Hi Sue,
I'll be happy to help you with your budgie, but I would like to know a little bit more about your situation. Detailed answers to the following questions will help me provide you and your budgie the best possible response.
When did the scaly face/feet first begin?
Does your budgie has a regular avian vet which she sees for well-bird checkups one or more times per year? Did you get the drops and spray from the vet?
You said that she has scaly mites on her beak and on the top of her head. Please describe exactly what you mean about the top of her head. Is she scratching, What exact symptoms do you see?
Do you have one of those round white (usually that shape color) mite protectors in her cage?
Is she a lone budgie or does she have a cage mate? Are there other parrots (yes, budgies are simply little parrots) in the home.
Please describe her cage -- estimated size, material of which it is made, perches (number, type/material of each). Please also describe her toys briefly.
Is she tame and will she get on your finger or hand when asked? Will she let you tickle the top of her head or strock hergently?
You mention she is female. Are you certain of her gender? While this does not change the course of action I'll develop based on your responses, I would like to give you all the assistance possible.
Please tell me all about this ring on her neck that is now red and bare. How far down the neck is it located? Have you seen her scratching it, rubbing it against the cage, perches, or toys (or elsewhere)? When did this neck problem first begin? Has there been any blood or oozing?
I realize I'm asking for a great deal of information, but the more info I have available, the better advice I can provide you and your budgie.
Hi Susan,
I can see that living in Ireland, the laws must be quite different in regards to selling mite products. I'm glad you ordered online and were able to get a product that seemed to work. While a vet-prescribed product would be much better, in your unique situation, you are doing the right thing.
The mite protector I mentioned is a round device people put on cages and I DO NOT recommend use of them, so I only wanted to know if you had one so I could suggest you remove it, so no problem there. They aren't good for the birds.
Does the product you purchased contain Ivermectin? If so, it is the same product a vet would use. http://www.abbaseed.com/Supplements/Suppl2/IVERMECTIN/ivermectin.html provides information on how one budgie owner solved the problem of getting their bird to take the medication.
If your medication is not Ivermectin, talk to your medical doctor to see if he will provide a prescription to you or talk to any vet you can locate, even one that treats farm animals since this is used for poultry also. This medication is the only one that is certain to cure the burrowing mite problem which causes scaley face and feet.
Let's talk about her gender a little: if you look at here cere (the area above her beak where her nostrils are located), the color may be blue. If so, she is not female. If it is pink, tan, or brown, then she is female. This is a 98% sure way to tell the gender in parakeets. Of course, she doesn't care if you call her she or he as long as you love her, which you clearly do!
Let's talk about diet a little also: she needs to eat far less seeds and lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and bird-safe people foods. http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGIH,GGIH:2007-02,GGIH:en&q=parrot+diet+caterino will provide a good guide for you on foods to offer and those which are deadly or which must be limited. Covert her slowly by offering new foods after letting her see you eat them and slowly reducing the amount of seeds offered.
Please get her more perches of various kinds. She needs at least one that is a soft bendable rope perch for foot comfort since she must be on her feet 24/7. She needs at least one that is natural bird-safe wood with bark on which you can forage in the forest for. http://www.birdsafe.com is a great place to find out which woods are safe as well as about household dangers. She also needs one perch at least which is a concrete like material for conditioning. You can leave the one plastic perch if you want, but do give her choices of materials and textures in perches as well as various diameters. Otherwise, as she ages, she will become arthritic in her feet and suffer from the pain and inability to get about easily.
Baths: She might like to the sprayed with a water bottle -- many parakeets do. She might like to have a romaine lettuce leaf placed in her cage dripping with water in which to bathe. Different birds like their baths different ways, so experiement and she'll tell you which she prefers.
Keep the cuttlebone available, even if she doesn't seem to use it. Be sure it is installed with the soft side toward her and the hard side toward the cage bars. This is an important source of calcium. You can also give her brocolli, cooked egg shells, and mineral blocks for calcium but don't remove the cuttlebone.
I can tell you love your little lady and I do hope she gets over this mite infestation quickly. Since it has spread to her neck area, it may take a bit of time, but you can get a handle on it once you get the right medication and continue using it faithfully. Don't overuse it -- an overdose can be deadly -- but follow instructions carefully and she'll get better.
If I can help further, please use "reply" after accepting this answer.
Breeder
over 25 years breeding, taming, training parrots.
HI Susan,
For some reason, it does not show that you accepted the answer, but I thank you very much for your kind words. I'm so very happy I was able to assist you in helping your budgie. They are such darling, cute, amusing and loving little clowns. I couldn't live without them -- well, other my other parrots either.