# Emergency! Mites AND Lice! Treatment okay?!



## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

None of my pigeons are real cuddlers and because they've all been bathing regularly and appear fine, I haven't been that worried about mites...especially since they were treated a few months ago. But today I picked up oddball and found him to be covered! It's disgusting! There are visible clusters of eggs and after looking up pictures, I've found that they have both mites and feather lice. I went to the pet store but they didn't have any mite spray, just hang on the cage mite treatment, which would be useless for the aviary...

I do have a flea/mite/tick shampoo meant for cats, though...It has the same ingredients I've read reccomended for pigeons. It wouldn't be dilutable and useable, would it? I'm just really grossed out, and if I don't have to wait until I can get to the feed store in the morning, I'd rather treat them now!

*The ingredients:*
_
Piperonyl Butoxide_ 0.50%
_Pyrethins _0.05%


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, if it's a shampoo then the active ingredients that you've listed will be in a soap base. I'm sure you could literally bathe a bird in it, especially a young one, as long as you keep it out of their eyes and then dry them off afterwards. Treating a flock wouldn't be practical, though.

Pidgey


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Oh, don't you hate that?? It really is so creepy. And I'm not even a squeamish person lol. I don't know about the cat stuff, someone will know. For immediate relief, I would think the spray that the store was out of would be best (darned store). You can also bathe them in epsom salts and borax, or apparently just borax, as "learning" says in another thread "I use about 1/4 cup of Borax and a little less of Epsom Salts from the grocery store in about 4 gallons of bath water once per week. " Renee recommends dipping or spraying them with lice treatment and then using the borax as a preventative afterwards, in another thread. You can also get diatomaceous earth and spread around in the aviary, including next boxes and everything. You want the one that is NOT for swimming pools, but the human grade or one grade lower (for pets). It kills mites, lice, etc. (also kills beetles and other bugs that are beneficial, unfortunately). I got 2 pounds at the feed store for under five dollars and it goes a looong way. 

Hope some of this helps, good luck.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I have a feral rescue, and before we got him, the girl that had caught him found out that he too had mites or lice on him. They were out of the bird spray also, and she used something made for dogs and cats. It too had the same stuff in it as the stuff for birds. It's probably the same shampoo that you have. it was a shampoo. It worked! And the bird was not harmed. Hope this helps.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I know with fleas on furry animals, you can put a warm towel (from the dryer) around the animal and the fleas will jump on it, then you just put it in a plastic bag and toss or wash. I would think it's the same principle for mites, but I'm not sure. You could always try it.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Insomniac said:


> None of my pigeons are real cuddlers and because they've all been bathing regularly and appear fine, I haven't been that worried about mites...especially since they were treated a few months ago. But today I picked up oddball and found him to be covered! It's disgusting! There are visible clusters of eggs and after looking up pictures, I've found that they have both mites and feather lice. I went to the pet store but they didn't have any mite spray, just hang on the cage mite treatment, which would be useless for the aviary...
> 
> I do have a flea/mite/tick shampoo meant for cats, though...It has the same ingredients I've read reccomended for pigeons. It wouldn't be dilutable and useable, would it? I'm just really grossed out, and if I don't have to wait until I can get to the feed store in the morning, I'd rather treat them now!
> 
> ...


Go get the stuff that's made for cats that you dilute and spray them with. Has the same ingrediants as above, but it isn't shampoo. We just used some this past week end on about 60 birds. They all got dipped. The owner of the pigeons didn't have anything to use, and Wal-Mart was the only thing open on a Sunday. We mixed it in a 2 gallon bucket and dunked every bird on his property.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Lovebirds said:


> Go get the stuff that's made for cats that you dilute and spray them with. Has the same ingrediants as above, but it isn't shampoo. We just used some this past week end on about 60 birds. They all got dipped. The owner of the pigeons didn't have anything to use, and Wal-Mart was the only thing open on a Sunday. We mixed it in a 2 gallon bucket and dunked every bird on his property.


That's an even better idea.


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## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

I was so grossed out that I put a TINY bit into a bucket of water and dunked (not his face or neck though) oddball in the water, swished him around for a second, and dried him off. Most of them appeared dead. I was just so grossed out and couldn't stop imagining all of those eggs hatching over night and covering him!! 

But today I went and bought some Sevin Dust and sprinkled it onto a towel. I dusted the vents/tails/armpits of all of the pigeons.

Should that be sufficient? 

They don't seem very impressed with me!


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Good job, but don't overdo it. All these items are poisons. I prefer scalex, the spray. Just a little squirt does it. Or neem, tea tree, or dia. earth work great for controll/ prevention but I have to own up. When I see actual eggs and bugs, I reach straight for the scalex. Do not pass go. lol


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## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

There are still LIVE bugs on my babies!!!


Help!!!

Are they just taking their sweet time dying?!


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2008)

Insomniac said:


> I was so grossed out that I put a TINY bit into a bucket of water and dunked (not his face or neck though) oddball in the water, swished him around for a second, and dried him off. Most of them appeared dead. I was just so grossed out and couldn't stop imagining all of those eggs hatching over night and covering him!!
> 
> But today I went and bought some Sevin Dust and sprinkled it onto a towel. I dusted the vents/tails/armpits of all of the pigeons.
> 
> ...


When using flea shampoo on a dog or cat, you need to lather them up and wait a few minutes before washing it off. Gives the chemical time to kill the insects. Other wise you wash it off the bugs before it kills them. Sometimes they seem stunned (look dead) but then revive. What you used was probably too dilute. You need something that's made to be added to water, like a dip.

I use Moxidectin plus orally on all my birds now. I repeat it in 21 days. It kills anything that bites the bird, internally or externally. I haven't seen any mites yet thank goodness. I have had feather lice and Moxidectin doesn't really do anything for that so I use cat flea powder (Sevin). Make sure to spread the wings and get the long feathers. I usually repeat the dust a couple times, you don't need to use too much of it. I'm not sure how it would effect the eggs though. Eggs can be more resistant, you may have to try to pick them off manually? Oh, and don't forget to clean/treat their surroundings, mites can be hiding anywhere.


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