Content
- Knemidocoptic mange
- How is it treated?
- lack of iodine
- How is it treated?
- How can it be prevented?
- Chlamydiosis
- What are the symptoms of avian chlamydiosis?
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Prevention
- internal parasites
- reproductive problems
Australian parakeets, also known as common parakeets, are one of the most years of companionship in our homes, few can say that they have never entered a home where there was a couple of these colorful birds.
Although we associate them with longevity and sociability, life in captivity also has its negative consequences and it is increasingly common to find these birds as patients in veterinary clinics. There are numerous pathologies that appear due to inadequate management. Therefore, in this article, PeritoAnimal summarizes the most common diseases in australian parakeets and how to prevent them!
Knemidocoptic mange
the genus mite cnemidocopts is responsible for this disease so common in Australian parakeets, which causes hyperkeratosis or the skin thickening of paws and beak wax.
Dermal overgrowth can give the sensation of "scales on the feet", as mentioned in the PeritoAnimal article on mites in canaries, and can deform the animal's beak if it progresses without treatment.
A scraping of the lesions allows the observation of this mite under a microscope, which helps in the diagnosis, together with such characteristic lions.
How is it treated?
Ivermectin is usually the most effective treatment, and it can be administered intramuscularly, subcutaneously or even orally. In cases where scabies is localized, or at an earlier stage, it can be applied topically, in some oil, such as tea tree oil, but it is more complicated to control the exact dosage with this method, with the risk of overdose.
It may be recommended to repeat the treatment at the end of a couple of weeks, with a third application sometimes being used.
lack of iodine
The lack of iodine in the diet can affect parakeets that consume exclusively a mixture of little varied seeds, especially when the most abundant fraction is corn. The scarce supply of iodine over time can lead to a lack of this essential element for synthesizing thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland, that is, a secondary hypothyroidism.
The gland hypertrophies to try to maintain the production of thyroid hormones, causing the typical bulging disc in the neck. We may notice a "lump in the neck" and voice changes, difficulty breathing, regurgitation of food, due to overgrowth of the thyroid causing compression of the trachea and esophagus.
How is it treated?
THE iodine supplementation in the drinking water in the form of drops of lugol simultaneously with a change in diet, it is usually sufficient. It is important to remember that when adding drugs to the water, we should not give too much hole or lettuce to the parakeet, as they contain a lot of liquids, which will wash away the need to use the drinking fountain.
How can it be prevented?
A varied diet, in which the animal is prevented from selecting what it likes most, is essential to prevent the development of this common disease in Australian parakeets. Some vegetables contain enough iodine, so feeding the animal two or three times a week is helping to prevent this problem from occurring, as well as promoting a balanced diet. Spinach can be an interesting choice to give your parakeet two or three times a week, always removing what it doesn't eat after a while and avoiding its abuse. For more information confirm the list of fruits and vegetables for parakeets.
Chlamydiosis
the infection by Chlamydia psittaci it can be subclinical, our parakeets being symptom-free carriers. It usually develops after stressful situations (overcrowding, environmental changes, illnesses, poor hygiene...). This bacterium is excreted in feces, urine, nasopharyngeal and nasal secretions, and can give rise to chronic carriers that eliminate it intermittently, transmitting it to the environment, infecting its congeners.
What are the symptoms of avian chlamydiosis?
Respiratory and sometimes liver signs are indicative, among others, of this infection:
- Conjunctivitis
- Dyspnea (difficulty breathing, open mouth)
- breathing noises
- Biliverdinuria (green stools and urine, which may indicate a liver infection)
- Diarrhea
- In more severe cases, apathy, lethargy and anorexia
Diagnosis
For diagnosis, observation of clinical signs is combined with specific tests such as a serological test in which the increase in immunoglobulin M is measured, or a laboratory technique called PCR that shows the genetic material of the bacteria present in the feces and the pharyngeal exudate of the parakeet.
the collection of blood samples it is usually a great help, it is possible to observe an increase in white blood cells and, in biochemistry, the liver parameters are usually elevated. Not all infections by Chlamydia have the same gravity, it depends on the type of bacteria (there are different subspecies within what we know as Chlamydia) and often turns into a chronic infection in the form of constant respiratory problems, for example.
Treatment
The use of doxycycline, an antibiotic in the tetracycline family, is the most effective treatment known to treat this disease so common in Australian parakeets. It should be given for about 45 days, and an intramuscular injection of the compound can be given, although it has a high risk of producing tissue damage (necrosis). It is only used in more severe cases where more aggressive initial treatment is needed. However, if there is no other way, you can opt for an injection of doxycycline every 7 days, for 7 consecutive weeks, in the pectoral muscles.
The preferred form of treatment is oral, directly into the spout with doxycycline syrup, or add the powder solution that results from crushing the doxycycline tablets in the seed mixture, using some solvent so that the powder adheres to the surface of the seeds .
Prevention
avoid stress, environments with poor hygiene, overpopulation of birds and the introduction of new individuals without quarantine or of unknown origin is fundamental. Cleaning is again a key ally at this point.
Remember that people who work with groups of birds, veterinarians, or people in direct contact with parakeets (owners with a large group), can be affected by this bacterium, which is why it is considered a zoonosis.
internal parasites
It is not usual for there to be an internal parasitosis in our parakeets, but it can be observed in birds that live in voadeiras with an earth floor and with a high number of birds.
- Microscopic parasites: like Giardia, or coccidia can affect our parakeets, giving rise to typical intermittent or acute diarrhea, dirty cloacal plumage, weight loss, apathy... Coccidia, respectively. Isolation of the sick animal, thorough disinfection and treatment of the bird with toltrazuril (coccidia) and metronidazole or febendazon (Giardies), adding the necessary supportive therapy, can solve the problem if it is detected in time.
- Macroscopic parasites: Ascarids are probably the most common in parakeets, but it is not very common to see them in captive birds. These intestinal nematodes (cylindrical worms) can cause diarrhea and weight loss, as well as dull and dirty-looking plumage. On microscopic examination of stools it is easy to detect their eggs, and treatment with ivermectin, albendazole or fembendazole are often very effective options.
reproductive problems
As with all birds, problems with laying eggs can appear, such as the posture chronic, or problems in the formation of the eggshell that causes the break the egg in the abdomen and consequent peritonitis.
Chronic posture is complicated to solve, you can try to reduce the hours of light, moving the female away from the male (without seeing or hearing him), but the most effective is usually a hormonal implant that inhibits the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. That is, that the activity of the ovary ceases. It lasts a few months, is variable and requires sedation for its placement, but sometimes it is the only remedy for this dangerous change.
The consequences of dystocia (impossibility to perform the posture), because the egg is excessively large, the breakage of the egg inside the abdomen due to the weakness of the shell causes peritonitis, which causes an emergency situation in all cases and few birds manage to recover.
As clinical signs, we usually observe distension of the abdomen, anorexia, apathy, lethargy... all of them very unspecific, which makes it necessary to carry out a complementary examination by the veterinarian to detect their origin in order to carry out the most appropriate treatment, although the prognosis in these cases is not very favorable.
Although not as common as other parrots, parakeets can also suffer from biting and plucking their own feathers.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.