My budgie is very, very itchy.

[Katie]

Hi everyone. My bird, Misty, has been scratching everywhere all evening. She's been itchy for a few days, but today she seemed especially itchy. She's scratching her head and bottom mostly, but she's been plucking some feathers too.

She had diarrhea two and a half months ago (that's cleared up now). She had plucked the feathers off of her bottom to avoid the poop getting stuck there, so she is a bit bald on her underside.

She was seen by a veterinarian last month because she makes a clicking sound when she breathes. The veterinarian assumed that something was squishing her lungs, and suggested that I put her down before she gets worse. She was given a month to live, but a few people here suggested that I try treating her with SCATT in case she just has mites.

We gave her the SCATT a couple of days ago, but to be honest, I'm not sure if my mom put it on her correctly. Misty really hates being held. She screams the entire time I have her in my hand, so we just put a drop on her thigh and put her back in the cage.

Now that I think about it though, maybe one drop on the thigh isn't enough to help her if she really does have mites.

Anyway, my questions are:

1) Do you think the SCATT should have been applied elsewhere to be more effective?

2) If we missed or didn't apply the SCATT correctly, when could I try giving it to her again without making her sick (in case it did make it to her bloodstream)?

3) Is the fact that she's scratching and plucking a cause for concern? Is it a sign that maybe the vet could be right?

She seems really well aside from being itchy. She stills makes a clicking sound, but not everyday. She's still eating, drinking, climbing, perching and pooping fine.

Please help! I'm sorry for the long post. Thank you in advance.

--Katie

[Bird Junky]

Hi. Did the vet look for mites. They look like specks of dirt under the feathers. They cause a lot of scratching. The back of the neck is the usual place to squirt any drops. Follow the instructions on the item...
If it's feather mites, get drops from pet shop.....B.J.

[Hezz]

Katie, if Misty does have air sac mites, which could be the cause of the clicking sound, then the skin of her crop is the best place to put the drop. If she is now itchy all over, then the back of her neck is the best. But this must be placed on the skin, so you need someone to apply and another to hold and part the feathers. What is the concentration of the Scatt that you have applied already? 0.1% ivermectin is the accepted percentage for budgies and small birds. I recently had to treat two new birds for scaly legs and the concentration readily available to me was only 0.08%. The vet recommended 1 drop each week for 4 weeks; the pet supplies - 2 drops for 3 weeks. I went for something in the middle, 1 drop one week, two drops the next .... they don't clear up immediately unfortunately, but I sincerely hope Misty's problems are simply a bad case of mites.

[Katie]

Thanks for responding. I was just following the instructions on the bottle.
It says:
"Apply 1 drop to birds under 30 grams body weight and 2 drops to 30-100 grams. Place drops on the skin of the thigh. Treat all birds in the aviary. Re-treat in 21 days if necessary. Full Recovery may take up to 6 weeks."

I gave her one drop because I don't know how much she weighs. When the vet weighed her she said she was a little underweight. We didn't part the feathers though, so I'm a little worried that the SCATT didn't reach her skin.

This is the product that I used: www.pets-megastore.com.au/scatt50ml1flozscalyfaceairsacmitetreatmentforbirds-p-13.html

It doesn't have a % on it, but it says "Moxidectin 1000ug/mL"

Should I wait another 2.5 weeks before I try treating her again?

[Hezz]

1000ug/mL" is 1mg/ml which is 0.!% according to my calculations. Please, anyone if you disagree, say so, because I have been over this and am starting to doubt myself!!! But, the instructions are 2 drops 30-100 gms body weight ....... I would be giving Misty another drop, and certainly not on the thigh ........ I wonder why they have recommended the thigh as a dosage point?? Give it to her on the back of the neck if she is itching all over.

[Katie]

I think you must be right because my sister also thought that 1000ug/mL = 0.1% concentration.

Sorry, I really wasn't sure how heavy a budgie is. I didn't want to give her too much. I'll tell my mom that we should give her another drop. Thank you so much for your help. I'm sorry about all the questions, but I've never had a sick budgie before. :S

[Hezz]

Questions are fine, Katie, and we will do our best to answer them (correctly!) but of course that isn't always possible and so guess-work comes into it. It is good to err on the side of caution, not knowing Misty's weight, but I think in this case a little more is needed.