Roundworms in canaries and finches
Other names: Worms، Helminths
Symptoms
- Weight loss even though the bird is eating
- Diarrhea
- Weakness and poor feathers
How it spreads
By swallowing eggs from contaminated ground. Species that feed from the ground (such as the Owl finch) are infected more.
Diagnosis
A fecal test shows worm eggs.
Treatment
Per Merck: ivermectin 0.2 mg/kg, or pyrantel 4.5 mg/kg orally, or fenbendazole 20-50 mg/kg orally, repeated after 10-14 days. (Fenbendazole may affect the feathers if given during the molt - low confidence.) (All under veterinary supervision.)
Prevention
A mesh floor in the cage, hygiene, and a regular fecal test.
Season
Year-round
Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.
Other diseases
- Air sac mites (tracheal mites)
- Face and leg mites (scaly face/leg mange)
- Red mites (poultry red mite)
- Feather lice and feather mites
- Coccidiosis (bloody/intestinal diarrhea)
- Atoxoplasmosis (black spot disease / enlarged liver)
- Trichomoniasis (ulcer/canker)
- Cochlosomosis