Mary Allen
Birds sometimes face problems or diseases throughout their lives. An overview.
Molds
Aspergillosis is a mold disease. Mold grows everywhere in aviaries or boxes. Ideal sources of nutrients for this are flocks such as fallen food, feces, or constantly damp corners indoors. Aspergillosis often becomes a problem for rainforest bird species living in indoor aviaries. In winter, the humidity in apartments is usually only 30 percent but should be between 60 and 70 percent. Higher humidity can easily be achieved with plants, humidifiers, or open warm water aquariums. The disease can only be treated long-term by inhalation, and it is often impossible to get rid of it that way.
Bacteria
Ornithosis is also called psittacosis or parrot disease. Since the pathogen is called Chlamydia psittaci, it is also referred to as chlamydia. Parrots, pigeons, gallinaceous birds, and finches can suffer from and transmit it.
Parasites
There is a risk of coccidiosis breaking out, particularly in summer when the weather is warm and humid and the aviaries are overcrowded and not kept clean. Sudden deaths and sick, ailing birds are the results. Only a parasitological examination of the feces can confirm coccidiosis. Treatment is carried out via the drinking water according to the instructions of the veterinarian. In addition, the aviary must be disinfected. Different species of coccidia live
but naturally in healthy birds.
Stuck Eggs
All ornamental bird species can suffer from egg failure. A bird that is unable to lay eggs must be taken to the vet as soon as possible. Otherwise, the stuck egg will result in death. In order for an egg to develop in the female bird’s body, it needs sufficient calcium. Grains alone do not contain enough calcium. The trade carries calcium products in powder form. The powder should be sprinkled over fruits and seedlings. Limestones and sepia shells should always be available for a free intake. Lime products in liquid form can be administered in drinking water. Dandelion and tree nuts contain calcium in higher concentrations. The shells of boiled eggs that have been heated in the oven to kill germs can be offered to finches and gallinaceous birds. Cottage cheese and mozzarella are favorites of parrots – another way to add calcium to the bird’s body. In winter, when females enter the laying mode in cold temperatures, they suffer from laying distress due to insufficient warmth.
Worms
Birds in outdoor aviaries that are in contact with natural soil can suffer from worm infestation. A veterinarian can determine this by examining bird droppings. He provides remedies that must be administered either orally or through drinking water. A worming treatment usually has to be repeated after a few weeks. If the remedy is given over the drinking water, the birds must be kept indoors and without any fruit during this time so that they really drink the water. As a preventive measure, parrots can also be offered garlic cloves. If a bird needs it, it will take it. The canaries, soft eaters, or finches can be given crushed garlic in the egg food. Worm diseases are mostly roundworms. Eggs get into the aviary through the droppings of free-living birds, or they stick to branches that are collected in nature and given to the birds. Worm infestation is often a problem, especially for species that spend a lot of time on the ground, such as many Australian parakeets.
Mites
The canaries are most commonly infested with mites. These are mostly red mites (Dermanyssus gallinae). They suck the birds’ blood at night – during the day they hide in cracks in the box or under perches. Young birds in particular die of blood loss. If bird mites are in the population, the birds sleep restlessly, fiddle with their feathers, shake themselves or stand on one leg on the other. Bird mites are very tough. Even if boxes have not been used for months, they survive in the cracks. Bird mites are brought in by objects, purchased birds, or, if the birds have access to outside aviaries, by wild birds. Drugs from the pet shop or from the veterinarian are suitable for treatment, which are dripped onto the neck of the bird. Aviaries, boxes, perches, and supports must be fully disinfected. Many breeders are already spraying a preventive agent into the artificial nest of canaries. Others rely on natural products and place ferns in nesting baskets or treat perches and boxes with diatomaceous earth (fossil diatoms). Another problem is mange mites, which bore into and under the horny shields of the feet and toes of canaries and feed on the proteins in the horny skin. Since a white powder forms as a result of the drilling activity, one also speaks of calcareous bones.
Budgerigars suffer from beak mange, which is also caused by a mite infestation. There are rubbing remedies against mange mites. This must be repeated over several days.
Adiposity
Captive birds use far less energy than their wild relatives. If they get too much grain feed, they pick out fatty seeds like hemp and sunflower. This leads to an unbalanced diet. Fats build up in the bird’s body, leading to heart disease and infertility. Fatty foods like sunflower seeds are not inherently bad for all species. Macaws and gray parrots, for example, also feed on fatty fruits and seeds in nature and also need this under human care. An Amazon or an Australian cockatoo suffers health damage from the same food. The key to good nutrition is looking at nature. How does the bird live there, what does it feed on? It also depends on the housing conditions. The canaries that are kept in warm, sheltered rooms even in winter need less fatty food than those that live in unheated rooms. The amount given to a bird depends on the species, the size of the aviary, the time of year, the maintenance temperature, and the aviary community.