Pseudomonas. How is it gotten? What can I do to prevent its recurrence. My girl is under vet care but I need to know what to do to prevent, how did this happen, anything you could tell me would be appreciated
One bird, no aviary. Live in a house.
Hi Pat,
To follow up on the rest of your inquiry, Pseudomonas is one of those bacteria that is in our environment. It typically doesn’t affect a healthy person or pet, but if they are immune deficient in some way, it can cause an infection. It likes moist environments, so can be in water, plants, soil, bathrooms, foods and even on your own skin. It’s hard to know why it will cause an infection in one bird and not another. But different types of bacterial infections are one of the most common causes of illness in pet birds. They just seem to be susceptible. The best prevention is to keep the cage clean, wash all produce well, and disinfect food and water dishes at least once a week. Water dishes should be washed daily, and then disinfected at least weekly. Putting them through the dishwasher should be enough, but you can also disinfect with a diluted bleach solution or you can buy a bird safe disinfectant by checking google or websites that sell pet bird products. Any disinfectant is going to be most effective if the item is thoroughly cleaned before placing it in disinfectant. And different disinfectants take different amounts of time to kill bacteria. I really do not like water bottles for birds for this reason, because they still need to be cleaned daily and most styles have areas that are hard to clean. Don’t over do it as far as being clean – if you keep everything sterile, your bird can actually become more susceptible to infections because her immune system is never challenged. I know it is scary to think that this can just happen, which is why it is good to be familiar with your bird’s habits, daily behavior and what her normal poop looks like. Often a change in the stool is the first sign of an infection, but this can be quickly followed by a drop in activity and appetite. A bird will try to hide signs of illness, so if you suspect something is wrong, try to observe her when she doesn’t know you are watching. Often a sick bird will be fluffed up, eyes closed and you can tell she feels bad, but as soon as she sees you, she will perk up and try to act normally. And sometimes during a routine exam, the Vet may feel she has more of a natural bacteria than normal, so it might not be an infection but the Vet feels there is enough of an overgrowth to treat her with antibiotics. I hope your girl is fully recovered soon, and am so glad you noticed a problem and sought Vet care in time to help her.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
