Bird mites in spray millet?!

[EPS]

Hi all -

Has anyone experienced bird mites or bird mites in spray millet?!

I am very concerned because I think I've spotted mites while cleaning up after my bird. I have a suspicion that they might have been blood mites, so I inspected my bird's head and feet a few hours after lights out. There was nothing on him from what I could see, BUT - I had used spray millet to bribe him to comply to this mite check. And when I went to clean up the mess from the millet, I saw these bugs again!

Thinking back, I also spotted the bugs earlier while cleaning up the millet seeds/casings from the floor.

I had also inspected my bird's cage/liner/toys and found no signs of bugs. So I have a huge suspicion that the bugs are coming from the millet.

I am super concerned, because now my baby, my home and my family has been exposed to whatever these things are.

Please let me know if you have any experience with such a situation, and if you have any helpful advice! Thank you!

 

[Mizzely]

If they are in the millet, they are probably more like a flour beetle.

They are only about 3 to 6mm (1/8" to 1/4") long, so pretty small.

 

[EPS]

Thanks for your reply! Unfortunately, I didn't think to take photos before I smashed all the ones I could find. But I saw two different things, which I am assuming are related. There were some that reminded me of the red mites that can be found on plants, which is why I automatically thought "mites." Only these were bigger, darker red, and definitely had blood in them that smeared when I smashed them with a tissue. Then there were these small little things, that I regretfully didn't even recognize at first, because they just looked like dust! The had no particular color and were extremely small, and when I looked hard enough they actually moved quite fast on the floor. I don't even want to think of how many had gotten away since I hadn't noticed that they moved earlier.

 

[Fergus Mom]

Oh mannnnn!!! No, I haven't experienced any bugs in the millet... and I sure hope I never do - creeeeepy!!!

 

[EPS]

Yea. I also spotted an ant each time in the mix of bugs and millet, and I've never spotted ants inside my house before. So I am also assuming they came from the millet. Only I am not concerned about them harming anyone/anything.

 

[Fergus Mom]

Oh good grief - I have ants here, they came in about a month ago. They plague me every spring and fall, and hopefully leave during summer, but I have seen summers when they stayed throughout. I have tried many things to get rid of them, and if it weren't for the birds I'd call an exterminator... UGH, they're driving me nuts. But they don't seem to be in our millet, thank goodness! (YET?)

 

[Mizzely]

One thing you can do is freeze your bird food for 3 days before opening or offering it, and only keep out about a months worth of food.

Mites are super tiny so I'm not sure what a larger red blood eating bug is

 

[rocky'smom]

I would find a different place to buy my food for the feather butts. I have seen buggy food b/4 and I take it back to the of purchase and let them know too.