My budgie has scaly face mites. How to treat and prevent them?

Your veterinarian diagnosed your bird being infected with knemidocoptes mites, a type of scabies, that affects the legs and beak and eyes. This is a parasite. Ivermectin and the parraffin oil will kill the mites, nut it will take some time for the skin to heal and get replaced with healthy skin. The treatment your veterinarian recommended is the proper treatment and you do not have to do anything else. You may want to tell your friend to check his birds for the same signs.

Poor little guy! He very possibly has scaly mites. Ideally he should be seen by an avian veterinarian, but there is an over-the-counter product called Avimec that is a drop-on remedy for scaly mites. These mites only live on the body, so you don't have to treat the cage as well, but it would be a good idea to take it apart anyway and give it a good deep cleaning just to be safe. Plenty of soap and hot water and thorough rinsing will work. Good luck with him.

Thanks for reaching out about Quiz and including photos. The mites live only on the birds, which is not to say they can't fall off, but typically treating all the animals in the habitat is sufficient to cure. The best treatment is a systemic medication called ivermectin but the benzoate works well. But this is not a systemic drug, therefore if an area is missed topically might not clear the infestation or take longer. Be careful applying around the eyes. Good luck.

Hello, Parakeets do commonly contract the external parasite Knemidocoptes. I would recommend taking Pineapple into your veterinarian to be seen. They can examine her, weigh her, and determine the best anti-parasitic medication for her case. It generally requires a few doses of the medication over a period of weeks to kill every life stage of the mite. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for reaching out about Angel. Is there aggression in the cage, could this be caused by other birds? If so, isolation to reduce further trauma. Scabs can also be due to scaly beak and leg mites, which are contagious to other birds, more common if this or other birds are recently acquired. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Some local pet stores could have remedies, but probably not as effective as the vet. Good luck.

Angel is beautiful, thankfully his cere looks a nice healthy colour. It is not uncommon for the beak to flake a little depending what part of the keratin cycle he is in . As for the crusts, these are most commonly due to a little mite that borrows under the skin. Known as scaly beak, it is caused by knemedicoptes mites. To treat it you need an ivermectin based drop, many vets stock a product called xeno which you apply to the skin. I would weigh him to ensure appropriate dosing. If you are concerned he seems dull or symptoms are worsening you should take him to an avian vet.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This appears to be a problem caused by mites, called scaly mites. This can also be a nutritional problem or other type of skin infection. Please have Blue seen by a veterinarian who sees birds and is experienced. A physical exam and possibly some tests (skin scrape, cytology) will determine the cause and treatment can be started. Mites in birds are often treated with a drug called ivermectin or similar. Sometimes antibiotics are given if there is evidence of a bacterial infection also. Good luck with Blue! I hope y’all get a speedy recovery.