Pigeon Lice are small parasites that live and breed on the pigeons. Parasites are divided into three categories: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Lice belong to the ectoparasite category, meaning that they can thrive outside of their hosts, attaching to skin or hair follicles.
They feed on feathers, feather dust or blood. The life cycle of pigeon lice includes egg, nymph and adult and they may cause dermatoses in humans.
Symptoms of Feather Lice in Pigeons
- Constant Preening in feathers and tail
- Pin hole damage on feathers
- Restless Behavior
- Feather Ruffling
- Slight Feather
Treatment of Pigeon Feather Lice
Feather lice are small groupings of tiny dark spots in the webbing of the feathers. We can clearly see them in the sunlight.
Feather lice can be treated by giving your pigeons internal medication that will kill the lice or you can spray them externally.
Always remember a single dose or treatment will not kill the unhatched eggs. Therefore it is advisable to repeat the treatment after 10 days.
Best Pigeon Lice Medicine
Adding Ivermectin to your bird’s drinking water will kill lice as well as other parasites.
Pyrethrin– a natural insecticide and can be mixed with water for bath. You can also spray on your bird and throghout the aviary.
Sprinkling Sevin Dust underneath nest bowls and around nests will eliminate all kinds of insects.
Similarly you can sprinkle Coopex Powder under the wings of pigeons to kill feather lice.
How To Prevent Feather Lice?
In conclusion to prevent a reoccurrence of a lice infestation you need to thoroughly clean and disinfect all areas of the bird’s aviary. Always sanitize and treat the birds’ cages, perches, aviaries and nesting areas.
Secondly, allow your birds to bathe daily. Most birds enjoy doing so and if you provide them with a shallow clean dish, they will usually be happy to bath.
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