Deworming your parrot is key to keeping him healthy. “Here is an interesting article on the importance of deworming birds by Kellie Stewart in New Zealand. Her ideas on caring for a sick bird are very good and should be done immediately if a bird looks ill. I personally deworm my birds once a month for 3 consecutive days using Tramisol. Thereafter, I disinfect my aviary floors using Virukill. No matter which deworming product you use, the correct dosage is vital, followed by disinfecting to destroy any worm eggs left behind.” – says the aurthor.
Even if you have a pet bird in a cage it still requires worming. All birds are susceptible to picking up worms, some birds more than others. Grass parrots, kings, princesses, cockatiels, budgies, kakarikis, barrabands, pigeons, cockatoos and doves appear to pick them up a lot easier than other birds. Young chicks are also prone to picking up on worms easier than adult birds. I have never seen a lorikeet with worms but I still would worm them, I think that may be the gut of a lorikeet is too acidic and the worms just dont like it, but I still worm my lories every 6 months by adding a wormer into the lorikeet wet mix.
Birds that spend a lot of time on the ground especially dirt floor aviaries that cannot be hosed and cleaned regularly come into contact with worms a lot easier than concrete floor aviaries. Birds that live in this sort of aviary should be wormed 3-4 times a year and the top layer of soil or sand to be changed on a regular basis. Suspended flights can be a good way of getting around this as the birds cant get to their droppings as easy as a normal aviary set up where they have access to the floor. Concrete floors are the best solution as they can be cleaned a lot easier. It is a good idea to give your aviary a good clean the day after worming.
Worming before the breeding season is the best idea and some wormers may effect feather growth so worming while in moult may not be the best idea.
It is recommended to change your worming product as it is possible for worms to build up a resistance to the same worming agent. Most people also dont realize but depending on the worming product you use the dose may have to be repeated again between 10-14 days later. This is to catch any stray eggs that may be left to start the worm cycle again.
If you notice a bird doing a lot of sleeping but still eating when food is offered normally you will find worms to be the cause, a stained or dirty vent is another good sign but this is not always the case. I have seen birds with clean vents still badly affected by worm infestations. A sharp protruding keel bone is another good sign but you cant always see this until you give the bird a physical examination. Vomiting is another sign your bird has worms but he tends to happen when a bird has had worms for a long period of time, or the bird is infected with a worm such as a gizzard or a hairworm.
When I am given a bird with a severe worm infestation, I have found this to be a good method of first aid treatment. I dont put the wormer onto an empty crop so I make up a thin mixture of hand-rearing food. I add my wormer. I also add a small amount of whet-germ oil to help the passing of worms. When birds are badly infested and you administer the wormer it can block the bird up by all the dead worms trying to be passed in the droppings. This is why some birds dont recover from a bad worm problem after treatment as the worms pulling away from the intestinal wall can cause internal bleeding and the passing of dead worms blocking up their system. If the bird makes it from this point I will give top-up feeds to get the birds body weight up but as soon as you see the bird-eating well for himself things should be well on the track to mending and you can leave him/her to it. Repeat the dose 10-12 days after worming.
Supply a heat source to keep the bird warm, hospital cage, brooder, or a desk lamp with a 100-watt bulb. Do not to overheat the bird. A good temperature for a sick bird is 28 degrees also provide some humidity if using a hospital cage or brooder. If using the desk lamp have a towel between the cage and the lamp or make sure the bird can get away from the heat source if it gets too warm. Leave a light going through the night so if the bird needs to eat at 2 in the morning he/she is able to. If you are able to top the bird up with a hand-rearing formula to help it gain weight faster. If the bird is very sick administer some type of electrolyte instead of solid food. If you are treating a bird with worms such as gizzard worm tapeworm or hairworm it may pay to use an antibiotic treatment as these worms can cause the birds intestine to be prone to bacterial infections as they damage the wall of the intestines and gizzard. Consult your vet if possible to see what antibiotic would be best suited.
1. Hairworm (Capillaria) Signs: Diarrhea Not eating Anemia Weight loss These live in the lining of the intestine, crop or oesophagus. Birds pick this worm up by eating the droppings of infected birds. The egg can live in the ground for several months. Suggested wormers are Panacur. These worms are very fine and sometimes can be difficult to treat. Often found in budgies, lovebirds, canaries and fowl.
2. Gizzard worm (Aquaria) Signs: Sudden death in a bird Weight loss Droppings containing mucous The cycle starts with adult worm laying eggs, which pass out in the droppings of the infected birds. These eggs are eaten by insects, such as slaters weevils and insects alike. While using the insect as its first host the larvae of the worm start to develop. In turn, the insect is then eaten by a bird and the immature gizzard worms move to the birds gizzard and burrow through the gizzard-lining wall to develop into adults. These worms damage the gizzard lining, which then affects the proper function of the gizzard, which is to grind down food. Birds normally die due to bacterial infection because of the damage to the gizzard lining. Finches or any insect-eating bird can be at risk from this type of worm.
3. Tapeworm: Signs and symptoms are much like the gizzard worm. They like a damp environment. Mild infections can occur but heavy infections result in the above symptoms, damaging the intestinal wall causing infection. Control of insects and worms in you aviary are crucial as these are the hosts that start the tapeworm cycle. There are many different species of tapeworm that can affect birds ranging from 2-3 mm to 50-60mm long, different types of tapeworms will infect different types of bird. The same worm that infects a galah will not be the same type that infects a grass parakeet.
Some elements make birds more prone to roundworms: Young birds Birds under stress Birds that spend a lot of time on the ground. Wild birds getting into aviaries Dirt floors in aviaries
Roundworms are hard to detect in the early stages of infecting your bird. Breeding birds may stop breeding and appear listless. Roundworms are not usually seen in the droppings. The infection starts with a bird eating a roundworm egg passed from another infected birds droppings. The larva burrows through the birds intestine and then goes into the birds body to develop further. Then once again makes its way back to the birds intestine to develop into a mature adult worm. The cycle takes about 6 weeks. Roundworms can survive in the environment for long periods of time.
Your Best Friend’s Best Friend
Deworming your parrot is key to keeping him healthy. “Here is an interesting article on the importance of deworming birds by Kellie Stewart in New Zealand. Her ideas on caring for a sick bird are very good and should be done immediately if a bird looks ill. I personally deworm my birds once a month for 3 consecutive days using Tramisol. Thereafter, I disinfect my aviary floors using Virukill. No matter which deworming product you use, the correct dosage is vital, followed by disinfecting to destroy any worm eggs left behind.” – says the aurthor.
Worming is necessary for pet birds in cages as well. All birds have the potential to swallow worms, but some birds are more likely than others. It seems that some birds pick them up much more easily than others: pigeons, cockatoos, doves, kakarikis, kings, princesses, cockatiels, budgies, and grass parrots. Additionally, young chicks are more likely than adult birds to pick up on worms. Although I have never seen a lorikeet with worms, I would still worm them because I believe that the lorikeet’s stomach is too acidic for the worms to tolerate. I worm my lories every six months by adding a wormer to the wet mix.
Worms are much easier to get into the bodies of birds kept in ground-based aviaries than in concrete-floored aviaries, especially in dirt floor aviaries that are not easily cleaned with a hose. These kinds of aviaries should have their birds wormed three to four times a year, and the top layer of soil or sand should be replaced frequently. Since the birds cannot as easily reach their droppings as they could in a typical aviary setup where they have access to the floor, suspended flights can be a useful workaround. The best option is concrete floors since they are much easier to clean. The day following worming is a good time to give your aviary a thorough cleaning.
The best time to worm is before the breeding season, and since some wormers can affect the growth of feathers, it might not be the best idea to worm while in moult.
It is advised to switch up your worming product because worms can become resistant to the same worming agent over time. Most people are also unaware that the dosage may need to be repeated 1014 days later, depending on the worming product you use. This is to capture any stray eggs that might be left behind in order to relaunch the worm cycle.
Worms are the likely culprit if you see a bird sleeping a lot but eating when food is normally offered. A stained or dirty vent is another good indicator, though this is not always the case. I’ve observed birds with clean vents that nevertheless had significant worm infestations. Another positive indicator is a sharply projecting keel bone, though this isn’t always visible until the bird is examined physically. Another indication that your bird has worms is vomiting, but this usually occurs after the worms have been present for a while or when the bird has an infection with a worm like a hairworm or gizzard worm.
This works well for first aid treatment when I am given a bird that has a serious worm infestation. Instead of applying the wormer to an empty crop, I prepare a thin mixture for manual feeding. I add my wormer. I also use a tiny bit of wheat germ oil to aid in the worms’ passage. When wormers are given to heavily infested birds, the dead worms in their droppings may clog the bird’s passageways. This explains why some birds with severe worm problems do not get better even after receiving treatment; internal bleeding and the passage of dead worms clogging their system can result from the worms pulling away from the intestinal wall. If the bird survives to this point, I will provide top-up feeds to increase its body weight, but you can leave him/her to fend for themselves as soon as you observe that things are improving for the bird. Repeat the dose 10-12 days after worming.
Suggestions for helping a bird heal from worms:
Provide the bird with a heat source, such as a desk lamp with a 100-watt bulb, a hospital cage, or a brooder. Do not to overheat the bird. A sick bird should be kept at 28 degrees with some humidity if housed in a hospital cage or brooder. Make sure the bird can escape the heat source if it becomes too warm, or place a towel between the cage and the desk lamp if you’re using one. Keep a light on throughout the night so the bird can get food if it gets hungry at two in the morning. Should you be able to supplement the bird’s diet with a hand-rearing formula to aid in its quicker weight gain Give the bird electrolytes in place of solid food if it is extremely ill. It may be beneficial to administer an antibiotic treatment to a bird that has worms, such as gizzard worm, tapeworm, or hairworm, since these worms can damage the intestinal wall of the bird and increase its susceptibility to bacterial infections. See your veterinarian if you can determine which antibiotic would be most appropriate.
Types of worms:
1. Hairworms, or Capillaria, are found in the lining of the intestine, colon, or oesophagus. Symptoms include diarrhea, anemia, and weight loss. By consuming the excrement of infected birds, birds acquire this worm. The egg can live in the ground for several months. Suggested wormers are Panacur. These worms are extremely tiny and can occasionally be challenging to treat. Often found in budgies, lovebirds, canaries and fowl.
2. Gizzard worm (Aquaria) symptoms include weight loss, sudden death in birds, and mucus-filled droppings. The cycle begins with the adult worm laying eggs, which eventually pass out in the infected birds’ droppings. Weevils and other insects, including slaters, consume these eggs. While utilizing the insect as their primary host, the worm’s larvae begin to grow. The insect is subsequently consumed by a bird, after which the young gizzard worms migrate to the bird’s gizzard and tunnel through the wall lining it to mature into adults. These worms harm the lining of the gizzard, which impairs the gizzard’s ability to properly break down food. Because the gizzard lining is damaged, bacterial infections typically result in bird death. This kind of worm may pose a threat to finches or any other bird that consumes insects.
3. Tapeworm: Signs and symptoms are much like the gizzard worm. They like a damp environment. While mild infections are possible, severe infections cause the symptoms listed above and damage the intestinal wall, which leads to infection. Since worms and insects are the hosts that initiate the tapeworm cycle, controlling them in your aviary is essential. From 2-3 mm to 50-60 mm long, there are numerous species of tapeworms that can infect birds. Various tapeworm species will infect different kinds of birds. A grass parakeet will not become infected by the same type of worm that infects galahs.
4. Roundworm (Ascaridia) Signs: Weakness Weight loss Diarrhea.
Roundworms can affect birds more frequently if they are young, stressed, or spend a lot of time on the ground. Untrained avian entry; Unclean avian flooring
When roundworms are first infecting your bird, they are difficult to find. Breeding birds may stop breeding and appear listless. Roundworms are not usually seen in the droppings. When a bird consumes a roundworm egg from the droppings of another infected bird, the infection begins. After tunneling through the bird’s intestine, the larva enters the bird’s body to continue developing. then returns to the bird’s intestine to mature into an adult worm once more. The cycle takes about 6 weeks. Roundworms have a long lifespan in their environment.
The most likely parasites
In birds kept in captivity, intestinal parasites can be of three main types: nematodes (roundworms, gizzard worms, etc. ); tapeworms; and coccidia (a protozoan, or single-celled parasite). Each will require different strategies, wormers, and frequency of worming.
Nematodes generally have a direct life cycle, i. e. The bird excretes eggs, which are subsequently consumed by another bird that contracts the infection. Some, like gizzard worms, have an indirect life cycle in which the eggs are transferred through the droppings of the bird, which are then consumed by an insect and subsequently consumed by another bird. Whereas coccidia and other protozoa have a direct life cycle, tapeworms have an indirect one.
Since their life cycle is contained within the bird’s enclosure, direct cycle parasites are typically easier to control. Since insects can fly into and out of any aviary, parasites with an indirect lifecycle are more difficult to control because it can be more difficult to determine where the parasites are coming from.
Both kinds of parasites are possible in birds, frequently concurrently. The only method to identify the parasites present in a bird is to examine its feces under a microscope. This can be done by your avian vet.
While any bird can carry any parasite, there are some generalizations that can be made about which birds are more likely to carry a given parasite. Australian parrots that live on the ground are more likely to have roundworms; finches often have tapeworms; gizzard worms are present in all birds, though they are less common than roundworms and tapeworms. Because not all wormers will handle both kinds of worms, when creating a worming program for Australian parrots, your wormer should be very effective against roundworm, but for finches, you may need to focus on tapeworm.
The type of birds
Birds can be broadly divided into two categories: those that live in the canopy and seldom visit the ground, and those that feed constantly on the ground. The majority of Australian parrots belong to the latter group, which is far more susceptible to parasite infection than canopy dwellers. That’s not to say that people who live in canopies are risk-free; many will occasionally fall to the ground.
Thus, the majority of Australian arid zone birds, including budgies, cockatiels, Princess parrots, and Neophemas, are among our ground dwellers. Since many of these birds have a higher risk of worm issues, they need to be wormed more frequently. Typically, tropical and rainforest birds like Eclectus, macaws, Amazons, and conures live in the canopy.
FAQ
How do you get rid of worms in birds?
How do you deworm birds naturally?
Do birds need to be dewormed?