Moon's Graden

If it weren't for my lightly colored sheet that I use to cover my
budgies, I would be oblivious to the fact they have been getting ***
sucked out of them at night by spider mites.

I'd like to encourage *everyone* to take the time to examine the
underside of the bird's cover when they remove it. If you see specks
that look like pepper (good description TL), use your finger and see if
it creates a reddish mark on the sheet when you sqoosh it. If so, these
are spider mites and will need treatment with insecticide/pesticide.

These parasites like to suck on Ficus trees and other plants, so if you
have plants in your house, your birds could be susceptible. Also, if you
take them outdoors during the day (like I do), I'd guess that's a good
place for them to snag a ride on the cage back into the house.

Spider mites can be a silent, deadly killer and unless you are lucky
like me and see them (they hide in crevices during the day and I've seen
them on the window sill area), you'll never know they're
weakening the health of your bird by taking *** from them at night.
Anemia is common and an anemic bird is a weak bird and is a target for
more severe illness
to set in.

What do people recommend feeding to help with anemia?

elderberries are rich in iron and so are useful for anaemic animals. I would
use iron rich foods like spinach leaf , elder berries etc for a week,
maximum and then the bird should be back to normal. Take care though as too
much iron can make a bird sick.

--
stinkycatlitter at yahoo dot co dot uk

www.geocities.com/fenwoman/Mollys_ark