by > No, Birds do not get fleas at all. They can get various types
> of
> mites but it is unlikely that a well kept***atiel would have
> mites. The
You are incorrect on both counts. Stick fleas do use birds as hosts, and there
is a picture of a***atiel with one imbedded near its eye in the Ritchie
Harrison and Harrison book as an example.
A well-kept***atiel is just as likely to get mites as a spic-and-span home is
likely to get mice. It doesn't have anything to do with basic husbandry for the
most part; it has to do with the environment. If the bird owner, for example,
visits a petshop where some of their birds have a mite infestion, it is easy to
bring some of them home on your clothing unknowingly (as it is for most every
other cootie in the world!)
> If you are concerned because you birds seem to itch alot, it is
> normal for all birds to a great deal of preening and scratching.
Preening is one thing, but aggressive scratching is a sign of something else.
While mites may be somewhat rare, giardia is not (especially in***atiels).
One of the main symptoms of a***atiel with giardia is aggressive scratching
and feather-pulling. Sometimes the bird screams while preening aggressively
because a giardia infection isn't "fun." They are, however, easy to diagnose
and reasonably easy to control. It's next to impossible to eliminate giardia
but it can be controlled to the point that the bird can resume NORMAL preening.
Ellen, Denver