Bird Lice
What is Bird Lice?
Bird lice is a type of louse that will bite your bird. They are very small and they are similar to the lice that humans could get. Even though they bite, it is interesting to know that they do not generally harm your bird unless they are unusually infested. Many birds get bird lice at least one time in their lives so it is not that uncommon. However, you are probably wondering how you know if your bird has it and how to get rid of it. This article will address some of those concerns and issues.
You may start to notice that your bird is grooming itself more frequently than usual. You may also notice that he or she is biting at him or herself a lot throughout the day. These can be signs that your bird has bird lice. You are most likely going to need to rely on these types of clues to help you identify this problem because the lice are too small to see.
If you think that your bird has bird lice you are going to want to clean the area around your bird. You will want to get rid of their bedding or other things that may house the louse. This is very important to help avoid re-infestation. You can use a power or a shampoo to help rid the bird of the lice but you may want to talk to your local vet before you start any type of particular treatment. You are going to want to make sure that you are not going to do something to your bird that is going to harm him or her.
Once you have the bird lice under control, you are going to want to make sure that they are not going to get it again. There are a few things that you can do to help decrease the likelihood of another infestation. You can start by getting some sand and placing it into a bowl or tray. Your bird is going to be able to dust itself with the sand. This is going to help decrease the chances of your bird getting lice again. You may want to place rug under the cage to catch any sand that may fall out of the cage.
Your bird is going to preen their feathers after they get a bath. Therefore, if you take the time to place some water in the bird’s cage, he or she is going to take a bath and then preen their feathers. This is going to help keep bird lice at bay because the bird will be taking care of themselves and cleaning their feathers on a more regular basis. You may also notice that this creates less of a mess than the sand. You could try this first if you would like.
Finally, you can decrease the likelihood of your bird picking up bacteria and parasites by keeping the cage very clean. You are going to want to keep any droppings out of the cage and you are going to want to keep bedding and other toys as clean as possible. If you have tried all of these things and nothing seems to work, you may want to contact a professional for assistance. They are going to be able to tell you want you can try next.
Bird lice can not be passed to humans. That is something very important that you may want to remember. However, it is going to make your bird uncomfortable and you do not want that. If you continue to have problems with lice, you will want to talk to a professional and see what the problem is. You may have a larger problem than you realize and you may need to have the area professionally cleaned.