# Feather sickness?



## SandraR (Dec 29, 2016)

Hello again, I have trouble with my male budgie, today, when one of his feathers fell out I saw some strange marks and colors in it, so I pushed it onto a piece of white paper and something was moving on there! Is it some kind of bug or maybe mites? I can take him to an avian doctor saturday or sunday at the soonest, so I ask, is there something I can get for him to help him until then? Some drops or spray?  He looks and acts normal, but obviously, he is not.


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Indeed it looks like your budgie has mites. You can get an Ivermectin based product, a spot on treatment where you apply a drop of the product on the back of the neck and directly into the skin.
After each treatment, it's best to thoroughly wash and disinfect the whole cage and accessories (including perches, food/water containers, toys, etc), the play areas where your budgie has out of cage time will also need to be sanitized.
If you have other budgies who have come into contact with him, they will also need to be treated for it.

Best of luck with everything, I hope your budgie will soon be rid of the feather mites.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Please be sure to use the spot-on type treatment aluz recommended.

Pet stores may try to sell you a spray and those are not safe to use on budgies..*


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## SandraR (Dec 29, 2016)

well I was told I should use some BioKill spray which there is specifically written that it is not toxic for exotic birds. Don´t know if I should try that one, but It looks like my Koby has had that for one full year because I got him from a breeder which has plenty of pigeons, chickens, other exotic birds and rabbits too! Minnie is from the same place. I guess Im gonna have a nice cleaning week, I´ve seen one running on the wall too. So I´l try this spray - which should be ok - I will ensure at the avian vet whenever she picks up the phone. And it is gonna be a busy week


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Again, I would not recommend using a spray on your budgie.

The fumes can easily be breathed in and are not good for the respiratory system.

The BEST product to use is ivermectin spot-on, or SCATT.*


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## SandraR (Dec 29, 2016)

ok, you´re right that he could breathe it in or it could get in his eyes. Minnie will get the same, I saw the mite crolling on the wall behind her cage in our room too. I really must be brought from the breeder because I couldn´t keep it cleaner here :blink: Il use ivermectin instead and I will use some spray to disinfect all the area and far more. :blink:. That was actually a good advice because I was really gonna get the spray and try it, he is not tamed at all so even catching him will be hard but I checked his feathers today and underneath he is full of that


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You can use plain white vinegar to clean the walls, cages, perches and toys and everything else the budgies have come in contact with.

You'll need to clean them completely once you've given both budgies the ivermectin treatment and then again a few days later.

It will be important to get rid of all the nasty little mites so the budgies don't become re-infected.*


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