Doves can be affected by several parasites that settle in feathers or in nests. The danger is fleas. About how to remove lice from birds, and how to prevent their appearance, read the article.
Description and appearance of parasites
Fleas in pigeons are not common. A person learns about their presence if he contains a dovecote or lives on the top floor of a high-rise building, on the roof of which wild birds equip nests.
Pigeon lice are small insects with a body size of up to 3 mm, painted in dark brown. Their body is elongated and slightly flattened laterally. Insects have 3 pairs of legs, thanks to which they can jump well and far.
The development cycle of young individuals proceeds in 20–25 days. Actively, insects behave when birds are in the nest - they bite painfully and cause severe discomfort. After the pigeons fly away for the winter, the parasites remain in the nest, turning into pupae, and hibernate in this state until the birds return.
Did you know? The most expensive pigeon in the world sold at auction in the UK. 132.5 thousand dollars were paid for it. It was a white dove related to a sport breed.
How to determine the presence of fleas?
The fact that the bird is infected with parasites is evidenced by several characteristic symptoms:
- ruffled plumage;
- anxiety, anxiety, aggression, nervousness prevail in behavior;
- severe loss of feathers and fluff;
- the bird often cleans feathers with its beak;
- feathered often takes dusty baths.
How to treat pigeons for lice?
It is advisable to treat birds when the abundant feather loss has not yet begun. Multiple treatments with special insecticidal drugs, which can be purchased at the pet store, will be required. The market offers flea remedies, which are used in different ways: sprayed on feathers, rubbed. Such, for example, include Piren-D, Ivamek, Front Line. The most effective today are gels.
After the birds have been processed, they should be treated in their homes and places of rest.
Important! The person treating the birds needs to follow individual protective measures: work with gloves, a mask, a hat, protective clothing.
Preventive measures
To prevent fleas from breeding in the dovecote, it needs to be washed and disinfected more often.
To prevent parasites from entering the human home, their source must be eliminated - to expel pigeons from the roof, remove their nests, and disinfect places where birds are often found. Disinfection should be performed several times with an interval of 10-15 days. To do this, use the tools "Clean House", "Raptor", "Dichlorvos". After treatment, the room must be ventilated for a day before continuing to stay in it.
If fleas have chosen a large attic or another room, you need to use the services of specialists who disinfect large areas.
In the future, you need to close up all the moves through which the birds can penetrate. It is advisable to glaze the balconies on the upper floors, to install protective nets on the windows in the warm season. If required, the window openings need to be lubricated with insecticides, which will prevent the penetration of parasites into the house.
Did you know? Scientists were able to establish that gray pigeons have very sharp vision. This ability was adopted during rescue operations to search for people missing on the water. During the experiments carried out in the 1980s. in the USA, birds found objects in 93% of cases.
Are pigeon fleas dangerous to humans?
Fleas need blood to survive. If birds are absent in the nest, insects can feed on human blood or the blood of domestic animals, birds. They can settle in a human dwelling and for a long time not show a presence.
The following signs indicate that lice live near you:
- The presence on the body of places of bites, which are accompanied by painful sensations, suppuration with a bluish tinge.
- Bites are accompanied by allergic manifestations such as itching, redness, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes.
- In addition to the fact that bites of pigeon fleas cause severe discomfort, they can provoke the development of encephalitis, typhoid, hepatitis, brucellosis.
- Infection of a person occurs through direct contact with a sick bird, with street shoes, when visiting places of mass accumulation of pigeons, with the unhindered penetration of pigeons on the balcony of the apartment. When insects enter the apartment, 2 treatments with insecticidal agents will be required. If pigeons arrive on a balcony, it is necessary to wash it more often with soda solution and to disinfect with special means. You can scare away insects using the smell of wormwood.
Important! If the bites of pigeon lice have led to the development of a strong allergic reaction in a person, he should immediately seek medical help.
Pigeon fleas are dangerous insects that can cause discomfort not only to pigeons, but also to people. If parasites are found, they must be immediately destroyed by special means. In order to prevent the reproduction of insects, it is important to follow preventive measures.
