Mites

[Qwerty3159]

Hi everybody, I've been doing more research about the pigeons I plan to get come spring and have come across many of the bird mite horror stories out there on the internet.
Honestly I'm a little worried about having to go through the same thing. My loft and aviary are planned to be only about 15 feet away from one of the sides of my house and a chimney. I've been reading about preventative measures and how to treat birds that do have mites but there seems to be a muddy area of what works best. Anyone here ever had any bad experiences with mites, especially with mites moving from the birds to you? I also have an indoor parakeet who I am slightly worried about getting infested especially because it will be very difficult to treat him.

I had a bad experience with bird mites when I was a kid and I really do not want the little demons in my home ever again. There isn't really anywhere else I can put the loft besides right near my house and a window, if there's a good chance of it being an issue I honestly would rather wait and get into the pigeon hobby another time. Thanks!

 

[Latestarter]

A lot of folks here who have had bird mite issues have used a little Sevin dust on the birds and in their bedding to kill the little buggers. Others have had good luck with (food grade always) DE (diatomaceous earth) but that only works in dry environments. I'm sure there are other ways and means. I wouldn't let the "fear" of mites dissuade you from doing what you want with your pigeons and aviary.

You have to understand and expect that whether you do it now or do it later, when you're dealing with animals, there are ALWAYS going to be issues, some anticipated, others completely by surprise and unexpected. You just have to deal with them as they come along. Kinda like life in general.

Good luck! Please share some pics and details as/when you move forward with it!

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I have amazing results using just the spray in my birds. I use sevin dust in their bedding and nest boxes.

 

[jak2002003]

Don't panic!!!

The pigeon mites, tick, flies, etc, would not live in your house and feed on you. They are only bird parasites. They need to live on the pigeon or other birds to complete their lifecycle.

Really, pigeons rarely get external parasites if you keep the coop clean and tidy, give them proper food and clean water, and opportunity to bath and sunbath... they take care of themselves. Also don't overcrowd the birds!!!

The worst mine got were pigeon flies. These pesky things simply flew into the coop or got of the birds when they were out flying.

I just would pick up a pigeon I noticed had one... searched through its feathers and grabbed the fly when I saw it.. then it was a dead one!! I am expert pigeon fly catcher now... and get them in seconds if I see one lol.

If you see any feather mites (make the feathers look tatty) or other creepy crawlies seem to be making your birds itchy.. simply treat the flock with a dog / cat tick and flea powder... dusting the birds and the coop with it.

You can also get special spot on anti parasite drops for pigeons and birds, which use just put on the skin on their neck and it kill all the bugs for over a month.

However, I want to say that if you start with good healthy clean birds, keep your loft clean and dry and take good care of the diets of the birds, you will very unlikely ever get to see any parasites on your birds. Don't worry yourself and enjoy you hobby!!!

 

[Gramma Chick]

For Regular mites I took cat shampoo and diluted it ..and sprayed it on the necks and vents . It worked so good ...no sign of any mites in 7 days . I also sprayed nest boxes and roosts

 

[Qwerty3159]

Thanks everyone. To summarize my experience when I was younger we had a birdhouse attached to the house, the nest was abandoned, baby birds died, and the mites came in through window screens because they were starving. While they couldn't reproduce on us, the mites did try to feed off of me and my family causing rashes and bites and it persisted for a few weeks.

The feather lice don't bother me at all, I saw a number of those on the racing pigeon I rescued a couple months ago. I've also treated small lizards for reptile mites but its something about the parasites that will come after me as well that get me. My main concern is my indoor bird because I'd hate for him to have any parasites transferred to him from outside.

 

[Latestarter]

After handling your outside birds, always wash your hands before handling your inside bird.

 

[Hokum Coco]

had any bad experiences with mites,

Actually NO. I think the reason for this is I always put about 2 tablespoons of Borax in 5 gallons of bath water which is the bottom portion of a 45 gallon plastic drum. I do have the sevin dust that I use on any new quarantined birds that I bring into the loft

 

[taprock]

Thanks everyone. To summarize my experience when I was younger we had a birdhouse attached to the house, the nest was abandoned, baby birds died, and the mites came in through window screens because they were starving. While they couldn't reproduce on us, the mites did try to feed off of me and my family causing rashes and bites and it persisted for a few weeks.

This sounds similar to my experience. A starling found a way into the eaves of my chicken coop, where I couldn’t remove it. After leaving the nest they also left mites. Mite explosion! It took almost six months to totally eradicate the mites . AND they loved me, I was so bit up. They say they don’t like humans but these most certainly did! I got so I could tell if one was crawling on me. We didn’t have indoor birds at that time so that wasnt a worry but I was still taking multiple showers a day.

If you check your birds weekly and treat you shouldn’t have a problem like that. Just stay on top of it. I’d mention it to your AV vet so they know and you could be prepared in case it ever is a problem. I’m very cautious to wash before I handle any of our parrots after being around the outdoor birds, for more reasons than just mites.

Good luck!

 

[LamarshFish]

DE (diatomaceous earth) but that only works in dry environments

Really? I did not know that. I have been using it here in Michigan to keep my loft dry, as well as a proactive measure against parasites, and it seems to work.