fleas

Question
Hi, my name is Lori and I rescued a yellow Npe Amazon parrot. My question for you is can birds get fleas and if so what to do? Thank you for your time in this matter. Sincerely Lori

Answer
Hi Lori!
Thank you for asking my advice!  It is great of you to rescue this bird!  We have a rescued red lored amazon and they are wonderful birds!

In my experience it is very unlikely that a parrot would get fleas, one may jump on the parrot but would not thrive therefore it would jump off or die.
They do however get mites which can be mistaken for fleas.  It is very important to seek the advice of an avian vet for treatment.

The most likely culprit would be red mites, these feed on our birds at night and then hide in the cage and surrounding areas come morning, even in our furniture!  The easiest way to see if you may have them is to cover the cage at night with a white sheet, in the morning the sheet will show tiny brown or reddish specs the size of a grain of salt.  This is an indication of red mites.

If you do have them the cage and surrounding area will have to be sterilized thoroughly!

Sincerely
Danielle