disease: something black on the head..?

[sinasi]

hello everyone.  
yesterday i noticed something black on my budgie's head...
postimg.org/image/kwwylpku7/
(the head's shiny because ive put some petroleum jelly on) there were other very little black spots around and i've heard the jelly's good for protecting from germs. hope it's right.? 

today the black thing has spread a bit, looks like it has come to pieces. i examined it, it's like a blood clot, black and hard. and i saw little red spots too, like two.
from today: postimg.org/image/xv77w9n2r/
postimg.org/image/58gc8cgsv/

my budgie's seven years old. i suspect of something like mites but i really don't know. he has been healthy for a long while. the first year of his life, he had the long beak thing, but after i got him crackers it was fine.   

a week or two he has been low in energy. doesn't fly so much as he used to. and eats a bit less.
last week i put him vitamin drop in his water but after noticing this black thing i stopped it, might be a reaction..? 
 
does anybody notice this? and is it contagious for people? 
i can't say i really trust vets, the last time i took a budgie to a vet he died a day after. so i wanted to ask you people.
 
cheers.
 

[starrymist]

Sorry I can't help, it does look a bit worrying though, hopefully someone will have the answer.

[Azurei]

Could it be dried blood? some times my budgies knock a pinnie on their head and it bleeds a bit, it resolves itself on these tiny feathers. If not could he have scraped himself on something causing a scab? Other than that I'm not sure

[sinasi]

thanks starrymist..
it can be azurei, but i heard of red mites too. and the black things on the head can be either mites or moulting blacks..

[mizloco]

hello and welcome, i'm sorry I can't help but I hope you get to the bottom of it soon

[sinasi]

thanks mizloco
everyone has lovely budgies, cute photos!

[skysmum]

This looks like dried blood sinasi, caused by the new feathers coming through, he has pinnies by the looks of things . Red mites are very hard to see with the naked eye im sure its not mites.

[starlingqueen]

Could it be a tick? Is the bird inside? Has it had access to the outside, in grass or have you brought any grass in for him recently?

[sinasi]

really? if so that will be a relief!
umm.. i recognized that happening before, many times, but it never was like this, with blood and all. plus he's pretty tired. so maybe with age changing feathers gets harder for their metabolism?
thank you so much for the message.

[sinasi]

hmm good point starlingqueen... actually he has a new spot he flies to. it's a pot with some plants...but he's always in the house,never out

[starlingqueen]

If it is a tick, putting petroleum jelly on it would kill the tick. They breath through their back so covering it with petroleum jelly will suffocate it.

[sinasi]

thanks so much.. i've put some just in case before he went to sleep..i hope its not a tick.. he scratched and bled it a bit.. i still think it can be a scab...
i remembered an old, not-so-good microscope we had:) tomorrow i'll see if it works and check if its some freaking bug..

[Hezz]

It looks like an old blood clot to me. Moulting takes a lot of energy and could well explain why he is not so energetic, especially as he is getting on in years. Some eggfood, or hard boiled egg can help in this case .......... pep him up with a bit of extra protein.

[sinasi]

thank you very much i will! he flies more today.

[Hezz]

Is the dark spot still there? Are you able to catch him up and try a gentle wash of the area. You will soon know if it is a blood spot or not. Glad he is seeming better today.