Feather mites may be munching away
at your canary right now.

Feather Mites...Make sure your canary doesn't turn into mite poop by morning.


As the name indicates these mites live in and feed on the feathers of your canary or other pet bird. Some of these mites even burrow into the shaft of the feather and eat until the feather is dead!

Although these feather mites are not a threat to your bird's life they may be a threat to his sanity!

***Symptoms***

A pretty good indication that there is a mite problem is...

Bald Spots.

No one likes a bald bird...

Don't confuse bald spots with the annual molt however. During molt your canary will look a little shaggy but an otherwise normal looking canary with a bald spot is probably feather mites.

Bald spots may me be due to other conditions as well such as stress or malnutrition or even...

Feather Plucking.

Your bird may get so irritated by these mites he will start plucking his feathers out.  And...

Once your canary starts feather plucking it can develop into a terrible
habit-->He may continue feather plucking even after all mites have been sent packing. And, of course, he'll be so preoccupied with the mites he'll probably stop singing and that's a big bummer.

I suggest you treat for mites on a regular basis to prevent this from happening.  See how in a minute.  But first...

If you suspect feather mites hold your bird up to a light, spread his wing out and look for...

Tiny Holes in the Shafts of the Feather.

Some feather mites actually burrow into the shaft of the feather. If you see holes...you've got mites...or at least your canary does.

feather mites

But...

Not all mites burrow into the feathers so... Just because you don't see the holes doesn't mean your canary has no mites. He may have red mites instead, but... If you DO see holes it's definitely time to step up your canary care and start...

***Eradication...***

Mite spray will do a lot of good for killing mites in the cracks and crevices of the cage as well as on your pet bird's feathers. However...

These spray treatments will only kill the adult mites so you'll have to treat 3 or 4 times at 7 day intervals to make sure your getting the mite larvae as they hatch out.

Mathew M. Vriends gives good advice on the use of mite treatments...

"Pay special attention to nooks and crannies and dark corners in your birds' accommodations. When treating individual birds, apply the (spray) throughout the plumage, paying special attention to the area around the neck, the vent, the eyes or mouth."

 "The Canary Handbook" by Mathew M. Vriends...If you don't have this book-->I suggest you get it!...It's very good...Click here.

Use a mite treatment every 3 months even if you DON'T see mite symptoms. It will help keep your bird's feathers and skin mite free and... ...will keep him singing...and FLYING!

Mite and lice spray is very affordable.  You will find it at your local pet store or at Petsmart.com.

For more on how to "LISTEN" to your canary's body language and how to recognize subtle symptoms see CanaryBirdLISTENING.com


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Have you read about Red Mites yet?  Please do...These pests are the vampires of the mite kingdom...sucking blood at night and going into hiding during the day...Click here now to go there.

Return from Feather Mites to Canary Disease Main Page.

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