# Ticks / Nematode Medication Advice for Pigeons



## Chitee&Pumba (Apr 26, 2012)

Hello Everybody,

I recently bought four Lahore pigeons. I find that their tail feathers have tiny ticks. I would like you guys to advice me on what medication to use. 

*What I have alreday Used:* I had once used the pyrethroid cream used for humans, in their bathing water.. just a couple of drops and then dipped them for some time. Instantly some of the flees/ ticks droped out.. but many of them remained. Now after two weeks I again see the ticks back on their tail feathers. The birds are very healthy otherwise.

Also I would like to know the medication for internal worms/ nematodes. 

It would be great if you guys can also suggest me pigeon feed which is necessary for their good health. Presently i am feeding them a mix of:
1. Corn
2. Peanuts
3. Chickpea
4. Wheat
5. Pearl millet 
6. African finger millet

They prefer cron, wheat & peanuts the most, followed by chickpea, pearl millet and African finger millet (they prefer this the least). I have also observed them pecking on the mud in the flower pots sometimes.
*I would like to know if there is anything else I need to feed them, in order to keep them in good health?*

Hoping to get some informative responses 

Also find attached the pics of two fo my birds Chitee & Pumba.


----------



## ETphonehome (Jan 3, 2012)

This is the definition of tick in the online dictionary 

tick 

1. Any of numerous small bloodsucking parasitic arachnids of the family Ixodidae, many of which transmit febrile diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease.

2. Any of various usually wingless, louselike insects of the family Hippobosciddae that are parasitic on sheep, goats, and other animals.

I really doubt your pigeons feel healthy even if they look and seems to behave that way. Do not foget that pigeons mostly hide symptoms as a survival tactic in the wild

It is always dangerous and mostly ineffective to use medication for humans in other species unless in an emergency case and when no other options are available.

Maybe this page helps, you can look futher for other options on the internet

http://www.simplepestcontrol.com/tick-control.htm


----------



## Chitee&Pumba (Apr 26, 2012)

Thankyou so much for your advice. 

I got Clinar - Cypermethrin - High Emulsifiable Concentrate by Virbac. It is used for poultry, but nothing is mentioned about other birds.

It is indicated that for Poultry 1 ml of Clinar is to be used in 60 liters of spray mixture per 1000 birds. I am clueless how much use for the 4 birds that I have. Probably a half-a-drop or so... I guess.

Also thanks for sharing Bravito's video. Your bird looks very happy in the video 

Regards 
Prateek


----------



## ETphonehome (Jan 3, 2012)

Acording to this wiki which by the way is not always to be trust poultry also includes pigeons, whatever you use just be carefull never give the pigeons a higher dosis than stated in the indications of the product thinking it will ac t faster or kill more ticks at a time. just follow the instructions of the bottle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultry

To deworm their pigeons many use and recomend Moxidectin, Ivermectin, and Levimisole.

I use ivermectine for my pigeons and is very safe, you can get it in drops or in gel to apply to the skin of the pigeon. do not forget than all these products all poisonous do not use more than stated in the indication.

I give to my pigeons all pigeon mixes I can find and I add to them brown rice.

I also give them all kind of mix unsalted unsugared nuts.

do not forget to give them a good quality grid with oyster shells and a suplement with calcium and vitamin D3, this is essential for the hens because they use the calcium of their body to produce the eggs and sometimes if they have a deficiecy they can become egg bound and mostly die of it. Hens need sunlight ot synthetize the calcium let them take the sun as often as you can

give them water to bath one day and another, do not use dewormers or medicines in the bath water because they mostly drink of it. Put the medicines only in the waterer.

Bravito looks lovely but he is soooo... territorial and noisy as can be, we are still adjusting to each other because we share the same house, the same room, and the same bathroom...


----------



## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

If the directions say to mix 1 ml in 60 l of water, you should respect that proportion exactly. If you put "a drop" in "some water", without measuring exactly, you may get too high or too low a concentration. Too high is going to be toxic, too low may not do the job. 

Instead of 1ml in 60 l of water, use for example 0.1 ml in 6 l of water, or 0.05 ml in 3 l of water, whatever you can still dose accurately with the smallest syringe that you have. You'll still get enough spray for 50-100 pigeons, but you don't have to use it all at once.

About the feed: I prefer to buy a ready-made mix, this way I know the pigeons will have the right proportions of each nutrient (proteins, fats, carbohydrates etc.). You could also read this article. 

If your pigeons pick at the earth in the flower pots, besides grit they may need a mineral supplement like this: http://www.jedds.com/-strse-Supplem...ulti-dsh-minerals,-Pick-Stones/Categories.bok. I have the Natural Antwerp Pickstone which contains, among other things, clay and charcoal, which absorb toxins.

Whatever you use for worming, you should avoid fenbandazole/albendazole based wormers, as they are too toxic for pigeons, though many wormers for pigeons contain them. http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f14/fenbendazole-wormer-safe-guard-42825.html

This reminds me... ET, yes, in principle you should avoid products that are not designed especially for pigeons, but some of the meds for pigeons can be very toxic (fenbendazole is an example) while something labeled for dogs can be safer for pigeons... also some human grade meds sometimes work better for pigeons than the veterinary ones. I recently heard that in places where Baytril (Enrofloxacine) has been abused by fanciers some bacteria developed resistance to it and the human Cyprofloxacine now gives better results in pigeons... So it's not that black and white after all. You just need to know what you are doing and what the right dosage is.


----------

