# Insect infested baby



## Ferallife (Apr 26, 2020)

Found feral baby at the park at the lake’s edge today. Brought it home and washed it with Palmolive dishwashing liquid. Found 3 insects cling to its body all three dead. Will they spread out and infest my home? Is it likely they’re all dead? I used a hair dryer on the baby after wash. Also, in the same cage I have a very healthy older 2 month old found at the same park. Will the new one infect the one that’s been with me for one month?
Edit: there is a divider in the cage so they won’t be stepping into each other’s territory but there’s bound to be some contamination from one side to the other. 
Please tell me what insect this is and any particular steps I should take.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Oh, those are pigeon flies, "keds", or "Jockey flies". They are parasitic blood-sucking hippoboscid flies. I would make sure they are smushed and flushed or something.

They are easily killed with pyrethrins (but their pupae are tougher, and need a stout mix of pure pyrethrin and kerosene (50:50 mix) or smashed with a small hammer if found). They often infest nests and roosts where the larva pupate in the bedding litter. Those flies are a pain, cause intense itching to the bird, and often are in tropical areas. They can carry lice between pigeons and transmit avian malaria sometimes.

Glad they didn't like soap and hopefully drowned, but they may revive if dried out like some flies do. They can fly from bird to bird but hopefully you got them with Palmolive before they knew what hit them as they usually cling tight and seldom fly.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Regularly check your bird especially on the base of the neck near the back. They shouldn't infest your home if you kill them and keep the cage clean and away from open windows (if there are ferals nesting in close proximity that have them). Where abouts do live? I ask as those flies are usually found in tropic and maybe subtropical regions.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Also, be careful drying the bird. Hairdryers can be too hot for their sensitive skin.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Usually pigeon flies are brown. That fly in the picture looks black, am I right? Some species will shed their wings when they found a host like deer keds. Did they have wings? I am jusy trying to identify which species it is.


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## LustStarrr (Mar 4, 2020)

The pigeon louse flies (hippoboscids) I get here in Australia on my feral flock are both black & brown - pesky things! I've been murdering the monster things, & other birdo bugs, with Vetafarm Avian Insect Liquidator (https://vetafarm.com.au/product/avian-insect-liquidator-ail/), which is a Piperonyl Butoxide/Permethrin/Methoprene mix that seems to sort them out pretty quick, or at least get them to flee the scene soon after spraying it onto my flock. Sometimes they flee towards me, however, which is less than fun, but a price worth paying. Horrible critters... I feel so sorry for my itchy birds when they're trying to avoid me with the spray.


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## Ferallife (Apr 26, 2020)

Sorry for the late response. Yes, it was black. All three were dead and remained dead. 
I’m not comfortable using kerosene on the birds. Thanks for informing me about the hair dryer I used the high setting for long.


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