red mites

[scott1984]

hi all had the dilemma yesterday with red mites in between nestbox and cages. cage no 2 was empty so i took nest box off and seen the red mites so then had the second dilemma of moving three breeding pairs with chicks.just been up to check on the three breeding pairs and they all looking good ;D spent all day yesterday cleaning all my breeding cages and spraying them with a anti mite spray then painted them all and sealing every nook and cranny so hope it worked.

[Gaile]

nasty little sods them red mites.good luck xx

[11panos04]

Red mites are like deamons for aviaries.They can mean a drowback to the whole breeding season.Since you found them in the nests,then they are and on other places,every little narrow gap...These little creatures are grey colored during the day and become red after they have drunk blood from the birds during might.Chicks are very sensitive and most of the times they don t survive,but the pair also doesn t nest...My opinion is,the pairs should move to other cages for one day.In the meantime,their cages and all the accessories should be cleaned with water and chlorine,the best and cheapest of antibacterials.Then they must all be washed of with clear water and left to dry for a day or less,till no water drops off.After that,you should put antimite powder on the floor,if it s plastic,and spray with some antimite spray.AR Backs and INS5 are from the strongest i know,but you should put the birds in after 24 hours of applying those...Spray also the birds with antimite spray,safe for birds,or use other products for outer parasites,such as frontline(although it s for dogs,it s used for birds with great results also)but in liquid form.As for the nest boxes....wood is one of mites best friends...I hope what you did will keep them away...Clean regularly,be careful who or what(dog,cats....) comes in the bird room,and you should not have problem with mites again...Mites don t appear from nowhere,they somehow came to your birds.Good luck!!!

There are two tricks to know if you have mites after that...During night,put a white sheet over the cage and wait for the morning.They appear as small red dots on the sheet.The other is to take some paper napkins,if i said it right...Fold them till they become pretty small and are quite thick...Wet them a little with a few drops of water and place them between the cage wires,next to their nest,their food ,their water and their perches...In the morning take them off and unfold them.If there are mites,they should be in there.

Thank you

[barrieshutt]

eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm

This is the best product on the market

[scott1984]

thanks for the info guys will try that if i get the problem again

[owain20]

It can be a pain if you attach your nestboxes on the sides of the cages, so you have wood on wood and a gap!
I think its better to attach on the fronts, thats what im doing now anyway.

[BudgiesBuddy]

Which paint did you use Scott?

[scott1984]

dulux matt emulsion as i have done for months bb

[BudgiesBuddy]

Ohh I see. Is there any budgie safe or budgie non-safe paint?

[scott1984]

im not sure to be honest i just googled the paint and it said it was ok to use and i havent had any problems with it

[BudgiesBuddy]

Thanks

[scott1984]

sorry couldnt be of anymore help bb

[BudgiesBuddy]

No problem Scott, we tell what we know

[stace]

You want to use one of the low VOC paints, BB. They may be called different things in different countries, or between various brands. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds. They are the chemicals that make the paint smell. The low VOC paints give off very few fumes. More and more people are using them to paint the interior of their homes. Instead of the smell hanging around for ages, it's safe to reinhabit the rooms almost straight away.

[owain20]

Nov 6, 2011 21:04:35 GMT scott1984 said:

sorry couldnt be of anymore help bb

Mite powder is good also.