Parrots rarely have fleas, but they can catch them by walking on the ground outside their cage. Parrots can also catch fleas from other parrots or during interactions with cats or dogs.
To treat fleas in parrots, most veterinarians prescribe ivermectin or moxidectin. These oral treatments can be added to the parrot’s food or water for easy ingestion. They kill flea eggs and can prevent the problem from returning.
Of course, your parrot may have contracted an ectoparasite instead of fleas. Bacteria, fungi, mites, or lice can easily be mistaken for fleas. The good news is that a veterinarian can also treat these issues. That’s why you need to take your pet to the vet if it starts itching, covering itself with debris, or losing feathers.
Can a parrot get fleas?
Parrots are less prone to fleas than dogs or cats, but they can still catch them.
If you see your parrot scratching itself and wonder, “Does my parrot have fleas?”, the answer is probably yes. This usually happens when parrots are allowed to roam on your floor.
Despite this, parrots have their own line of defense against fleas, primarily through:
- Daily grooming
- Scratching with their feet
- Water bathing
- Dusting
- Sunbathing
- Cosmetic fluffing
Your parrot should be able to groom itself and rid its body of a large number of fleas or other ectoparasites just by grooming.
Your parrot will lick itself or seek help from another parrot in its flock. This mutual grooming is a sign of closeness and helps the parrot get rid of hidden parasites around its neck or head, where it cannot reach itself.
It is also possible that your parrot caught fleas from another parrot (or a pet, such as a dog or cat) in your house. Fleas are quite resistant regarding what they can live on.
You can find them hiding in places in your home, such as:
- Bed linen or blankets
- Stuck to clothes, boxes, bags, or other items you might bring from outside.
- In curtains or drapes
- In cushions or furniture
- In carpets or rugs
As soon as your parrot interacts with these objects, the fleas can jump on it. A living and warm host will always be more appealing than a blanket or the floor. Of course, your parrot’s occasional itching does not necessarily mean the presence of fleas.
Here are the signs confirming that your parrot has fleas:
- Excessive scratching
- Scratching its head
- Increased irritability or aggression
- Excessive preening or ruffling
- Feather loss
While fleas may seem like a minor nuisance, you cannot let this infestation get out of control. An excess of fleas can have serious consequences for your parrot’s health, mobility, flying ability, and long-term survival.
An older parrot, a baby parrot, or a previously sick bird will be particularly vulnerable to a flea infestation.
What can be mistaken for fleas?
As mentioned, fleas are rare in parrots. Your parrot may be suffering from other ailments that you have easily mistaken for fleas. It is still a type of parasite that bothers your parrot.
Your parrot may have:
Ectoparasites can cling to the feathers of parrots. These parasites arise from environmental stress factors, namely poor hygiene and a high level of emotional stress in your parrot.
The first factor allows parasites to fester in your bird’s cage, including lice and mites. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi tend to accompany other serious health symptoms. These include lethargy, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
Another study found that ectoparasites can reduce your parrot’s long-term survival. Indeed, untreated birds had a survival rate 12% lower than birds treated for these parasites.
The host bird could thus lose up to 1 year of its expected lifespan, all by itself.
Lice
Lice present similar symptoms to fleas. They cause excessive itching in your parrot, make it preen itself excessively, and cause feather loss.
Oral or topical treatments prescribed by your veterinarian can address this issue. You should also thoroughly clean and disinfect the parrot’s cage, as well as all surfaces it has been in contact with.
Mites
Mites are very similar to fleas, and one can be mistaken for the other.
They cause excessive preening and itching in your parrot, especially at night when the mites become active. They can also cause coughing, wheezing, anemia, or disease in your parrot.
Topical treatments prescribed by your veterinarian are ideal. Sevin dust and diatomaceous earth can also be lightly sprinkled on your parrot.
Bacteria or viruses
Bacteria can cause your parrot to excessively lick itself (and ineffectively).
Bacteria and viruses can also cause lung infections, eye infections, breathing difficulties, and diarrhea. Treatment includes antibiotics prescribed by your veterinarian.
A thorough cleaning of the cage and reducing your parrot’s environmental and emotional stress are recommended.
Fungal infections
Fungal infections can cause lethargy, depression, anorexia or sudden weight loss, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and breathing difficulties.
Medications for fungal infections prescribed by your veterinarian can help combat these effects. You should also thoroughly clean the parrot’s cage to eliminate the source of the problem.
If your parrot contracts any of these ectoparasites, you should consult your veterinarian.
How to remove fleas from parrots
Treating fleas in parrots includes medications prescribed by a veterinarian and home remedies. You and your veterinarian will need to find an effective and safe flea treatment for your parrot that will not damage its skin or feathers.
Fortunately, there are several methods you can use to get rid of fleas:
Oral treatments
A veterinarian will prescribe an oral flea medication, such as ivermectin or moxidectin, which you can slip into your parrot’s food or water.
These treatments are effective flea medications for birds and are the most effective flea treatments available for most animals.
Your veterinarian may also prescribe insect growth regulators (IGR) orally. IGRs act like natural hormones that inhibit and eventually kill flea eggs and larvae.
While adult fleas are not affected by this treatment, it can prevent a flea infestation from worsening. IGRs can also come in topical treatment form that you or your veterinarian will manually apply to your parrot’s feathers.
Topical treatments
Veterinarians can also prescribe topical treatments that you can spray or apply to your parrot’s body. These treatments tend to be less effective than oral treatments.
As such, they are generally added as an extra precaution against other infestations. It is also possible that your parrot may have reacted negatively to the oral treatment and may need to use a topical treatment as an alternative.
Flea sprays should be avoided unless directly prescribed by your veterinarian. Indeed, your parrot’s respiratory system is quite delicate, and it can die if it inhales toxic fumes.
Deep cleaning
Applying the treatments your veterinarian gives you is not enough. You must ensure that these fleas do not have the opportunity to return.
A thorough cleaning of your parrot’s cage is the best solution after the medication application. Of course, you need to make sure your parrot is away from its cage before spraying pesticides or other harmful toxins.
You need to clean all surfaces that your parrot may have come into contact with recently. Fleas burrow into almost everything and stay there for about two weeks without a host to feed on. These fleas can also jump from a height of about 15 cm to latch onto other surfaces and reach a host.
Encourage daily baths to drown the fleas. If allowed, mix topical treatments with the bath water.
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