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Bird Health

Aviculture

Pensacola Junior College

Feather Clip - both sides

• Cut outer 5-8 primaries on each side

• Cut even with bottom of coverts

• This method allows them to keep balance and avoid crash landings, but may allow flight

Feather Clip - one side

• Cut primary #3 and in

• Cut outer secondary in to last couple

• Do not cut shorter than level of coverts

• Cut on one wing to make uneven

Beak Trimming

• Use cuttlebone, lava rock, knuckle bones, and hard food to keep beak trimmed

• Needed trimming can be done with dremel / grinder to shave back

Overgrown Beak

Nail trimming

• Use human or dog nail clippers or a dremel / grinder

• Do not cut into quick (blood supply)

• Be prepared with styptic powder to stop bleeding

• Quick will recede with frequent trims

Health Observations:

• Sleep position

• Feather position / condition

• Fecals

• Activity levels

• Eye condition

• Breathing

• Appetite

Potential Disease Agents:

• Parasites

• Bacteria

• Fungi

• Viruses

• Nutritional Disorders

Common Bird Parasites

• Internal:

– Roundworms

– Threadworms

– Tapeworms

– Trichomoniasis

• External:

– Mites

– Ticks

Internal - roundworms

• Ascaridia sp.

• Round white worms in fecals, 1.5 to 3 inches long

• Eggs ingested from feces, soil, food

• Weight loss, diarrhea

• Treat with ivermectin

Roundworm

Internal - threadworms

• Strongyloides sp.

• Microscopic (2 mm) in feces

• Ingestion of worms in feces, soil, food

• Weight loss, diarrhea

• Treat with ivermectin

Threadworm

Internal - tapeworms

• Choanotaenia or Raillietina sp.

• White rice segments in feces

• Ingestion of hosts

• Weight loss, diarrhea

• Treat with praziquantel

Tapeworm scolex

Tapeworm segmented body

Internal - Trichomoniasis

• Protozoan, Trichomonas gallinae

• Microscopic, in feces or from lesion scraping

• Ingest contaminated feces

• Lesions

• Treat with metronidazole in non-food birds

Trichomonas

External - red mites

• Tiny red specks on bird

• Move from bird to bird and rest on aviary structures

• Cause scratching and feather picking

• Treat with pyrethrum powder

Dermanyssus

Red mites on waterer

Scaly Face from mites

External - ticks

• Easily seen

• Move between birds and other vertebrate hosts

• Extreme infestation can weaken bird, tick diseases are a problem

• Monitor and remove ticks

Bird Tick

Bacterial Diseases

• Psittacosis / Ornithosis

• Bumblefoot

• Avian TB

• Enteritis

Psittacosis/ Ornithosis

• Chlamydia psittaci

• Among the smallest bacteria (0.3 microns), ZOONOTIC

• Ingest feces, contaminated food/water, airborne, eggs

• Respiratory, weight loss, diarrhea

• Treat with doxycycline

Chlamydia SEM

Psittacosis

Bumblefoot

• Staphylococcus sp.

• Lack of proper sanitation of cages and perches

• feet and joints heat and swell

• Treat with antibiotics, and wraps / surgery if stage 3

Bumblefoot (in raptor)

Bumblefoot stage 1

Bumblefoot stage 3

Bumblefoot wrap

Avian Tuberculosis

• Mycobacterium avium

• TB testing

• Fecal transmission

• Weight loss and poor condition

• Euthanize infected birds

• Can spread to some mammals (tree kangaroos)

Mycobacterium avium

Enteritis

• Caused by many bacteria: E. coli, Aeromonas, Salmonella, etc.

• Severe diarrhea

• Treat with antibiotics

Enteritis

Fungal Diseases

• Aspergillosis

Aspergillosis

• Caused by fungus Aspergillus

• Common in warm damp conditions

• Causes respiratory difficulty, weight loss, and death

• Treat with antifungal drugs AND reduce stressors & molds (veges and straw)

Aspergillosis symptoms –
gaping, breathing hard, voice changes

Aspergillosis – tracheal obstruction

Aspergillosis – lung plaques

Viral Diseases

• Newcastle Disease

• Pacheco’s Disease (or bird herpes)

• Avian Pox

Newcastle Disease

• Viral

• Quarantine new birds to prevent

• Respiratory and nervous system problems

• Near 100% mortality

• Euthanize infected birds

Newcastle Disease

Pacheco’s Disease

• Herpes virus

• Shed in feces for short times with latent periods between

• Lethargy, diarrhea, may have long latent periods (NO signs) or death in hours

• Nanday conures often carry with no symptoms, seperate

• Treat with herpes drugs

Lung tissue degraded in conure that had no symptoms

Avian Pox

• Viral

• Passed by mosquitos

• Eye and beak lesions

• Vaccinate, no treatment, may spontaneously recover

Avian Pox

Nutritional Disease

• Rickets

• Egg binding

• Obesity

• Angel Wing

• Feather Plucking

Rickets

• Calcium, phosphorus, or Vitamin D deficiency

• Lameness, stiff gait, stunted growth, bowed soft bones

• Supplement with oyster shell or limestone

Rickets - stunted bow-legged adult owl

Egg Bound

• Calcium deficiency

• Female has egg stuck in tract during laying, may strain

• Provide humidity, vet care

• Supplement females with oyster shell or limestone during breeding season

Egg bound finch

Angel Wing

• Primarily occurs in young zoo waterfowl

• Thought to be a deficiency in vitamin A or lysine (a.a.)

• Treat by wrapping wings into normal position

• Prevent with lots of greens in diet

Goose with angel wing

Feather Plucking

• May be caused by a virus, boredom, lack of water for bathing, but also nutrition

• Calcium deficiency or general imbalance in diet can be correctible cause

Feather Plucking