Zebra Finch feather parasites

Question

insect- parasite   Hi Megan,
i have several zebra finch chicks (around 5-6 wks old) two of them i hand fed and still do few times a day.
i had noticed recently few black small insects when playing with them. They don't look sick or itch more than the other ones, your help is highly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer
From the picture it looks like what your birds have is feather lice but the size makes me doubt that since lice on finches shouldn't be visible to the naked eye from what I gather an insect like that would be more likely found on larger birds like pigeons and parrots. Fortunately, these pests are easily removed. What I use is Avian Insect Liquidator (http://www.finchniche.com/product_ail.php) and that will kill any pest currently living on your bird. Since the lice are on chicks, I would also recommend you not use a lot and also disinfect everything that had the birds have come into contact (including their nest so a new one will be needed) just to be sure there's no eggs or anything anywhere else.