scared my canary may have air sac mites

[Teresa'sTreeHouse]

2 days ago I noticed my female canary was breathing hard and she still is. She will eat and drink but open beak breath and tail bob all the time. I haven't heard any clicking sound comming from her. I might have heard a little click earlier when I was messing with her but she was very winded and struggling to get away. She is currently sitting on eggs. The male seems perfectly healthy.

I ordered s76 and plan on treating her when it gets here.

My questions are:

1. Will I have to treat everyone? She and he are in thier own cage not next to anyone else. there is like 2 feet between them and other cages. (says asm is spread from close contact)

2. It says i will have to clean thier cage good but she is on eggs. I am afraid i will break her up from sitting plus i read i would have to discard her nest to keep them from comming back on her. What do I clean the cage with and should I clean it or wait till babies hatch?

3. Can parrots get asm? I have large parrots in the house and i cant find anywhere where it says they can get asm other then budgies and tiels

4. If i hold her and put her to my ear to listen for clicks, will the mites get on me or my hair and then transfer to other birds?

sorry i am very paranoid about my birds.

[Teresa'sTreeHouse]

The female passed away about 20min ago. Now her mate is coughing and clicking. I am so worried about him but not just him, I have finches, other canarys and large parrots. I hope it doesnt spread to them.

[tinysparrow]

I'm so sorry for your loss Hopefully a forum member who is more knowledgeable about ASM will see this post and offer their advice.

[30 Seconds to Bob]

My guess would be more likely a respiratory infection than ASM. I think that ASM are far less common than people are led to believe - especially in canaries. Hope the others stay well. Bob

[debbie276]

I also would lean more toward a respiratory infection then ASM. Have you quarantined them away from the others? If not I would do that asap. Try to give him a little extra heat.
Here's an article that may help you determine which kind of respiratory infection you might be dealing with http://ladygouldian.com/Respiratory-Infections-in-Birds

[lyzzyjayne]

I am so very sorry. I am dealing with a rescue Canary that had ASM and I'm sure a respiratory infection. I am waiting for tests back from the avian vet. Definitely quarrantine your male and give him quiet and heat. Will he sit on the nest? Also,other birds such as finches are suseptable to ASM,but my Avian Vet said she has seen cases in Parrots. I would go ahead and treat your entire flock with S76 while waiting to get your male to a vet. Please keep us informed.

[Teresa'sTreeHouse]

He is in the kitchen away from the birds. He is not sitting on the eggs. I am calling the vet tomorrow to see what she suggests. He is about 10 feet from any bird. This is the farthest away I can get him. He is cheeping and flying today so far no noises.

[Teresa'sTreeHouse]

should i vet him or just treat him and everyone with the s76?

[lyzzyjayne]

Treat everyone. You should treat everyone twice a year for a preventative. Gouldians too if you have them.

[Teresa'sTreeHouse]

my large parrots too?

[debbie276]

There is a way to visually confirm if your birds has ASM by wetting the feathers on the neck with alcohol and transilluminating the trachea with a bright penlight. This procedure is best performed in a darkened room. With normal vision, the mites can be seen as dark, pinhead size, moving spots in the trachea.

If you don't see ASM I would consider taking him to the vet and see if they can tell if it is a respiratory infection and/or which kind for the proper treatment.

[Teresa'sTreeHouse]

I called the vet (well 4 or 5 to be exact) they wouldnt tell me anything not even basic information. I am far from them so I cant really get him to them plus they didnt seem interested since he was a canary (small inexpencive parrot).

I have observed him since sunday and he eats, sings, flys, eats and eats, poops normal. the only thing i see is that at night he will cough a few times, then open his mouth wide, and wipes his beak. Other then that he is very active and sings all day. I have some s76 comming but it isnt here yet.

I called the lady at lady gouldian and got some good info from her.

I cant completely quarantine him but she said unless other birds are right in the cage with him not to worry about them getting asm if it is that.

[lyzzyjayne]

Great!! How is he now?

[coopers]

Canaries and gouldian finches are very susceptible to ASM and it often gets bad during the molt which is a natural stress to the bird and during the summer when it is very hot. Essentially heat and stress are often when you see ASM flair up.

Here are symptoms of ASM: Sneezing, coughing, wheezing, squeaking, wet nostrils, and labored / open -mouth breathing. Other symptoms include tail bobbing, weakness, weight loss and sneezing and clicking sounds while breathing. Those symptoms are often more noticeable after a strenuous activity, such as after a flight.

There are other illnesses that can cause similar symptoms. I've used Amoxitex for bacteria infections in my canaries with success. http://ladygouldianfinch.com/product_amoxitex.php

Like others have mentioned, I would treat the whole flock with s76. Also use it in bathing water to help kill surface mites. I would not worry about your large parrots. Good luck.

[debbie276]

You could also make a positive diagnosis visually and not have to guess if it's ASM or not