Yesterday morning, I was cleaning around Sammy's cage and on the side I saw a small little worm and I freaked out. I started calling vets right away and since it was a Sunday there were only Emergency appointments available. I just couldn't wait 1 more day if this was going to cause my little fid to be sick. So I brought her in right away along with the worm in a container - which happened to still be alive because it moved around inside the container. The Vet examined her and everything seemed to be alright. She took a poop sample and she did a culture of her vent (after the culture her first 2 poops had a little blood in it and the Vet said that was normal after the test), I felt so bad for my little baby as they did this test. The Vet and the assistant left the room for a little while and came back, it turned out they were consulting with the exotic specialist and he said that usually when birds have parasites they are naked to the eye. They said that this worm was pretty big and they thought it could possibly be a moth larvae. They are sending the worm out for testing. The Vet told me she was going to give me some medication to give Sammy - the dose was .1 ml twice a day 12 hours apart. So I didn't start it right away, I gave it to her around 7:30 which is about the time she goes to bed (she wakes up at 7 in the morning). So after the dose she went to bed. I took the cage cover off this morning and saw that my poor baby had thrown up in her happy hut, I took her out and she started to throw up a little more. After she got it out she was fine. She wasn't eating her food too much this morning so I made her oatmeal and she didn't pull her head up for a long time. She def ate a large portion of the oatmeal. I called the Vet this morning to tell them about what happened I said I didn't want to continue giving her the medicine if she didn't need dit because it was making her sick. The receptionist told me her poop sample came back negative for parasites thank god. Tbe exotic vet is going to call me before 12 today to discuss everything. I won't get the results from the culture for another 3 days.

As I was talking to receptionist during check out I told her it could possibly be from a moth and she told me that bird food attracts moths and that a lot of times this happens and that I should put the food in the freezer for 2 hours anytime I buy it. All in all the visit cost me $300. If they knew that this was probably from a moth and that bird parasites are microscopic this was a bit of a rip off. I hope the culture will come back negative and that the worm does prove to be moth larvae. It was a def a crazy day.

Wow! You had a crazy day! I hope that it IS just a moth larvae, but what a scare. There is nothing worse than the thought that your baby could be sick! I hope all the tests come back in your favor!!! Good Luck!

Sorry you & your baby had such a bad day. Yes, it more than likely was a moth larvae. It seems to be almost impossible not to run across moths or their larvae at some point in time as a bird owner. Freezing your bird's pellets & seeds is the only control to help prevent the moths & their larvae from invading your bird's & your home. Hope your baby is feeling better today & you both are having a good day (hopefully moth free!).

Oh, you might Google flour &/or seed moths to find a picture to compare with the "worm" that you found in the cage. But my bet would be it is a moth larvae (if I bet that is! lol).

As far as the vet bill, chalk it up to it is better to be safe than sorry (& payment on a learning experience & now you also know that your bird doesn't have parasites)! Yes, I have taken my birds to the vet only to find out it was nothing & more experienced people would have known that it was nothing. But I did feel better knowing I spent money only to find out it was nothing rather than waiting and losing a beloved friend because I assumed it was nothing & it was something I could have done something about.

Jess

That is very true and that's why I took her right away. I also forgot to add that I killed 3 moths last night. I hope that will be the last of them. Any food coming in is going straight into the freezer from now on.

We've got those moths, too. Do you put the food in the freezer for a couple of hours and then take it out and the moths and eggs will be dead, or do you have to just KEEP it in the freezer? Seems like you'd have to thaw it out before you gave it to your birds if you just kept it in the freezer. I had to throw out a bunch of stuff where the moths had gotten into it (or were already in it when I brought it home, maybe).

They said if I just kept in there for 2 hours that everything would die. So I think you should be fine if you wait a few hours to give the food.

What a scary day! Poor baby, I hope she will be OK. I keep all of Quincy's food in the freezer and just take out what I need for the day. I've also stopped buying the packaged easy to prepare mixed food as I was always finding worms in them.

With 5 birds I buy alot of pellets, nuts & other foods specifically for my birds. So what I do is as soon as I get the food home I put it in freezer bags & place it in the freezer. I then get a bag out the night before I plan on using it to allow it to thaw out. It is usually used up within a week if it lasts that long! I checked with the various pellet companies and they all have said that freezing their pellets prolongs its shelf life & causes no deterioration in their product. So I freeze everything & just get a bag out as I need it. It seems to be the best for me & my birds.

Jess

It's all pretty gross. I think I will keep Sammy's food in the freezer for good. I buy her so many different things that I just don't know how it will all fit. LOL!! I have a very spoiled bird.

I don't know if anyone is from Long Island/New York are but Parrots of the World - Marc Marrone advertises that he makes his own food and it's worm free. Has anyone tried this and do you believe that it is? I currently feed Sammy Roudybush and give her an assortment of treats. I also have a bag of Zupreem Natural Pellets that I mix in occasionally to give her a little variety.

We seem to have a never-ending supply of wild mice (as opposed to MY mouse, who of course is the best mouse in the world ) and I took to pouring the birds' food into coffee cans so the mice couldn't chew a hole in the bags and help themselves. Now I'm thinking maybe I should leave their food in the bag and stuff bag and all into the coffee can to keep moths AND mice out of it. And then stuff the whole thing into the freezer.

The thing I love most about this forum is how we can all help each other solve problems like this. Somebody ALWAYS knows the answer to whatever dilemma you have!

WoW....Im so sorry that your baby was sick...But I do want to thank you for sharing.I didnt know to put chloes pellets and treats in the frez. for 2 hours. which i just did.even though its been open. im new with this and learning something new everyday.I hope your babys better soon..

I'm new with this too and this is exactly why I love this site, someone does always have the answer!!!

Sammy, Get Well Soon!!!!

SMOOCHES' food has always been kept in the fridge, and there's never been a moth issue, But now it's gonna see some freezer time!!! Good Tip!! Thanks

I've never seen a month in Yoda's food, but now I'm kinda freaking out that there could be moth eggs in there! Are they easy to see? Like, would I know right away as I was changing Yoda's food that something was in there that shouldn't be?

it sure sounded like a crazy day. i always freeze my parrot food to to kill the larve incase there in the bag. i think they come from the grain elevators and then go in the bags. so therefore thats why i always freeze mine. it also keeps it longer to.