Snow-- my canary with lack of balance

[crimson]

it's more than likely snow my canary is suffering from anemia.
this is likely a secondary symptom from having air sac mites.
after all they do suck blood....ugggg....sorry for being so gross!

I've seen this before, and happen to stumble across it quick accidentally.

the main goal of a mite is to suck blood and multiply. that is how they survive.

I had no idea how to treat this when I first experienced it, but came up with the idea of if mites suck blood, maybe just maybe they become anemic.

I had administered a small dosage of organic iron drops, mixed with water, and improvement was within a few days.

now Snow is showing the exact same signs. I've given her iron drops, and hopefully she will improve within a few days.

here is a video of her trying over and over to regain her balance...sometimes this happens and sometimes it doesn't.
notice her opening and closing her beak very quickly, canaries tend to do this when the mites inside are moving around and dying.

the sexy whistler in the background is Dexter, my cockatiel.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBZ8csiSHH0&feature=youtu.be]MVI 6902 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[MomtoPercy]

Awww, the poor dear! Let's hope the iron drops help quickly. What is causing the mites to die? How do birds get them?

 

[crimson]

I do feel sorry for her too Michelle!.....I really hate mites.
I treated all my canaries with Ivermectin(which is what the vets use) it's a topical treatment to kill any type of mite, whether it's scaley face,red, or feather mites.
all the other types of mites are external and can be somewhat easier to detect.

with air sac mites, they are internal and harder to detect until you see visible signs of distress in the bird.

often birds get them from being passed on from the parents to the chicks when feeding their young. It's in estimation that 90% of canaries and finches carry these mites, but lay dormant until they become stressed, or ill.

 

[95talongirl]

Poor little birdie. I hope she feels better soon. So sorry you have to fight with those nasty little parasites.

 

[crimson]

here she is about an 1-1/2 hours later.

she has improved!....notice her toes are curved around the perch, where before, they were open a little more, she's able to flip herself around on the perch and her balance has gotten better, she's also standing up straighter.
she is still unable to fluff herself without loosing her balance, but I think in the short amount of time, she has improved greatly!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4duvVW7bgu8&feature=youtu.be]MVI 6909 - YouTube[/ame]