Questions about mites & misting/bathing

[The Little Truth Teller]

I am pretty new to owning birds, and I am interested in health issues. Where do mites come from? How can you know if your canary has mites or some other parasite? Do mites fly?

I have had my canary for nearly two weeks now, and I noticed him preening a lot today. I put a dish of water in his cage after I noticed him playing in his water cup. He did not seem interested in the shallow bowl of water I put in the cage, so I removed it after a couple of hours. I then decided to mist him with distilled water. He probably had not been misted before, and he was frightend and flew around the cage. After I misted him, though, he seemed back to normal right away. He began singing, so I guess the misting did not bother him. He did not open his wings for the misting, though, as I thought he would do. I presumed that since he was scratching and preening so much, he felt unclean and wanted a bath.

[christie99]

Sorry this will be a little blunt, I'm tired, but I wanted to make sure your question was answered.

Mites and bird lice come from contact with other infected birds or places where infected birds have been. Mites and bird lice crawl.

Not all birds like all dishes to bathe in. Bathing is normal, and in good weather, birds will bathe every day if the opportunity rises. Not all birds like to be misted. It sounds like your bird is one of those. As long as you keep the water dish clean by changing it 1-2 times a day at least, bathing in it will be fine.

Preening is normal. Birds must keep their feathers in immaculate condition to properly heat and cool their body. When a bird does not preen, it is a sign that something is drastically wrong. They will spend quite a bit of "down time" preening.

If you suspect mites or lice, take your bird into an avian certified vetrinarian. They can examine the bird and feathers and if there are mites, they will perscribe the proper treatment and show you how to administer it. Do not buy a mite protector, those are toxic to the birds.

As for other health issues, if you notice something is off with your bird, it is time to see the vet. Birds will hide an illness until they are very sick. By the time you notice that they are sick, they are VERY sick. Knowing the normal behavior of your bird will be helpful in noticing illnesses.

[The Little Truth Teller]

Thanks! I do not think my canary has mites at this point in time, but after hearing about them, I wanted to know more. Thanks again.