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Worming Birds

MagpieDragon

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Hi all, just had a couple of Q's regarding worms and birds.

First of all, I have seen in pet stores that they have water soluble bird worming 'stuff', and I wondered whether one could hide in food? Most of them give a dosage (e.g. I pump wormer to 1 cup of water), could this be used in food instead (bird bread?), or does the dosage change?

Also, do you guys recommend worming birds routinely, or let the vet diagnose them first. As far as I understand, worming aviary birds is essential to keeping them healthy. Is this true?

I actually have a bottle of Vetafarm's 'wormout gel', but haven't used it yet, any tips? Should I even?

These questions are simply to satisfy my curiousity and help me understand a bit more, thanks :)
 

WendyN

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:bump4:
 

Birdbabe

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I have never in my 25+ years of having birds have " wormed "them. Only a fecal exam would show if they have worms, My vets never suggested it either.
 

Mizzely

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Unless your bird is outside foraging on the ground or somehow exposed to the droppings of a bird that has worms, it would be extremely hard for them to actually get worms.
 

JLcribber

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Your pampered inside bird does not have worms and the chances of it ever getting any is low to none.
 

Mark & Da Boyz

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I'd ask a Avian vet as I've never heard of ti being done.

I'm no vet so I don't treat my birds without a vet telling me to.
 

MagpieDragon

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Thank you all for the replies, sounds like it's a no to worming without the vet's clarification :)
 

Mark & Da Boyz

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One other thing, you don't want to medicate your bird then go to the vet because it can mask things and make it harder for the vet to figure out what's wrong. Same thing if you're sick. Don't play doctor then go to the real doctor without taking every bottle you took stuff out of.
 
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painesgrey

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It's possible for companion parrots that are fed seed diets to have worms, when they eat seeds that contain small insects that are hosts to worm eggs. For this reason, it's recommended that you freeze any seeds or seed-containing treats for a minimum of two weeks prior to feeding to kill off any parasites.

Do not use any over the counter deworming medication. Your vet can deworm via injection after he/she has confirmed the presence of worm eggs in a fecal test.
 

finchly

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Wormout gel is good to use, there is one type of worm it doesn’t kill, maybe tapeworms. I forget.

You just put it in the water, I shake it up because...it’s a gel. Some water meds taste bad and you have to be sure they’re drinking but this one is fine apparently.

If you have a closed aviary and have been told via the fecal exam that there are no worms, that is about 80% correct. The other 20% is that they don’t always show up in the fecal. If you have various birds in/out due to buying or rescuing, or as others said birds on the ground or exposed to droppings of outdoor birds (very important) you have the possibility.

I know my opinion is in the minority but I treat my finches (and therefore all my birds) fairly regularly. Even where my fids go out on the lanai, inside the screen cage around my pool, there is the possibility that they are exposed to parasites.
 

Shezbug

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I actually did ask the AV when I took Burt for his check up. I wanted to know if I should buy some and how often I needed to treat, I was told it was not a concern unless he was housed where wild birds could access the same area.
My AV said it is very rare for a "pet" bird to have worms, especially if there has been no outside contact from other birds.
 
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