air sac mites?

[rancho2]

one of my male gouldians came out of his nest and the noise he was making sounded like clicking. he only did it for a minute or so but i thought maybe he had air sac mites. he isn't exhibiting any other symptoms, that i can tell. maybe it's in the beginning stages? anyway, i've been reading a little about S76 and it seems this might be the way to go if i can put it in the drinking and bathing water. any thoughts or suggestions? i do have the avian insect liquidator, would that help?

[finchmix22]

I'd use both to prevent mites of any kind. The S76 needs to be adminstered a second time, if used in the water. Good Luck.

[rancho2]

how many times a day/week should i spray the birds with the insect liquidator? it says it's ok for hatchlings but do i spray a little into the nest too??? they're only about 1 1/2-2 weeks old. or will spraying their parents be enough? thx

[debbie276]

The S76 in-water treatment for air-sac mites is 2 consecutive days each week for 3 weeks in a row.
MIX S76 FRESH EACH MORNING OF TREATMENT – DO NOT MIX A LARGE VOLUME AND HOLD IT FOR MULTIPLE DAY TREATMENTS. S76 is potent for only 8 hours once mixed into water

Avian Insect Liquidator:
The three way action of A.I.L. provides an instant kill of insects and a six week residual action against reinfection. The insect growth regulator (IGR) prevents the development of immature insects thus providing prolonged protection.

[Sally]

A clicking sound can indicate air sac mites, but it can also indicate other things, like a respiratory infection, or it can be nothing at all. It won't hurt to administer the S76, but you must follow the directions debbie276 gave or you are wasting your time and money.

how many times a day/week should i spray the birds with the insect liquidator? it says it's ok for hatchlings but do i spray a little into the nest too??? they're only about 1 1/2-2 weeks old. or will spraying their parents be enough? thx

A.I.L. is a powerful insecticide that is still perfectly safe for your birds, but as with anything else, more is not necessarily better. It does nothing for internal mites. so it is not effective on air sac mites at all.

[rancho2]

i just called the bird store where i got him from and he suggested doing an antibiotic first, that he thought it might also be respiratory. i do have tetratex so i'll give that to him for a week or so.

[debbie276]

I would separate him out add heat and watch for signs of illness. Jumping out of the nest and making a "sound like clicking" that he only did for a minute doesn't warrant antibiotics in my opinion. I probably wouldn't even do the ASM treatment and/or insect spray.

*unless of course the bird store knows something you don't, was this a new purchase?

[rancho2]

ok, separate cage and heat to start.

[debbie276]

You should be able to see his droppings clear enough to tell if they are irregular or not once he's in the hospital cage. A bit more protein (hard boiled eggs) would be a good idea too.

[finchmix22]

Do you hear anything from the mate too? Gouldians are more prone to ASM than most finches, so I'd be careful and observe to make sure what is going on. Good Luck.

[rancho2]

she's always sitting in the nest but i'll keep an eye on her too.