 

[webchirp]

Ekkies require a special diet. Look there as soon as possible.

Once they start plucking, they can become itchy. There are a variety of things that can cause this...I def would not treat for mites. You could do more harm than good. If she is itchy, a natural aloe spray can help. Dr. Orosz has prescribed children's benadryl before for one of mine that plucked and we thought might be itchy.

Skin infection...yeast infection on the skin...diluted f10 spray.

Gram stains from someone who knows what they are looking at would be an initial vet step.

 

[Artémise]

Hi
Thnx for all the tips.
I give her mostly fruits and veg.
I tried to find natural aloe but there is none.
I’ll try the Benadryl, I think this I’ll get from a pharmacy.
And will see if I can get the f10 spray online.
Went to several vets for check-ups and asked if they do tests... they don’t, not even poop tests.

 

[Birdbabe]

My guess would be aloe vera spray, you say you cant get it there..a good health food store may have aloe..eclectus are known for picking and plucking due to diet...you will need to research that also..a correct diet will do wonders .

 

[Artémise]

I tried to find it earlier but didn’t
Not even in pharmacies
There is aloe Vera juice but not complete natural
Yea... I’m perhaps doing something wrong about her food
I’ll try to change some things and see if it works

 

[sunnysmom]

@Birdbabe, do you think just rubbing juice from an aloe vera plant itself would work if one can be found? I do that for when I burn myself cooking.

 

[Birdbabe]

@Birdbabe, do you think just rubbing juice from an aloe vera plant itself would work if one can be found? I do that for when I burn myself cooking.

If you can get real aloe, you can make a tonic from it.
115 grams of peeled aloe, you want the inner gooey part, not the harder skin and thorns. 4 cups sterilized water,,set the aloe in the water,,in the fridge..,dont dusturb for 24 hours..then gently take the aloe out and put the tonic in a spray bottle...but do keep it in the fridge..it will remain fresh for 2 to 3 months. You can the Spitz the area with it...hey, it is natural, non toxic and will not hurt your bird. Otherwise there is " Lily of the valley" aloe drink at SPROUTS..or other health food stores,, it can be used full strength, or diluted half aloe drink half good water...once again,,,will not hurt to try.

 

[Artémise]

Hello
Brought Artémise to a vet
He said he thinks it can be a viral bacteria and prescribed this for 15 days
Doxin-200 WS - Doxycycline & Tylosin water-soluble powder
He seemed uncertain but said there are no side effects
Should I give this to her?
Thnxx

 

[camelotshadow]

Hope someone can chime in as that seems to be an antibiotic & they can get rid of good bacteria too so really not the best thing to just guess at but Dr's do it & vets too.

Is that a spray antibiotic or oral??? why would that be good for itching skin is the ???

 

[Artémise]

It is an oral antibiotic
To be mixed in water.

 

[sunnysmom]

It is an oral antibiotic
To be mixed in water.

I've used an oral antibiotic mixed in water before for my cockatiel. I'm drawing a blank on the name of it at the moment. I did also use probiotics then for 30 days too.

 

[Artémise]

I mailed the manufacturer and asked them about the product.
They were very helpful and explained the use of the medicine.
In summary they told me not to use as preventive but to give it to her if my vet says so and to go to the vet if I find anything wrong.
But the problem was the vet didn’t seem sure about his diagnosis and said he thought perhaps it was bacteria and I doubt he’ll be able to do anything if she does not do well.
So I’ll try the natural skin solutions for the time being hoping it’s not viral bacteria.

 

[sunnysmom]

@Monica ?

 

[Monica]

One *POSSIBLE* cause is giardia... which is an internal parasite.... and requires "poop tests" to diagnose... and even then, it doesn't shed *all* the time..... so.... without a vet who can do the tests, you are kind of SOL...

Are any of your vets willing to consult with an avian vet?

If not, you may need to find an avian vet willing to do consultations over Skype or a similar program and then see if you can follow their directions... but all you are really doing is pulling at straws and hoping you get the right thing!

 

[Artémise]

Yea... I read about giardia and the symptoms do seem similar.
No vet here does poop test. I called everyone I could find.
I’m not sure it’s giardia because it’s through water contamination and i give Artémise bottled water only.
But in case it’s this, i read that goldenseal is effective. I didn’t find the root here but I bought the infusion in a local online shop which I’ll get by tomorrow. I’ll try give her a little to see if there is any improvement.