air sac mite

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air sac mite

by Diana Chen
(Sunnyvale, Ca, USA)

HI, there:
I got a young male canary which has air sac mite infection. I gave the bird one drop of Scatt on his upper leg under the feather 3 days ago; however, all the symptons (coughing, open mouth breathing) are still there.

Before I gave the bird Scatt drop, I used hot water and mite spary to clean the entire cage. I boiled the glass food and water contianers in hot water to kill the mites. One more thing, my bird has exteremly good appetite. He just eats a lot everyday. Is there anything wrong? Anyway, I wonder is there anything else I can do to save my bird? How long take it to stop the symptons and recover? Thank you!

Comments for
air sac mite

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Nov 16, 2011

Air sac mite question
by: The Avian Vet

First, air sac mites do not live outside of the bird so using sprays and cleansers are of no use. Second, Scatt treats mites, but not air sac mites, however it is not effective for external parasites either. You should NOT use this product, mite sprays, or the mite protectors that hang on the cage. The products do not work and they are dangerous.

The symptoms you mention are associated with air sac mites, but they are also the same symptoms that can be seen with other disease too. I recommend that you have your bird examined by an avian veterinarian for a diagnosis. With the proper diagnosis so the correct treatment can be administered.

If it is air sac mites, then the proper treatment would be an injection of ivermectin. But other causes such as bacteria, viruses, toxins, etc. will require very different treatments.

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Dr B

Nov 16, 2011

Linda
by: Anonymous

Linda thinks she's a Avian Vet! She just works at a Vets office!

Editor's note: So funny! She is a retired breeder, she doesn't work for an avian vet. She is just a sweet lady that cares about birds that posts on here just like you do!

Nov 15, 2011

air sac mite
by: Linda

Unless your bird has been diagnosed and treated by an Avian Vet, there is no way you can know for sure what he has or has not. Please get him into be examined by an Avian Vet,so he can be correctly diagnosed and treated. Home remedies and over the counter meds are one of the biggest killers of birds in the world. Until a proper diagnosis has been made, this is working in the dark, and many birds die because of it. Pet store employees are big on handing out incorrect information to get you to buy over the counter products. They are not Avian Vets or they would not be working in a bird store, so never take their advice about anything wrong with your birds.

Let us know what avian vet has to say because your bird will die without proper treatment. Use no more over the counter meds. Until the bird is free of mites or whatever this is, there is no need to put poison on the cage and accessories. Get the bird on proper medication and then use a bird safe cleaner to clean the cage, perches, and dishes.

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Linda

Nov 15, 2011

Air sac mits
by: Anonymous

I give my Canaries Iverlux which is basically the same thing as Scatt. Iverlux is given on the skin of the neck or under the wing - one drop for 5 consecutive days. I don't know what the directions are for Scatt. The life cycle of an air sac mite is 21 days. Sometimes the symptoms get worse as the mite are dying because the bird is trying to cough them up. In rare cases, if the bird had mites for a very long period of time, he could choke on the mites and die. I would imagine there would have to be hundreds of them for this to happen. Please check out the dosage directions on Scatt and see if it is only a one-time application. I have heard only good things about Scatt. Maybe your bird has a respiratory infection, in which case, you will need to put Tetratex (antibiotic)into his water for 5 consecutive days. Just make sure to follow the directions to a tee. It won't hurt for you to do this anyway, as a preventive measure. I gave my birds the Iverlux (for air sac mites) AND the Tetratex at the same time. But please check to see if you can do this with Scatt. I hope your little birdie gets better. It is horrible when something happens to them. God luck!

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