Beak and feather rot is caused by a circovirus, and occurs in parrots. Birds become infected with this condition by ingesting or inhaling virus particles with their beaks. These are found in the manure and feather dust of infected birds and are very resistant to cleaning agents. Only a veterinarian can make a correct diagnosis. The veterinarian will take a piece of feather and a few drops of blood and send these for examination. You can recognize an infected bird by: Feathers that fall out inexplicably, feathers that have abnormally thick feather shafts and young birds have a slight growth retardation. Furthermore, we see congealed blood on the fallen feathers and the fallen feathers cause open areas that are red. The feathers that are still present are dull. In the latest stage of beak and feather rot disease, the beak of infected birds will become shiny due to the absence of the powder puff hairs. Then, when grooming the feathers, the beak will turn black instead of grey and damage will occur on the inside of the upper beak (the virus works faster in younger birds than in older ones). The bird loses weight because its eating pattern changes. The bird is less active and has thin green droppings. Remember that the above-mentioned characteristics can be an indication that the bird has the condition, but that is of course not necessarily the case. That is why a visit to the vet is recommended for the most reliable diagnosis. Even in birds with a good immune system, it is very difficult to determine from the outside whether they are infected with the virus. There is no treatment for the virus itself. A sick bird can survive for a while if no additional infections occur, such as with a fungus or bacteria. Optimal nutrition and housing are therefore of great importance.
Egg binding in birds
We speak of egg-binding when the female bird cannot lay her egg. If there is egg-binding, the female leaves the
