So Tico... as in post below has been ill today and passing blood. I have been talking to the vets and decided to wait till tomorrow to take him in.
He just passed a worm though... so we are taking it and him now. It looks like a miniature earth worm, beige in color, thinner than a grain of rice and about an inch long. I have only had him 6 weeks and I do not have any other birds. Has anyone experienced this? Where could he have gotten it from?

Oh !!!!!!!!! yes get him to the vet immeadiately and take the worm too...Never had the problem with my guys ...sounds awful poor little fellow ..sending get well wishes and hugs ...

I have not experienced this and think it is an excellant idea to get your bird to the vet......

I agree with Majj. These little guys can turn for the worse very quickly, so a vet visit is really a must.

gosh hope the little guy is ok

worm.. yuck!

did you get him from a breeder?? I'd be calling if you did and giving a heads up about the worm in the stool

Let us know how he's doing

Yep, sounds like he needs to see a vet and they'll probably put him on an ivermectin type med to kill worms. How's his weight? Is he thin and does he eat constantly like he's starving?

How horrible for you both! Glad he is getting into the vet soon. Keep us updated. You are in our thoughts.

Keeping you guys in my thoughts. Hope the little guy will be OK

I got her from a lady outside of Vancouver who is a hand feeder, not a breeder and from the sounds of it is a pretty large operation. The vet says he he ascarids (round worm)... which he would have gotten from birth or shortly thereafter. He is obviously very infected with them (despite a steady weight gain, healthy appetite etc.)..usually you don't see them in the stool. She also said there was eggs in the stool. She gave him a dewormer and some kaopectate to use if the bleeding doesn't stop. She said to take him off seeds for now if possible... but ultimately him eating being of most importance. She said the worst case possibility is that he can prolapse trying to pass the worms.
Since he has been home, he has been eating his Harrison's and drinking lots, and acting his normal self. Which makes me very happy! It was very stressful not knowing what was wrong with him and no avian vet to turn to... glad that worm came out. In the future is a small amount of organic apple cider recommended in the water to keep parasites at bay? I don't have other birds... so I don't even know if he can any other parasites...?
I have left a message with the lady I got him from...
Thank you for all your well wishes and support!
Andies Mom - he is 98 grams and about 4 months old - is that normal?
Jolene

If you don't keep the worm hydrated, (like in a container with water) then it will dry up and the doctor may have a harder time identifying it. I'm saying this from what I know with my cats, but I figured an intestinal worm is the same no matter what creature it is it. Good luck. I hope it's nothing serious that can be treated easily.

Oh, the poor baby! I'm glad you got him to a vet so quickly, and we're all pulling for the medicine to do its work FAST.

Yes, for sure, we're all pulling for you and your baby...hoping the meds work quickly. *hugs to you both*

The place you got him from was not a breeder, but just did the handfeeding? And it sounded like a big operation? ...... Handfeeding properly takes HUGE amounts of time unless you're line feeding. Not meaning to rock the boat, but you might also want to contact the local humane society with your vet information, just to be safe. Best case scenario, she's a super dedicated woman who does nothing but feed and play with babies all day and then they can have her on file with that information. Worse case scenario you might just save a boatload of babies!

SO happy to hear everything sounds like it's going to clear up fast!

Hmm I wonder if this hand feeder is the same person who recently supplied a big box pet store with a lot of Quaker babies at unusually cheap prices.... it's sad to think of how many others are out there sick too.

I am glad that you got some help, I'm sure he will be OK with love and his meds. In his water you either want to use apple cider vinegar (ACV) or grapefruit seed extract (GSE) the trick is to find the right ratio so that he'll still drink.

This is kind of wierd this is posted here. This morning I got an e-mail from someone on one of the yahoo groups I belong to asking how to deworm birds. She is Canadian. I wonder if that is the person who sold you the bird. I also wonder about the big box pet store selling quakers. The store is also selling them in Ontario for $299. Anyways, I hope your baby gets well soon. Sending good thoughts.

Yes, 98 grams at 4 months is a decent weight, depending on his bone structure. You'll probably see him pick up some weight after the worms are gone.

With this de-wormer, did your vet give the first dose and then tell you to do a second dose in 7-10 days? Depending on the product many times if the animal is really infested then they will do that, unless the product is able to kill both alive worms and the egg at the same time. Not all dewormers do that and so you dose them twice to make sure you get both stages.


The thing we have to remember folks is that any animal can have worms from birth or shortly there after it can really depend on what the parent is eating especially with birds. If the birds are fed a live diet of mealy worms etc they can pass round worms that are from fly eggs being layed on the food and then be injested by the parents who in turn pass it along to the off spring when they regurgitate to feed them for the first few days. Chances are when the "feeder" got the chicks from the breeder they were already infested.

I would definitely contact the "feeder" and advise her of the situation...I'd also ask her for the breeder or breeders names and phone numbers etc, so you can contact them and pass the word along. Depending on the type of reaction and response you get from the other parties involved would determine whether or not I took any further action into turning them into the health department etc.

There are lots of "feeders" out there who make their living from doing just that. They will buy the birds from the breeders straight out of the nest for X amount and then hand feed the babies until they are weaned and then sell them for double or triple of what they paid for them out of the nest. Breeders will do that if they are a large operation to save time and money on overhead of hiring employees to feed so the money they make from just selling the babies straight from the nest box is pretty much the "Cream" as they don't have to do anything in the way of feeding so there for there's non of their time or feeding formula costs involved because the parent birds are doing the work until they're pulled from the nest.

Anyway, I'm glad you caught the problem and he'll soon be on the road to full recovery and healthy and happy.

On a side note. I would take all his perches and toys and clean them extra well especially if he pooped on any of them prior to being taken to the vet because the eggs and larvae can be on them and the cycle can be continued if he injests anything that has been contaminated. To be sure all the "bugs" are destroyed any of the perches as long as they aren't rope I would scrape the best you can to get all the fecal matter off then I'd scrub them under hot water and then place them in the oven at 225 degrees Farenhiet for at least 20 minutes that will sterilizee everything And any of his toys that can't be easily scrubbed down should be tossed if there is any fecal matter on them the ones that can be washed in a dishwasher and dried in the dish
washer should be treated as well. You don't need to put detergent in the dish washer, just use plain water in a full cycle and let it go through the drying cycle. Top rack . This includes the rope perches as the dishwasher doesn't get as hot as the oven and won't catch the threads of the rope perch on fire.

keeping you in my thoughts. praying for a full recovery!

She must have employees, as I believe she told me that she was feeding over 300 chicks. If anyone has any names for these people you speak of, please pm me so I can make sure she isn't the same person.
I have emailed her, she has said she contacted all other owners of the same group as well as the breeder. She also said that she would speak to her vet on Monday about ways to prevent this.
I was reading that chicks can even have them at birth. The worms climb into the oviducts and end up in the eggs.
He will get dewormed again in 2 weeks.
I sterilized the cage last night with hot water and vinegar. I will rewash all of his toys today in the diswasher...for extra precaution.

He is great today... poops back to normal colour (with the exceptions of the worms in the poop), and he is his normal self. Eating, playing...

That's good to hear. Thanks for helping to educate others on such concerns...

Katie 28, where is the lady located? Can you ask her if she got her bird from a lady by Vancouver?
Oops... just realized you wondered if it was the lady who sold it to me. Does this lady hand feed?

So glad Tico is on the road to recovery. Keep up the good work, Tico!

Jolene; I never hear about birds needing to be treated for worms, so it was just wierd to hear it twice in one day. The lady's post/e-mail was very vague. All it said was how do you deworm birds, and at what age is it safe to do so along with her name. I have no idea where abouts in Canada she is from. To me it seemed like a strange coincidence. I am glad to hear you got the cage cleaned out.

It is a good point, sorry I just saw this now...

But ANY animal (including people) can have worms. I have seen birds with worms too. I tend to feel (but don't know for certain) it affects immunocompromosed animals. In other words, babies who have no immune system at all and birds that are kept in bad/unclean conditions and/or with poor quality/unclean diet.

I worm homeopathically ALL animals around here as soon as the ground freezes. That includes the 2 leggeds, every year. As a matter of fact, I just started the protocol today. It is 7 days on, 4 off, 7 on. So, it is just worth doing I think every fall. I grew up on a farm, and we run around barefoot a lot!

I don't know for sure, but I would guess that your fid will be OK. I know its a huge worry and a stressor. But, you have gotten him the required care and I am sure you are looking after him! If you had said it was mites, I would be worried! But, from what I have seen- the treatment for worms they seem to go through, generally without problems. Like you said, he seems like himself and is eating/pooping well- save for the worms- which are coming out- which is GOOD!

Best wishes,

J

Do you mind telling me what you deworm with (homeopathically)?
I have cats and dogs as well...
Seeing the worms, has started to make me wonder what the heck we could have inside us...

Funny you should mention that...the TV show "THE DOCTORS" had a segement on this very topic just last week. You might go on their website and read about what they had to say. They said that in the US, there are 400,000 cases of round worm infestation in hmans yearly. Most children who play outside will have them at one point in their life or another.

Do you remember what the show was called (or what date)? I had a look on their website and couldn't find anything about worms...

Try looking on the 9th 12th thru the 14th.

Just checking in to see how your little guy is doing?

So glad your little qp seems to be doing better. I dont think i'd be able to deal with forms. I'm seriously scared to death or worms, especially maggots. *shutters*