# Afraid of catching mites or lice from feral pigeons on my terrace



## abbysian (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi: I am concerned about catching mites or lice from feral pigeons that have built a nest on my terrace of my appt. building. I was pretty much content with just leaving the pigeons alone, and when the baby learns enough to fly away, for good, go on the terrace and bleach everything down...Initially it was cute watching the parents sit on the eggs and then watch the newborn squabs grow. But now, I keep reading on different websites about how we humans and our apartments can become infested with pigeon mites or lice.. I don't know if I am being paranoid because I find myself itching on my legs, face, arms, nose ears, everywhere. I don't see anything, but I sure feel something.Are these mites visible to the naked eye? I have been spraying Bird mice and lice spray and ZODIAC home and insect spray all over my apartment-short of spraying myself. I don't know what to do. I want to help the birds, but not at the risk of my own health and peace of mind. .


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Well have you even seen any lice? Sounds to me like your mind is getting the best of you.
Pest control companies that are in business to make money and people that HATE, pigeons say all kind of mis-truths to further their cause. You could even be itching from all the product you have sprayed around your environment.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

With as many people that have and are around pigeons I have not heard of one person here on pt say they have got lice/mites from them...one person here had her pidj sleep next to her even...same with the feral rehabbers, have not seen a post or anyone say they have ever caught these critters...I do believe they only reside on the birds as a host not humans....people have there own type of lice...just ask a elementary school teacher


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## Pisciottano (Aug 20, 2005)

Hello, I am sorry you are worrying at the possibility of catching lice from the pigeons to the point of itching. Me too, as soon as someone talks about lice or any other bug I immediately start itching. I have had pigeons on my balcony every summer for sometime now and I have interacted with them, supplementing their feedings, cleaning around their nests and even holding them. Believe me I never caught anything other than pleasure from them. Here is a link that I'm sure will set your mind at peace: www.pigeonrealm.com/disease I hope you enjoy it and will stop itching;lol Gladys


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## abbysian (Jun 15, 2008)

I admit, I was initially fascinated by watching this whole process. From nest building, to egg laying and finally seeing what baby pigeons look like. I've been taking pictures every few days, and putting out wild bird feed (minus the sunflower seeds), and some water on occasion. I am trying to not let my neighbors see me feeding the parents. But, with the recent incedent in the news with the woman who claims her home became infested with bird mites from a bird's nest, I am now afraid to go out on the terrace to peek at the squabs' progress. I've been keeping the windows ajacent to the terrace locked, but I will continue trying to put food out on the terrace for the next couple of weeks, until the baby is able to fly down to the ground with its parents and look for food. I have a cat and a guinea pig, so I really do not need mites and lice running around in my apartment.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

It's highly unlikely you will get lice from the pigeons.
Just to add...just because you have pigeons on your balcony doen't mean at all that they even have lice or mites.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

abbysian said:


> Hi: I am concerned about catching mites or lice from feral pigeons that have built a nest on my terrace of my appt. building. I was pretty much content with just leaving the pigeons alone, and when the baby learns enough to fly away, for good, go on the terrace and bleach everything down...Initially it was cute watching the parents sit on the eggs and then watch the newborn squabs grow. But now, I keep reading on different websites about how we humans and our apartments can become infested with pigeon mites or lice.. I don't know if I am being paranoid because I find myself itching on my legs, face, arms, nose ears, everywhere. I don't see anything, but I sure feel something.Are these mites visible to the naked eye? I have been spraying Bird mice and lice spray and ZODIAC home and insect spray all over my apartment-short of spraying myself. I don't know what to do. I want to help the birds, but not at the risk of my own health and peace of mind. .




Hi abbysian,



Lol..


The kinds of 'Lice' which some Birds may haveare not the kind which will bother people anyway.


'Mites' are of many different kinds, and everyone's home, offices, Cars and so on along with virtually all situations of human habitation, already have 'mites' with no Birds having anything to do with it.


Bird Mites are very unlikely to bother people, though it can happen.


The people who will be bitten by Bird Mites are deficient in B Vitamines and do not eat enough Garlic.

People who are not deficient in B Vitamines, and or who also eat enough Garlic, will not be bitten.

The Mites which normally live on Mice Dogs, Cats and so on, are a much more probable source of 'bites' or itching for people.


If you want people-Lice, just have your kids in any public school, ride a bus, go to a movie theater or any public buildings with couches or upholdstered seating, Taxi Cabs, etc.


Mites are tiny Spiders, adapted to live off of various things, and some species are 'biters'.

If there were a mite issue with the Birds on your Balcony, enough to be infesting your home, the Birds and their Babys would be roiling with them in ways which would be very visable to the casual glance.


Of all the thousands of people who have written in to this list, I recall only a couple times when anyone thought they had been bitten by a 'mite' even when their Birds definitely had them.


Personally, I have never seen any 'mite' issues with Pigeons, although 20 years ago I got in a youngster Sparrow who had them.

I simply cooled the Bird, and drew off the mites onto a little towell on a heating pad, and after a few rounds of that he did not have them anymore.



Best wishes!


Phil
l v


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

The chances are slim to none--*extremely *low-of you getting any kind of lice or mites from the pigeons, or of your pig or cat getting them.  I've never heard of a person getting mites or lice from a pigeon, and the subject has indeed been brought up several times here--once by me, when I found lice brought in by a new bird in the aviary where I had sat all day holding pigeons!  I could swear I felt them crawling all over me....until I found out that couldn't be it. Then the "itching" stopped.  Please, continue to enjoy the babies and the parents. I think that lady in the article had some other stuff going on anyway; none of it rang very true!


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## EgypSwiftLady (Jan 14, 2008)

I read that a pigeons body temp. is 102 degrees, much higher than humans and that the buggies that like pieons cannot survive on a body that has a lower temp.
I have had a couple of pigeons come in with a few pigeon lice on them and I had to hold the birds to find the bugs. I didn't find any lice on me and I looked very closely The pigeons were sprayed and are now bug free.


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