frantic budgie preening

[itadoat]

hello,

since last night, my two budgies have been preening very frantically and agitatedly. i recently bought them a new type of 'chew toy' (if you can call it that) and the frantic preening began that very night. i'm worried that they have mites because bird mites are nocturnal and as soon as i turned on the light that night, both of them began to preen and fluff out their feathers. usually they sit in a state of half-sleepiness until after a few minutes.

i just covered them with a thin white cloth and am preparing to turn off the light and let them sleep. tomorrow morning i will check for any mites on the white cloth.

if there are mites, what should i do? are they able to be treated with some at-home remedy or store-bought spray, or is it necessary that i bring them to the vet?
if there are no mites, am i still able to treat them just in case? i checked parts of their skin but could not find any mites or plaques, but that was during the day and i'm not sure where the mites could have burrowed off to. in this case, what happens if the mites are untreated?
what happens if a homemade vinegar-containing or store-bought spray/remedy is sprayed on them when they don't have mites or lice?
note: i have considered that they might have dry skin (they are also just finishing their molt), but this unusual behaviour has never happened before and i have been through MANY molting seasons with them (5 and 3 years with the two birds) and i have never seen this type of constant frantic preening behaviour.

my apologies if this is rushed and unclear; i am very anxious for their health and i have nowhere else to look.

any help, advice, or experience would be very much appreciated!

 

[Sparkles99]

Where'd the toy come from? If it's new, I don't see why it would carry mites.

My budgies preen a lot. I think the feather fluffing helps to unruffle their feathers. They also do it if they're being saucy. Maybe they'd appreciate a bath or a shower (spray bottle mist).

What makes you suspect mites?

 

[Shezbug]

Where was the toy bought and what exactly is the toy? Many bird toy stores have birds or allow birds into the stores, so depending on where you bought the toy it could have carried mites in. It could also have been dyed have some other irritant on it.

When was the last time they bathed? Dry skin can cause them to show discomfort similar to what you describe.

If you check the white cloth for signs of mites and find some then you’ll treat your birds with an approved medication and strictly follow the directions for treatment.
Please don’t mix your own concoction up or buy something that someone else made up- buy proper approved mite and lice treatments to use.

Mites in such a short time will not be a big problem for you or your birds so you can be at ease knowing you have some time to find and treat if it is mites.

I’d offer bathing opportunities ASAP to make sure it’s not dry itchy skin.

@finchly has experience treating birds for mites, hopefully she can offer more help.

 

[itadoat]

Where'd the toy come from? If it's new, I don't see why it would carry mites.

My budgies preen a lot. I think the feather fluffing helps to unruffle their feathers. They also do it if they're being saucy. Maybe they'd appreciate a bath or a shower (spray bottle mist).

What makes you suspect mites?

the toy came from a pet store. like mentioned, i have bought it for them before and am unsure why it would seem to cause such an unusual reaction this time.

mine do too! however, they usually don't fluff themselves for so many times in a row and so vigorously (the same goes for their preening). the bathing tub was there as usual, but i don't think they made a move for it. my budgies get very mad when i tried misting them years ago they prefer bathing themselves in cool water

i suppose that the main reason why i suspect mites would be their unusual behaviour. it's mostly their preening that could resemble itching and their more-restless-than-normal behaviour around nighttime.

 

[itadoat]

Where was the toy bought and what exactly is the toy? Many bird toy stores have birds or allow birds into the stores, so depending on where you bought the toy it could have carried mites in. It could also have been dyed have some other irritant on it.

When was the last time they bathed? Dry skin can cause them to show discomfort similar to what you describe.

If you check the white cloth for signs of mites and find some then you’ll treat your birds with an approved medication and strictly follow the directions for treatment.
Please don’t mix your own concoction up or buy something that someone else made up- buy proper approved mite and lice treatments to use.

Mites in such a short time will not be a big problem for you or your birds so you can be at ease knowing you have some time to find and treat if it is mites.

I’d offer bathing opportunities ASAP to make sure it’s not dry itchy skin.

@finchly has experience treating birds for mites, hopefully she can offer more help.

the link to the item is here: Wesco Pet Original Bird Kabob | bird Toys | PetSmart. this may not be the exact product, but it was something similar. it was bought from petsmart.

the last time i remember one bathing was the day before. she still has the same symptoms, and though i considered dry and itchy skin, it seemed unlikely that both of them would experience it at the same time and so suddenly.

so do vinegar solutions not work? i saw a few sources stating to make your own, but i have yet to do any deep research on it.
for store-bought and approved medication, are there any brands that you can recommend?

thank you so for the comforting advice! it is good to know that my birds will be okay if i can treat them in time. i may try misting them very lightly if neither of them try bathing tomorrow.

 

[Shezbug]

The toy you link should be just fine and is likely not the problem would be my guess.

I’d personally be misting them ASAP (even if they were annoyed at me for doing so) to see if it relieves the behaviour you’re seeing.

Dryness is often caused by the air in our homes so if it is dryness I wouldn’t be surprised at all by both of them showing signs at the same time.

My budgie and Macaw spend most of their time in separate rooms, have different diets, bathe at different times but if one of them has dry skin I can guarantee the other will do at the exact same time- they live in the same temperature air which is heated and cooled by the same sort of split systems. I often also feel a bit dry at the same times it happens to my guys.

Finchly will likely tell you I believe to buy Scatt or ivermectin but please wait for her to say what she feels would be the best course of action for you (I’ve never had to treat for mites so I’d rather that Tanya gives you the information incase I’ve told you the wrong product which I don’t believe I have)

I can’t say I’ve heard of anyone using vinegar to kill mites, I would doubt that vinegar would kill mites to be honest unless it was strong enough to also be a problem for your birds. I know some home remedies work a bit fir varying things but they honestly never work as well as products designed specifically to kill things like bugs.