Parakeet dust bath?

[Parakeet88]

I was wondering if an occasional dust bath would be good for my keets. I had just given them a bowl of fresh pellets and the female started flailing around in them. I'm not sure why she does this sometimes but it got me thinking maybe she'd like a dust bath. I know in the wild they use dust when water isn't available. I do provide them with water baths regularly but she doesn't seem to enjoy them as much as my male keet so maybe she'd prefer a dust bath.

I was wondering if the chinchilla dust from a pet store would be safe to use or if a dust bath would be safe for them at all. Thanks!

 

[PoukieBear]

A dust bath is exactly the opposite kind of bath you want to give your budgie. You'll want to give her a water bath instead, this will help clean the dust off her feathers and not add to it.

Is your female in breeding condition? Sometimes they will do this while searching for a nesting spot.

You can always switch up the food dish to a smaller one that she can't get into. I've found that this always works for me.

 

[cosmolove]

I believe sticking to water baths are your best bet

 

[Parakeet88]

She's probably close to a year old, I can't remember her hatch date but I got her in February just after she'd been weaned. I thought it could be nesting behavior but sometimes she'll go for months without doing it. I give them two food bowls and she only kicks all the pellets out of one. I've been looking into other food bowls but it's hard to find any that will fit.

She doesn't show other signs of nesting. She's not hoarding materials or putting anything in that bowl, she just likes to kick all the pellets out of that particular bowl. She also does this weird thing where she'll have one foot on the edge of the bowl and on foot on the side of the cage. Then she sticks her head between her legs to get her face in the bowl. I have no idea what she's trying to do lol

She's not that into water baths, my male keet loves them but I'm lucky to see her take a drink out of it. Maybe I'll have to try spraying her instead.

 

[PoukieBear]

LOL, she sounds like she's having fun, even if it is making a mess and giving you headaches.

Candy will do the same thing for days on end. When I change the dish to something smaller she'll give up for a while, then figure out how to kick them all out again. I did get tired of moving the dish around the cage to different locations, so what I end up doing when she goes on one of her kicking sprees, is I remove the bottom grate in her cage. That way she can kick all the seeds and pellets out, and then at least she can forage for them on the bottom of the cage and not go hungry all day until I get home from work.

Just be sure to change the paper on the bottom of the cage every day.

 

[k9gardner]

I know this is an old thread and the only reason I reawaken it here is that I don't feel that the issue was actually discussed or resolved. I have a situation with mites with my parakeets and I've been doing a lot of reading about dust baths and diatomaceous earth and other herbs and whatnot and I think that if the birds want to do a dust bath, I'm going to guess that they know what they're doing. Either it's an instinctual thing, or they feel some benefit from it. I doubt that it's just for "fun," though that's possible I suppose. Usually there's something else behind the "fun." In any case, obviously some species of birds very much prefer and need dust baths, so to simply say that a dust bath is the opposite of what the birds need is not really addressing the question. Is there some reason parakeets specifically should not do this? I am pretty sure that budgies in the wild partake in dust baths. I am keenly interested right now because my birds have a mite problem, and dust baths are known to help mitigate this kind of problem. Any further thoughts? Thanks!

 

[WillowQ]

If they have a mite problem, a dust bath with ashes or diatomaceous earth would likely help. Or you could buy the commercial mite treatment applied to their skin or food.
Diatomaceous earth sprinkled under trays and paper where mites hide might kill them.

basically if you chemically treat all your birds the remaining mites in the environment should be starved and die off.

 

[owlsthetic]

Diatomaceous is hazardous to even humans when airborne so I would be hesitant to let my birds have access to it since I would be wary of it becoming airborne when they flap their wings or jump around, etc

Have you gotten your birds assessed by a vet for the mite problem? Personally I wouldn't be comfortable self medicating without vet guidance as it can be very easy to overdose medication especially for smaller birds like parakeets

I actually do agree with the original post in that I think dust baths are unnecessary for parrots

 

[Shezbug]

Please consult an avian vet and get some medication to clear up the mites.
Diatomaceous earth is extremely hazardous and should not be used on or for birds as it will cause severe irritation and damage to the respiratory system.

 

[WillowQ]

Please consult an avian vet and get some medication to clear up the mites.
Diatomaceous earth is extremely hazardous and should not be used on or for birds as it will cause severe irritation and damage to the respiratory system.

Thank you for correcting me. I used diatomaceous earth to treat my room for tobacco beetles some years ago but I could not recall what cautions I needed to take.
It seemed the person wanted to use a natural treatment and that was my first thought.

I corresponded with a guy in Bolivia who couldn’t get commercial more treatment and ended up using wood ash as a powder for his baby macaw. That is an old fashioned treatment but he didn’t have other options.

 

[Aviphile]

I wouldn't put chinchilla dust out a chinchilla or a bird, volcanic ash is very irritating to the lungs of all animals. All though there is a pretty good chance they wouldn't inhale enough to hurt them long term but I would be concerned about repeated use.

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a lung disease caused by inhalation of very fine silica dust usually found in volcanos. That is really just a made up word but its always a head scratcher. haha

Volcanic ash is dangerous never the less. Human and Environmental Impacts of Volcanic Ash

Diatomaceous earth is composed of the fossilized remains of diatoms Diatom - Wikipedia

The use of DE has a wide range of applications. It is used as anti-caking agent, the FDA has it classified as GRAS you have probably eaten a lot more than you realize.

It is used in the pharmaceutical industry too JP2013530153A - New uses of diatomaceous earth in the pharmaceutical industry - Google Patents

What Are the Benefits of Diatomaceous Earth?

Diatomaceous earth is a type of sand made from fossilized algae. It is a popular dietary supplement that is claimed to have many health benefits.

www.healthline.com

I've used it for parrots and chickens but I have never put any out for them to roll around in. I covered their faces and applied it to them in whatever area that they needed it. I do the same for my dogs. We use to use a paper sack to put over their heads, it allowed them air to breathe and protection from the dust. Really if it is done correctly there isn't much dust at all. I have used my fingers, an old spice container with the large holes or a small bellowed applicator to apply it. Because of the silica content it would be very irritating to the lungs of any animal and you would want to make sure and protect yourself and them from breathing it in. Short term isolated exposure would cause mild irritation. Long term exposure can really damage the lungs.

 

[WillowQ]

I understand diatomaceous earth is pretty cutting.

the guy I wrote of was talking about wood ash from his fire, as topical treatment for a bad mite infection in a rescued macaw baby. This is a traditional use and I hear it worked. He wasn’t able to order chemical mite treatments.

I was only trying to answer the poster’s seeming desire for natural treatment. I think the commercial mite treatment may relieve the budgies seeming desire to dust bathe or ant.