This Weeks Tips and Questions For Big Bird

This non-abrasive scrub pad is a great addition to bird room cleaning supplies. It helps remove waste that seems to fly all over the cage, even on the ceiling! These pads allows you to scrub with out damaging powder coated surfaces. Currently it is on sale for $2.99 at PetSmart.

Questions: 

Wednesday

1.  Is there a cure, supplement, medicine or food; that will aid and cure "balding" of the throat and neck-area behind the bird's head? This is occurring with some of my roller females.

Big Bird: Although feather loss on the throat and neck maybe caused by a number of things such as aggression, mites or even fungus, hormonal imbalance or nutrition; the most likely cause is malnutrition as seed diets are deficient in a number of critical nutrients.

The first line of treatment should begin with a good multi-vitamin such as Biodecken or Orlux Omi-vit (probably not available currently in the US) and balanced food such as Biodecken Novafood. I would also get the Biodecken Immune support and make a cocktail of using both products together and give this daily for at least a week and then three times a week. I would feed them the novafood daily. Biodecken is available from Ricardo Sanchez 214 998-7474 or ricardo@ricardosanchez.cc


 Tuesday

1. Peter writes: "My feed store has Calcium Borogluconate 23 % (sterile injection for treatment of milk fever in cattle) is that the same or comparable to the one you are talking about"?

Big Bird: Compare the ingredient labels. My  Calcium Gluconate 23%, manufactured for Agri Laboratories St. Joseph, MO,  lists each 100 ml contains: active ingredient Calcium gluconate (provides 2.14 grams calcium) ..... 23 grams and water for injection and inactive ingredients boric acid (as a solubilizing agent) 3.5 grams and electrolytes per 1000 ml: calcium 1069 mEq: Hypertonic osmolarity (calc.) 6.782 mOsmol/l pH 2.5-4.5. It also is sold as a sterile injection for treatment of milk fever in cattle. Perhaps the name reflects the boric acid which it contains but compare the labels carefully. I have used liquid calcium gluconate on the birds for many years, originally I could buy it over the counter as it was a treatment for calcium deficiency in children. That product is no longer available over the counter.