FINCHforum

Hey, this is a weird question. But if I fed my two zebra finches marijuana leaves (small amount), would it help them to reduce the pain in suffering from lice/mites while I treat them with anti-lice spray?

I figured if it has any similar effect on them as it has on us, it would make them feel more comfortable and not as bothered by the lice, and maybe stop them from preening so much (it will help them forget about it) and making their feathers even worse.

I wouldn't feed them the bud, since it might make them so high that they'd go insane (or not..but I wouldn't risk it).

Has anyone ever done this before?
Or is this just a stupid idea?

Considering how just a small amount can make a person feel the way they do, and "drugs" given to an animal might just kill it or do brain damage to it. The treatment for lice and mites might not be as bad as what could happen giving them an substance like that. I would not choose that method to make my birds feel comfortable.

Make sure that during the treatment you also disinfect the cage, perches, anything wood and wash the cage cover if you use one in hot water.

I don't think I'd try it nor recommend it (just in case...).

Good point, considering the size of a bird brain...

I just figured maybe it would work since I've known cats and dogs who love to get in on the medication with their human partners.

Also, will feathers grow back? They have been scratching and preening so much during the treatment that their feathers are damaged and falling off in some places (not a lot, but maybe one or two feathers sticking out at a time, then falling off) but there are no bald spots as of yet (unless they bend their head forward and stretch it out enough and their neck is revealed...I'm not sure if that's normal). I just hope whatever damage they've done to themselves by excessive preening will fix itself over time...

whoah to heavy man,

ken

Dogs and cats should not be "getting" into that type of medication either...their body chemistry processes things differently than ours. Not sure a vet would agree this is something they should be participating in.

Feathers will grow back quickly. They may look odd bald and patchy but it will grow back..also a word of caution smoking pot around birds might kill them, inhaled smoke is not good for any animal.

cindy wrote:Dogs and cats should not be "getting" into that type of medication either...their body chemistry processes things differently than ours. Not sure a vet would agree this is something they should be participating in.

Back in the day, my springer spaniel, who was a nut case to begin with, found a compressed brick and consumed much.....
He was stoned out of his mind and seemed to be in a deep trance like state. Slept for a couple of days and then resumed normal behavior.... eating like there was no tommorrow. I never figured out if he was eating due to not eating for a couple of days or if he just had the incurable 'munchies' He had a worse reaction to eating the potted mums that were bought for Easter as they made him very nauseated.... fortunately Marijuana surpresses nausea

I would never recommend giving intentionally to any animal but especially not to a small bird..... not to mention the risk of cultivating the leaves to be fed

hmmm noticed your location is not listed...but you are working from a computer and a server...word of caution...be careful what you post.

Pot growers have never had a problem with wild birds eating their crop's seeds or marijuana leaves (rabbits are the exception though). It seems when it comes to drugs the animal kingdom's common sense out weighs those of their human counterparts.

Im afraid if you gave your birds pot leaves I think they'd "just say no"

okiebirds wrote:Pot growers have never had a problem with wild birds eating their crop's seeds or marijuana leaves (rabbits are the exception though). It seems when it comes to drugs the animal kingdom's common sense out weighs those of their human counterparts.

Im afraid if you gave your birds pot leaves I think they'd "just say no"

I don't agree... Caged birds may be so starved for greens that they'd eat anything! That's the reason why you should be careful with the plants that you put in an aviary. They also might have lost the natuaral sense of what's good for them, and the plants might also not exist in their natural environment.

But I agree with Cindy's comment about being careful what you post...

Also: I agree that I would NOT give them anything that might be considered "toxic" in any way, whether it might be marijuana or green tea or tabacco leaves....

Seemed kinda like a trolling post to me

I think it would be good for the finches as long as you played them a little Grateful Dead or Joan Baez in the background.

To funny.....

For what it's worth, marijuana is listed in my husband's veterinary toxicology text as a plant that is toxic to animals (most likely referring to dogs and cats). I think you're better off researching herbs and greens that act as natural anti-inflammatories to curb the kind of discomfort you're describing.