- what are they & how to deal with them ???

I was wandering around the web & this topic came up. In the story the owner of Budgies had gone thru a quarantine with 2 new birds. Everything seemed to be going well. Unfortunately when all the birds were together one of her original birds started looking sick. He was fluffed up & his droppings were loose.

She took him to the Vet asp & they tested him. Worms. Now she's saying she's never taken her birds to the Vet before they got sick & thinks if she'd just taken the new ones during their quarantine this wouldn't have happened. So she's advocating a Vet check + quarantine.

During the treatment the vent has become red & featherless. He is getting better. All her birds are being wormed.

Anyone with more information - please post.
I found this PDF file - http://www.fourthcrossingwildlife.co...gatBirdPoo.pdf

I think I've read that some people in other countries do use a de-worming product on their birds. I believe I've read that some Australians sometimes do this - please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Worms have never come up in discussion with my AV. So I'm not much help

Aviary style bird keepers are probably more used to this precaution. I saw some info on a UK site & they were talking about aviary birds & worming them 2x's a year.

I'll try & find out where the birds came from.

I heard about worms being an issue in climates that are humid and where the birds are kept in outdoor aviary settings with access to the ground. I know that it is an issue for aviaries in Florida. But in place more north like NY it's almost never seen.

I always think it's a good idea to run fecals once in a while just so you know what's going on in your critters... fecals test not just for worms but bacterial infections, like cocci or giardia. No need to go overboard, but can't hurt to check. I've got one sent in for Nigel now beacuse he came out such bad conditions.

Completely correct, my birds need to be dewormed.

Do you do the tests yourself & send them to a lab? or is this thru your Vet?

How often do you do this? - how?

Jac, no, I don't trust myself-- seeing worm eggs is one thing, seeing flagellates is another. Luckily, I work for an equine vet so I just send them to the lab we work with. But if I didn't work here, I'd ask my exotic vet to send them to their lab.

I dose my birds about twice a year with "mediworm powder" . Each 5g contains pyrantel pamoate 50mg and praziquatel 10mg in a base.

Mediworm Powder

I mix with water and mix into soft food. I give a little less food so that they do finish the dish. It is possible to dose the birds directly with a syringe but I try my best not to handle or stress the breeders. I believe in allowing them to be bird first with little interference from me. Unfortunately not water soluble which makes a little more difficult. I have to do this because my birds have access to the floor and our climate is such that all things grow here.