IndianRingNeck.com

Hi guys.
I had 2 IRN's for a few months.all was ok. I bought a new one 3 weeks back.Just before Christmas.Yesterday when my wife was sleepin in the bedroom she got many bites on her leg.Today when i was lying on the sofa i got a few bites myself. How can i confirm that these mites are comin from the birds. The INR's look perfectly well.....they are not restless at night or anythin. I wash their cages daily.Oh by the way...the birds are inside my appartment.I compared the bites to some pics on the net and they look the same.but mostly the net says these are comin from the chicken.I have a couple a ducklings which are about 4 weeks old i guess.i have a pair of breeding Zebra Finches.thats it.

any idea guys.
thanks a lot
melson

Hey Melson,

Mites can be a problem; however, there are special sprays that can be purchased to prevent mites on your birds. Be sure to keep your cages clean at all times—leaving dirty paper on the bottom, or feathers interlaced with droppings in the cage is a recipe for disaster. Though many like to use natural disinfectants, I wash my cages down with 1 part bleach to 3 parts water weekly. This keeps everything nice and clean and my birds are very healthy. If you wish to use something more organic, apple cider vinegar works perfect as well. Be sure to wash everything really well and vacuum daily.

But let me give you some insight—I have worked with so many exotic birds that have been infected with just about everything you can think of—I don’t ever recall being bitten by a mite from a bird. I have de-liced many birds as well—never a problem. Usually, in my experiences, birds that are infected with mites could have some sort of hidden illness.

Have you checked for bed bugs? They are becoming an epidemic now. Do more research on the topic via google. If you still believe it’s mites, take a few pieces of tape and place it on the none stick side down—that way if a mites are present they’ll get caught along the sticky side.

Hope this helps! Please keep us updated!

Wishing you the best my friend,

IMARN