Air sac mites? or scaly face

[littlezebra]

Hi, im new to this forum, i was wondering if i could get any help diagnosing what's wrong with my zebra, his beak seems like it has a fungus or something or could it be mites ? any help would be appreciated : ) ill add the picture, thank you for any anwsers.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

I don't think it is either air sac mites or scaly mites.

Once i had a female zebra with a candidiasis infection, and it was very similar to your case.

Was he taking antibiotics lately?

Another guess is that it would be due to nutritional deficiemcy, especially calcium and D vitamin.

What you feed him?

Has he daily access to sunlight?

[lovezebs]

littlezebra

Hello, and welcome to the Forum from Canada,

First of all let me say, that he is a beautiful bird from what I can see of him.

Regarding the beak issue....
I have to mention right from the begining, that none of us are Vets, so all we can do is share our own private experiences with our own birds, so technically we cannot give you a diagnosis.

That said, we do try to help one another as best as we can.

Personally, I have not seen such an issue with any of my Zebras.

As Recardo mentioned above, a list of what he eats, drinks, vitamines, supplements, etc. might be helpful.

A full picture of feather and body condition may be helpful as well.

[littlezebra]

Thank you for the warm welcome , regarding the food and all other stuff, you may be right about all that becouse when i first got him he was lacking the cuttlebone and other vitamins and the sun light, but after that i strated to take care of them much more so now it has the cuttlebone, eggshells, green leaves, fresh water and a seed mix with variuos minerals,and now he gets all the sunlight during the day, so since then his beak didin't get worse so maybe it was it, seem like its getting better at a slow pace : ) i was afair of the mites becouse i've read how mites makes like small tunnels in beak's so i though i was a mite problem. iv'e even made him a cage myself : ) ill attach some photo's of it : ) sorry for my writing skills what's a good way to provide them with Calcium ?

[lovezebs]

littlezebra

Wow, you are talented. That's a beautiful cage!

Sounds like they have a good diet

That said, Calcium without Vitamin D3 is useless, because they can't absorb it. Hard boiled eggs, and unfiltered sunlight, will offer this Vit. You mention that he gets sunlight, but it has to be unfiltered (in other words, not through window glass). Hard boiled eggs, offer much needed protein, plus Vit D, and many other nutrients.

The best sources of Calcium that I am aware of, are crushed egg shells, cuttle bone, and oyster shell grit.

If you are concerned about mites, purchase a bottle of SCATT, and dose your birds according to the instructions.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Pretty neat cage you have there

He already has a good diet and calcium suplyes, i would only suplement him with D vitamin for one week or so, and a source of protein, like eggfood, hard boiled eggs or live food, three times a week.

P.S. i'm aware that it is pretty much what Elana said, but i guess that we were writing at the same time, she was faster than me though LOL.

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

No I'm not, I have a broken finger, remember?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Yeah, but english is your native language, and writing isn't actually my cup of tea

Me sometimes write wrong so i have to be overzealous with that.

[littlezebra]

Thank you both for the help : ) yes they get the sunlight thru the window , so as soon as the weather gets better ill try to give them direct sunlight, i have vitamins that are all around i guess i put a few drop's in their water every other time, it has some vitamin D in it : )

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

English is not my native language, but I do enjoy writing, lol, and have been doing it for many many years

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Wow, it is not?

I tought you were born in canada.

[haroun]

I think lovzebs is francophone also
Isn't Elana ?

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs haroun Ricardo Ronsini

No Elana's native tongue isn't French.

[haroun]

Babs
that's right Elane doesn't sound french , may be more eastern europ i got it or no

[lovezebs]

Hello Friends,

No not French, no not born in Canada, and no not European (although parents are/were from Europe)