Re: Can Finch and Canary cause Salmonella?

ahoang25 · Post by **ahoang25** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:37 pm

Hi,

My daughter recently was infected with salmonella bacteria. During that time, my canaries and finches have air sac mites.

Can the birds pass salmonela disease onto my daughter? The nurse at the hospital asked me if I have any pets at home. I told her that I have 18 birds ( 11 finches and 7 canaries) and that 3 canaries are sick. The nurse warned me to be very careful with sick birds because they can pass the disease onto my daughter.

My daughter is 3 years old.

What can I do now? Thanks in advance for your advance.

Anthony

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:48 pm

There are some diseases that birds can pass to humans but they are usually attributed to the large parrot and affect the lungs.

Salmonela usually comes from undercooked eggs, runny whites, cake batter with raw eggs, eggs shells placed on the counter , child licking fingers after cracking open eggs, etc. Also raw poultry, and many greens such as spinach can carry salmonella.
red eared paint turtles are the one pet that carries this and are not sold in this country unless it is for 'educational' purposes.

Sorry your child was sick....food poisoning is awful and dangerous to young children.
Air Sac mites are not transferrable to humans and are easy to treat. Under the health section there is a post on ASM.

cindy · Post by **cindy** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:00 pm

CandoAviary wrote:There are some diseases that birds can pass to humans but they are usually attributed to the large parrot and affect the lungs.

Salmonela usually comes from undercooked eggs, runny whites, cake batter with raw eggs, eggs shells placed on the counter , child licking fingers after cracking open eggs, etc. Also raw poultry, and many greens such as spinach can carry salmonella.
red eared paint turtles are the one pet that carries this and are not sold in this country unless it is for 'educational' purposes.

Sorry your child was sick....food poisoning is awful and dangerous to young children.
Air Sac mites are not transferrable to humans and are easy to treat. Under the health section there is a post on ASM.

My younger brother contracted Salmonela from the little turltes you used to be able to get at the pet store. Salmonela can be shed by people that carry it or have had it, if your daughter is in school or day care and proper cleaning, good hand washing is not enforced it can be passed from one person to another. The previous response is good, wash fruits and veggies well. Also if you have any doubts about your canaries and finches, call an avaian vet and ask if you can have stool samples for you finches and canaries tested. It will put your mind at ease and if they do have it, you can treat it.