# Oh crap, I found a red mite..



## edmyloo (Nov 18, 2010)

I found a red mite coming out of my baby Cockatiel's shoebox... What do I do? D: I know it's bad, I've seen pictures of babies dying from them. How do I get rid of them? I just did a quick check of the bird, there's no red mites on the bird that I noticed. Are they hiding or something?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Are you sure it was a red mite? These bugs aren't likely to be inside a house. Here's a website on bird mites: http://www.birdmites.org/mites.html They say hire an exterminator.

Avian Web says at http://www.avianweb.com/bitingmitestreatment.html that diatomaceous earth is effective at killing mites. DE is safe for humans and birds as long as it isn't inhaled. Inhaling it is dangerous because the sharp particles can damage the lungs, but strangely enough it's perfectly safe to eat the stuff. I've heard of people sprinkling it in the bottom of a nestbox (with the birds far away of course) and then piling the nestbox litter on top of it. The article mentions several other alternatives, and additional treatments are listed at http://www.avianweb.com/mites.html and http://poultrykeeper.com/chickens/health/red-mite.html

Do you have access to eucalyptus trees? Eucalyptus leaves have insect repelling properties and are said to work on mites. Here in southern AZ we have eucalyptus all over the place and I'd expect it to be common in California too. Do NOT use bottled eucalyptus oil, it's much too strong to be used around birds. Highly aromatic stuff in general can be dangerous for birds and especially babies, so be cautious with some of the remedies recommended at those links. But euc leaf is OK - wild cockatiels are born in eucalyptus trees and spend their lives in them after all.


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## edmyloo (Nov 18, 2010)

tielfan said:


> Are you sure it was a red mite? These bugs aren't likely to be inside a house. Here's a website on bird mites: http://www.birdmites.org/mites.html They say hire an exterminator.
> 
> Avian Web says at http://www.avianweb.com/bitingmitestreatment.html that diatomaceous earth is effective at killing mites. DE is safe for humans and birds as long as it isn't inhaled. Inhaling it is dangerous because the sharp particles can damage the lungs, but strangely enough it's perfectly safe to eat the stuff. I've heard of people sprinkling it in the bottom of a nestbox (with the birds far away of course) and then piling the nestbox litter on top of it. The article mentions several other alternatives, and additional treatments are listed at http://www.avianweb.com/mites.html and http://poultrykeeper.com/chickens/health/red-mite.html
> 
> Do you have access to eucalyptus trees? Eucalyptus leaves have insect repelling properties and are said to work on mites. Here in southern AZ we have eucalyptus all over the place and I'd expect it to be common in California too. Do NOT use bottled eucalyptus oil, it's much too strong to be used around birds. Highly aromatic stuff in general can be dangerous for birds and especially babies, so be cautious with some of the remedies recommended at those links. But euc leaf is OK - wild cockatiels are born in eucalyptus trees and spend their lives in them after all.


I'm not sure what Eucalyptus looks like. We might have it, but I wouldn't have any idea where to grab some. Well, it was a mite that's for sure. And it was red. Came skittering out the shoebox and I grabbed a paper towel and squished it. I'll spend some time reading those articles tonight. I only saw one and haven't seen any actually on the Cockatiel. But since it came out of the box I'm kinda scared. Especially since people say they only come out at night when I'm asleep, so I wouldn't see them anyway.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Here is a link about mites http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=16525


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The first thing you will have to do is go get some Sevin Dust *5%* from Home Depot. Lightly dust the baby with this. Use a cottonball dipped in the dust and gently blot all over the chick. Empty the box and lightly dust the inside of it, and put in fresh bedding. You can mix up 1 Heaping tablespoon of the Seven dust to a quart of water, and put in a spray bottle and spray the room and ares around the bird.

The problem with red mites is they can cause anemia, thus supplements like a little Brewers yeast added to every feeding for a few days will help with this. The secondary problem with red mite attacks is that there is a high chance of a tapeworm infestation when the chick is close to weaning, and may possibly have to be dewormed.

As to red mites, they can occur inside or outside. How you get a problem inside is if the weather has been warm and dry, and turns cooler and wet. The mites get off the wild birds and seek warmer and drier shelter and new hosts to live and feed from.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

srtiels im sure my tiels got mites but i cant see any red mites
Here is a feather that looks like its been cut


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

You have feather lice and mites. Do the same thing as descibed for the red mites.


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