Black bugs on quail

[jaymean]

Hi everyone. I started to notice these small black bugs on my coturnix quail. The bugs look similar to fleas, but they don’t jump. I've attached a picture.

As of yesterday, I treated her with Scalex Mite and Lice Spray for Birds. It says to treat her only twice a week.

Does anyone have any experience with these bugs? If so, how did you treat your quail?

I keep my quail indoors (I live in an apartment) and don't want an infestation.

Thank you!

 

[JaeG]

They look like lice rather than mites. The spray should kill the adult bugs and you'll need to keep treating at least weekly for 3 weeks to kill off any new hatchlings and make sure the cycle is broken. Giving them access to a dust bath is also a good idea as that is how many birds naturally keep external parasites in check (and they love a good dust bath). Peat moss makes a good dust bath.

 

[jaymean]

They look like lice rather than mites. The spray should kill the adult bugs and you'll need to keep treating at least weekly for 3 weeks to kill off any new hatchlings and make sure the cycle is broken. Giving them access to a dust bath is also a good idea as that is how many birds naturally keep external parasites in check (and they love a good dust bath). Peat moss makes a good dust bath.

Thanks for the advice! I’ve only had quail for a few years, but this is my first experience with pests.

Do you know if I need to be concerned with infestation? Do they bite humans?

 

[JaeG]

They shouldn't create an infestation as they feed on dead skin cells of birds (mites are the ones that will as they are after blood but that only happens in the absence of birds such as when a nest in your roof is abandoned). They definitely aren't mites so try not to panic. Bird lice cannot feed on humans so there's no reason for them to go looking elsewhere for food.

 

[jaymean]

They shouldn't create an infestation as they feed on dead skin cells of birds (mites are the ones that will as they are after blood but that only happens in the absence of birds such as when a nest in your roof is abandoned). They definitely aren't mites so try not to panic. Bird lice cannot feed on humans so there's no reason for them to go looking elsewhere for food.

Thank you for your advice! You’ve made me feel much better!

 

[aart]

Are there black lice?
Shape look close but not sure.
@jaymean where are you located in this world?

There are a lot of insects around, and they can be rather hard to positively ID,
most of them are not a problem for birds.

 

[jaymean]

Are there black lice?
Shape look close but not sure.
@jaymean where are you located in this world?
View attachment 1426894

There are a lot of insects around, and they can be rather hard to positively ID,
most of them are not a problem for birds.

Someone also suggested bird lice. The cage is near a window where outside birds perch on. I'm wondering if the quails got it from them as I haven't noticed this problem before.

I'm in Hawaii.

 

[aart]

Bird/poultry lice are usually a pale color.
Do some googling for images.

The cage is near a window where outside birds perch on. I'm wondering if the quails got it from them as I haven't noticed this problem before.

Poultry can get lice and mites form wild birds.
It would be good to deter wild birds from being near, put something on the window to keep birds from perching there.

 

[jaymean]

Bird/poultry lice are usually a pale color.
Do some googling for images.

Poultry can get lice and mites form wild birds.
It would be good to deter wild birds from being near, put something on the window to keep birds from perching there.

I was wondering about the coloring too. I looked online to try to compare pictures. My quail don't seem to be bothered by the bugs, so I'm not sure what's going on.

Thanks for your suggestion on the window. I'll look into it.

 

[jaymean]

Just wanted to post an update on the feather lice. The problem was getting worse, even with the at home treatments and I didn't want to cause an infestation. I reluctantly took her to the vet. I ended up having to see an "exotics" vet and paid A LOT OF MONEY. I'm a sucker, but I'm glad I took her.

In the end, the vet recommended that I treat her daily with kitten flea spray and powder, and cleaning out her cage daily. She recommended that we do this to all the quail, but none of the others had the lice in their feathers.

Sharing in case others have similar problems.