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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 18, 2013 0:30:29 GMT
I did some looking myself, and it turns out that what BB was talking about was Giardia, not mites, and the medication was different. Giardia can be transmitted to family. However, I found some posts from Sarah on the old website recommending Ivermectin in the water, if it as not possible to get to a vet. I wish Sarah could look at your picture. But, she hasn't been on that much--I think she must be very busy.
I hope all will be well with you and Bonnie!
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 18, 2013 0:55:30 GMT
Emily too has been scarce, hope everything is okay.
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 18, 2013 1:02:22 GMT
Yes. And, BB has not been on since mid October.
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 18, 2013 1:04:40 GMT
That is true too. She is indeed missed! I could really use her help with Bonnie right now!! But i'm glad you and Pammy were able to respond. I think i will try the bird store tomorrow for ivermectin
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Post by Pammy on Dec 18, 2013 5:13:08 GMT
Sarah is writing a final exam paper for one of her classes. I'd imagine she will be with us more once she goes on Christmas break. Emily is working lots of retail hours during this busy holiday season. I miss her!
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Post by Sarah on Dec 18, 2013 6:30:10 GMT
Dosing your birds with Ivermeticin isn't a bad idea, but I am not sure that it is scaly face we are dealing with. It could be an awkward molt or a small injury were the feathers were torn away, at least as far as I can see from these pictures.SF mites tend to attack the soft base of the cere and the actual beak material before spreading elsewhere on the face.
If you can, please do try to get an extreme close up on her beak for me.
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 18, 2013 11:53:40 GMT
Lol this is going to be a project. But i will try!
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 20, 2013 15:00:40 GMT
I really don't think I can get a closer picture :/ Should i try to buy ivermectin anyway?
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Post by Sarah on Dec 21, 2013 6:43:11 GMT
If you think that is best. Let me teach you what to look for to be sure. This is the classic warning sign of SF mites. Look at this photo closely. Note the slight discoloration and kind of 'peely' quality to the base of the cere - where it touches the beak. Also, the white powdery look of the beak. This is called 'Honey combing.' Does your bird show these signs at all?
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 21, 2013 15:54:54 GMT
Thank you for posting the picture Sarah. It's very clear. I am learning so much from you, to help others and to care for my birds. You are indeed a treasure.
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 21, 2013 17:58:17 GMT
Since's she's a female she has that deep red color of the cere which does look kind of scabby but not in the way the way as the picture above. Isn't it normal for females' ceres to look kind of peely?
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 21, 2013 18:30:39 GMT
Her cere does resemble this but not to a tee. Does her beak have to be scaly too? Because i believe as far as i can tell that her beak is normal and smooth
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Post by lisamarie on Dec 22, 2013 2:23:42 GMT
The owners at the bird store gave me Scalex... a mite and lice spray for birds. She told me to spray it on a q-tip and then put that on my bird. I put a glove on and caught Bonnie, tried to put the stuff on her but i couldn't because she kept biting the q-tip. It was a nightmare. Then she was panting and it freaked me out I thought she was going to die from being stressed out because she was so difficult to get out of the cage. I think I'm just going to order ivermectin since i can put it in the water.
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Post by dianapalmer on Dec 22, 2013 3:56:39 GMT
Oh, Lisamarie! that sounds awful. I would go with the Ivermectin.
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Post by Sarah on Dec 22, 2013 8:00:42 GMT
Grr. This is one of my pet peeves. They gave you a treatment for macroparacites just to sell you something. SF mites are microscopic, and this treatment would do exactly nothing. Put it away in a drawer in case you ever can actually SEE something crawling on your birds - which I hope you never do >.<
Also, if your hen has no signs of damage to her beak and her cere just looks like a mature females (peely or no) I would say the chances of this being SF mites is pretty much negligible. You see, scaly face mites are 'subclinical' in a bird for an extended period of time, sometimes as much as a year. This is because the birds natural defenses keep the number of the parasite low enough that they cannot cause real damage. Eventually the body can't keep up, either because of another illness, a chill or just because the infestation was growing too fast. The first sign of symptoms will be a thin discolored band at the base of the cere where it touches the beak. This delicate tissue will give way quickly, peeling up away from the beak. The second sign is honeycombing in the beak, as whitish powdery areas are formed as the mites burrow into the harder material. Only after this does the cere look extremely damaged, and the mites almost never spread to the legs or feathered skin of the body before these two steps happen. Seeing as the only sign of damage you can spot is missing feathers, I really doubt mites are the problem at all. I still think she might have had a few feathers ripped out or be molting in an usual way. Areas of skin affected with SF mites would also have angry, warty, tumor like growths on them, hard and flaky like the cere becomes. I would post a picture of such an afflicted bird, but the photographs are very distressing to see and I don't want people to HAVE to look at them. You can google them if you wish, but they are... unpleasant to say the least. Suffice it to say that when scaly face mites get to the skin, there are orangish and white growths that stick out of the skin and are both obvious and painful. If the skin exposed by her missing feathers looks healthy, and there is no sign of white powdery damage to the beak, I think it is safe for you to assume that mites are not the cause of her feather loss. Never the less, if you want to order some ivermeticin to dose your birds with to make sure they are healthy and give yourself some peace of mind, I am all for that.
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