# HELP! Pigeon Fly!!!!



## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

One of my ringneck doves has a pigeon fly and I can't get rid of it. Its disgusting and freaking me out - and it can not be nice for the dove.  How can I kill the nasty thing?

It it really big and moves like a crab over my doves body. When I try to get it the thing goes into the doves feathers and comes out somewhere else. I have tired mite powder all over the dove - but this stresses out the dove a lot and I got some in her eye. Once the fly actually flew off the bird, but went back on.

I am worried my other doves will get the fly thing. I know where it came from. I rescued a wild spotted necked dove that had been hit by a car. I put this ringneck in the same cage for company because the dove was not eating if kept alone. So I am thinking that the ringneck caught the fly off this wild bird.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sprinkle your birds with pyrethrin dust, and massage in the feathers the dust is the kind one uses for plants in the garden if you can find it.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

*Thank you.*

Thanks for the quick reply. I am unable to get that chemical you recommend. I am living in Thailand. I am so frustrated I can not just pick the fly off the bird!!!!!!

I will go to the market tomorrow where they sell plants and see if I can find something like you suggest. Do you think if I held the dove in a bucket of warm water - with just its head out - that the fly will come off? 

Sorry if this sound crazy - but I hate the thought of killing my dove with some unsafe chemical. What about spraying it with some mosquito and cockroach spray and them bathing it? 

I am not looking forward to this as this particular dove hates being held - although she will happily sit on my hand or head. She got so stressed last time and was panting and took ages to calm down again.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Any Permethrin spray from a pet shop should do.
Make sure you spray under the wings as this is where they tend to try & hide, also make sure you protect the birds eyes & beak.


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## Michy (Jul 29, 2011)

Umm.. Not to sound dumb but what is a pigeon fly? I have this Stephen King Kinda visual going on. Is this particular fly a normality amongst pigeons? Will the mite spray that I treat them within the summer months prevent them?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Michy said:


> Umm.. Not to sound dumb but what is a pigeon fly? I have this Stephen King Kinda visual going on. Is this particular fly a normality amongst pigeons? Will the mite spray that I treat them within the summer months prevent them?


here is a link of what it is.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/pigeon_fly.htm


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

jak2002003 said:


> Thanks for the quick reply. I am unable to get that chemical you recommend. I am living in Thailand. I am so frustrated I can not just pick the fly off the bird!!!!!!
> 
> I will go to the market tomorrow where they sell plants and see if I can find something like you suggest. Do you think if I held the dove in a bucket of warm water - with just its head out - that the fly will come off?
> 
> ...


do not use mosquito and cockroach spray!!! the garden dust is pyrethrin which is the same stuff used for birds in the sprays..it is just easer to cover the bird with..esp if you put the dust in a bag then the bird in the bag with his head out and massage it in..dab a bit with a cotton ball around his head..stay away from the nose and eyes, It is also called livestock dust... 5% pyrethrin dust.


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## Jivu (Feb 1, 2010)

DON'T USE ROACH SPRAY! Yikes, that WILL be a problem if you do.

When I rescued my pidge, she had 7 or 8 of those nasty buggers on her. I used mite spray, but would also ruffle her feathers around til a pigeon fly would either run down my arm, fly off, or run off, when I could fling it away and crush it with a shoe. You have to be super quick though, and crush them a ton, because they're built like tanks. They're awful things, and pretty scary.

This also might be a good point to mention quarantining birds that you take in- don't house them with your pets. Along with parasites and louse flies, they also have illnesses and diseases that would be even worse for your pet bird to contract.


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## Sonorgirl (Sep 7, 2011)

Wow Im always learning something new from PT. I never seen or heard of a pigeon fly before but God they are disgusting. I hope I never see one.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

*Thanks*

Thank you everyone for you advise. I am off the the pet store and plant market later today. I am determined to get rid of the thing. I will also treat all my other bird as a precaution. 

I just hope I can get the stuff over here. I live in Northern Thailand and they don't have many of the same products here as back in the UK.

Thanks again.


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## Michy (Jul 29, 2011)

Thanks for that link! Best of luck to you, Jak! Smoosh that fly a good one!


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## DAK1 (Jan 24, 2010)

I have used Scalex spray for birds, you can get it at bird retailer stores.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

BLECH!! i hate those things, heres a funny article a rehabber friend of mine wrote, not sure if you have to sign up to read it, but you should!
all her blogs crack me up and i can totally relate, she has an awesome book about her experiences rehabbing too
http://suziegilbert.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/the-horror-of-hippoboscids/


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