New budgie: mites/scaly face?

[Hezz]

Catching is a personal thing. I don't like the towel idea, but others do. I have made sure mine all accept being handled on a regular basis, but of course your little guy is new to you and you to him, so I suggest turn the lights off or down while he is in the cage and gently wrap him up in your hand. The dimming of lights makes them think they are going to sleep, plus they don't see well in the dark, so generally they are more settled.

[ffiscool]

hi, i had to give Bailey ivermectin when I first got him as we thought he had something, although it didnt manifest in the obvious way... I am able to have him on my finger, but he wont let me handle him. When the vet got hold of him, he was jumping about in the cage, but he calmly sort of cornered him, and then just wrapped his hand round.

Bailey let me grab him from behind, but I was lucky that it was when he was out of the cage and had his back to me..

there are definitely good tips on here on how to get them. Also once you have it is good to keep it up, as Hezz says, to get them used to being handled.. I have not done it, which will be an issue if i need to grab him any time in the future.

Good luck - or you could take him to a vet to show you how to administer the ivermectin

[ping]

Dec 23, 2013 0:32:46 GMT Hezz said:

Catching is a personal thing. I don't like the towel idea, but others do. I have made sure mine all accept being handled on a regular basis, but of course your little guy is new to you and you to him, so I suggest turn the lights off or down while he is in the cage and gently wrap him up in your hand. The dimming of lights makes them think they are going to sleep, plus they don't see well in the dark, so generally they are more settled.

Thanks for the advice! Yes, previous budgies I've had have had plenty of time to adjust and get used to me so any medication or checkups have been done on a basis of mutual trust  "You hop on my finger, don't bite it, and I'll make you feel better" sort of thing. 

Anyway: update!

I looked all over for the ivermectin but apart from ordering online (which would not deliver until the new year) no pet stores stock it and the vets could only give it on prescription i.e. if they saw the patient. So I went to our local vet this afternoon and talked to the vet there, luckily she has owned a lot of birds through her life so even though the practice isn't listed as avian or exotic pets, she knew what she was talking about. I brought Robbie down with me in his cage and between the two of us we managed to catch him (lots of bites!! thankfully he's not got a strong jaw on him!!) and administer the drops. She charged me £3.75 O.o I think that's the cheapest vet visit I've ever had! She was also quite impressed I'd noticed it so early, apparently she usually sees birds in a much worse state.

Since we got back home he's been chirpy as usual, no signs of stress or ill-feeling towards me, so hopefully it's not been too much of a set-back.

I have to go back in 2 weeks.. I can choose either to just pick up the medicine and do it myself at home or bring him in again to have a hand doing it. Not decided yet which is the easiest, I'll see how handling him in the next couple of weeks goes

Thanks all for the help

Dec 22, 2013 1:23:12 GMT Hezz said: 
Also, make sure you give his cage, perches and toys etc all a good scrubbing and disinfection, preferably with F10, with each time you treat your bird. This way any mites that may be lurking in and around the cage don't get a chance to reinfect your bird. Does he have a name?

I've transferred him to a new temporary cage while I clean his regular one - made it easier to take him to the vets in a smaller cage anyway.

His name is Robbie (Rabbie) Bird, the Bard ... (Robbie Burns )

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As I mentioned earlier, I have 3 hamsters, are the mites likely to be a problem for them?? I've been careful to wash my hands in between handling bird-stuff and handling hamster-stuff, but the hamster do have playpens in the same room and I'm worried that there might be cross infection. Can anyone confirm if this can happen? Or are the mites only in avian species?

[ffiscool]

Phew. Well done. I thought ivermectin had to be done weekly, for 3 weeks.

[Marianne Marlow]

That's brilliant.

Hope the birdy is better soon.

[ping]

Dec 23, 2013 18:28:57 GMT ffiscool said:

Phew. Well done. I thought ivermectin had to be done weekly, for 3 weeks.

That's what I'd read, but vet said come back on 6th January, which is 2 weeks Shall I ring to ask? 

[skysmum]

This is great news well done .

Re can your hampsters catch them, i don't think so, they are species specific, birds and poultry.

I would give vet a ring re the ivermectin.

[Hezz]

Can't answer the question regarding the hamsters getting infected, I have no experience with hamsters, but it wouldn't hurt to double check regarding the mite treatment and when the next does is needed. It may be simply that the vet is closed between Christmas and New Year, happens a lot here. If this is all, I would be looking at getting it and applying myself so Rabbie Burns isn't being left with any left over mites any longer than he need be.