worms

Question
I have an African Grey.  Lately i have noticed these yellowish worms with a dark red or brown head.  I have cleaned the cage numerous times, once with bleach and i can not get rid of them.  Can you tell me how to get rid of them and what they are?

Answer
Hello Robert and thank you for your post.  I am hoping that other people will read this reply as I am sure that you will, and take it seriously.
I am not sure about the name of these worms, however, I am sure that it was something that was passed down with your bird's heritage.
When my Max(my now 18 year old Amazon Parrot) was not acting right, although I'd only had him a short time, but long enough that I knew most of his behaviors(I got him a year and a half ago)was not right, I got him into the vet.  It turned out that he did have worms, and I was shocked.  At that time, I had several other birds in my home, and he was the only one that tested positive for worms.
My vet told me that it may be somwthing that was passed down from his parents, and put him on some drops that went into his water.  He was on this medication for about 2 weeks, and I am proud to say that he now gets a "Clean Bill Of Health", altoug I still get the bill(sorry, just a little joke).
Anyhow, you need to get your friend to an Avian Vet and get himde-wormed.  It sounds like your African Grey has a bad case of them, and if left untreated, will be fatal for sure.
I'm sorry that I couldn't answer your question better.


Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna