Bird Health - Gouldian Finches

Airsac Mite Infection in Captive Gouldian Finches
Airsac mites are naturally occurring in wild Gouldian finches. Infection in captive flocks is most likely to occur during periods of physiological stress (i.e. during and immediately after the moult and during the breeding season) although airsac mite problems may occur at any time of the year.

The most harmful effects occur when severe symptoms of infection appear suddenly across the aviary. This sudden onset type of infection is dangerous because it produces a sudden influx of female (non-gravid/non-engorged) mites. Female mites are much larger than male mites and prefer to live in the upper respiratory tract – trachea, syrinx, nasal cavities, sinuses and mouth. Their presence in the syrinx is responsible for the typical symptoms of infection - gaped breathing and clicking sounds. The female is responsible for the spread of the disease to other birds. In mild ongoing infections male mites predominate so that symptoms are less pronounced as the males are small and largely live in the lung tissue. Symptoms are less obvious but include lack of vitality and moult problems. When physiological stress levels are too high, birds with low-grade infections (i.e. male mites predominate) may suddenly become dangerously ill, as there is a sudden influx of female mites as the completed life cycle may be as short as 6 days because of the ability of male mites to fertilise themselves and lay many eggs in the lungs.

In order to prevent airsac mite infection it is necessary to start prevention prior to the start of the peak moult period (late August in the Southern Hemisphere and late February in the Northern Hemisphere) and to continue through until the end of the breeding season. Repeat treatments at monthly intervals are required to break the life cycle of the mite during times when physiological stress may initiate a sudden onset type of infection.

It is much easier to control infection when male:female ratio is high (i.e. low grade infections) rather than when female: male ratio (symptomatic infection i.e. when birds are clicking or gaping) as the disease spreads much more quickly at this time.

Conditions that increase the likelihood of airsac mite infection include:

Overcrowding increase likelihood of spread from one bird to the next - especially via the drinking water.

Airsac Mite infection is more common during humid weather.

Nestlings are susceptible to infection by direct contact with infected parents.

Juveniles are most susceptible to infection during weaning, fledging and the moult.

Adults are most susceptible to infection at the conclusion of the moult and during the courtship period

Airsac Mite Life Cycle

There are 5 stages of the life cycle:

Eggs are laid in lung tissue by pregnant (engorged - gravid) females, as there is a rich supply of blood food here when the eggs hatch into larvae.

1st nymphal stage (larvae) stays in lungs and is thought to be immobile.

2nd nymphal stage moves towards posterior airsac where they complete their development into adult mites when immunity levels drop.

Male mites live largely in lung tissue and females (non-gravid non-engorged) move up towards mouth from posterior airsac to position themselves in trachea syrinx etc and then into nasal cavities where they infect other birds. This female form can survive outside the body for 2 days or more when conditions are humid.

Males and female mites mate to produce eggs.

The rate at which the lifecycle develops depends upon the health and immunity of the bird. Immunity holds the infection dormant by preventing the 1st immobile nymphal stage, which stays in the lungs from developing into the 2nd nymphal form which is mobile and moves to the posterior airsacs where it may then develop into adult mites. This region is an immunological privileged site where the mite may develop freely undetected by the immune system. A good immunity holds the nymphal stage in dormancy for an undetermined but indefinite time. This dormancy may be lifted when immunity levels suffer as a result of physiological stress factors.

Airsac Mite Treatment & Prevention
Airsac Mite infections are an underestimated cause of decreased breeding performance and health in finches. The irritation caused by these pests prevents finches from resting properly and tires breeding birds so that they cannot perform optimally. Infections cause nestling, fledgling and adult deaths and are often the underlying cause of other diseases in finch aviaries.

Airsac mite (Sternostoma tracheacolum) is an internal parasite that lives in airways and airsacs to cause irritation and respiratory infection. Heavy infestations cause breathing difficulties, wheezing, open mouth breathing and death in fledglings and adult birds. Gouldians, Australian finches and Canaries are most susceptible to airsac mite infestations (respiratory acariasis). Heavy infestations may be seen with a light after wetting the neck of the birds. They appear as pinhead sized spots moving up and down the trachea (windpipe). The Bengalese Finch is not susceptible to the airsac mite and is often used as foster parents to help control airsac mite infestation in Gouldian finches.

Treatment for airsac mite infections must include an insecticide (Ivermectin: dose 200-400microgram per kilogram) for the infected bird that is administered topically (directly onto the skin) or orally (added to the drinking water). Additionally, a pyrethrin disinfectant (e.g. AIL or Coopex) should be used to clean and disinfect the aviary or cage of mites, lice and their eggs.

Flock Treatment

Ivermectin/Moxidectin should be administered to the entire flock for two consecutive days.

The nests and aviary must be cleaned and disinfected with AIL insecticidal spray AIL insecticidal must be sprayed into crevices of aviary.

This treatment must be repeated each week for three weeks to break the life cycle of the mite.

Airsac mite is then prevented by Ivermectin/AIL combined treatments every three weeks (triweekly) during the hot months and during the moult period.

Individual Bird Treatment

Individual birds with symptoms of airsac mites should be removed to the hospital cage for treatment.

Additionally, ivermectin or moxidectin should be applied to the skin of the neck each day for 5 days.

Ivermectin should be administered to the drinking water for three consecutive days followed by Quik-Gel for two days to help reverse any anaemia.

Mix Turbobooster, E-powder and F-vite each day into a soft food should be provided to help accelerate recovery.

Baldness in Gouldian Finches

Baldness; Causes, Treatment & Prevention

Introduction
My latest findings are that Gouldians hold a special position amongst the finch family of birds as they are capable of accelerating the moult (visually this appears as a compressed moult) or slowing the moult (that is, delaying the moult process) in response to adverse environmental conditions. In wild Gouldians, a compressed wing moult occurs under ideal climatic conditions when food supplies are plentiful allowing multiple flight feathers to grow simultaneously. A delayed moult occurs when food supply is poor.

In captive birds, a compressed wing moult is a sign of good health and a well balanced diet. A delayed moult is often not recognised until baldness appears towards the end of the moult.

Baldness is a common finding in captive birds that often occurs towards the end of the moult period. The normal moult period for Gouldians is between January-June 1st in the Northern Hemisphere and June to December 1st in the Southern Hemisphere. When baldness appears during the normal moult period i.e. during November/December in Southern Hemisphere or during May/June in Northern Hemisphere, it is my view that it is the result of a delayed moult. This indicates that the progress of the moult has been slowed due to some stressful factor.

Possible Causes of Baldness - Associated with a Delayed Moult.

Poor Nutrition - especially protein, iodine, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies.

Climatic Changes - cold spells, fluctuating temperature and humidity, excessively high humidity or inadequate sunlight (i.e. poor UV spectrum).

Disease - especially airsac mite infection.

Prolonged breeding activities

A delayed moult usually ends up with baldness when poor nutrition and sudden climatic changes lower immunity and trigger an airsac mite infection. Without looking at the stage of the wing moult it is difficult to recognise a delayed moult until the end of the moult period.

When baldness appears towards the end of the moult cycle, underlying causes are narrowed to inadequate diet or an underlying Airsac mite infection.

Baldness that appears outside the normal moult period may indicate other conditions such as Cnemidocoptes mite, fungal, yeast or bacterial infections.

Treatment of Baldness

The immediate treatment of baldness should focus on correcting a deficient diet and administering ivermectin/moxidectin to treat airsac mite infection.

Add nutritional supplements to diet according to Marshall's Gouldian Moult Programme.

Ivermectin/Moxidectin treatments for 2 days each week for 3 weeks. Follow up treatments are required as part of airsac mite prevention.

This treatment for baldness will fail when treatment is instigated after July in Northern Hemisphere or after January in Southern Hemisphere. However, it is possible to reverse baldness after these dates if the birds are still breeding.

Prevention of Baldness
In the past, Iodine has been used to treat balding because Iodine stimulates the thyroid gland and induces a moult. Iodine is a very necessary part of the treatment of baldness but when used alone, does not provide the correct nutritional balance to support a rapid moult. It should be incorporated with a complete nutritional programme that provides both energy and nutrients to moulting birds.

Marshall's Moult Programme for Gouldians uses supplements that includes iodine to provide the nutrients required to accelerate the moult along with airsac mite treatments. The Moult Programme promotes health and vitality through optimal nutrition, and most imprtantly supports a rapid moult - the most ideal scenario for breeding success.

Breeding & Baldness
Birds exhibiting baldness will not have the energy or nutrient supplies to sustain breeding and will invariably fail at some time during the breeding season. These birds should not be bred during the breeding season immediately following the moult. However baldness is not necessarily a sign of a weak bird but more a sign of poor nutrition and other stressful factors.

Many fanciers unnecessarily reject bald birds from their breeding programme indefinitely. The correct approach is to implement the Moult Programme, which provides optimal nutrition and incorporates airsac mite control to support a rapid moult. Birds that moult successfully the season following baldness should go on to breed well the next breeding season. If baldness occurs again the following season, a genetic weakness is present and these birds should not be used for breeding. This genetic weakness is often related to inbreeding.

The Moult in Captive Gouldian Finches
The progress of the moult period outlined in this article is based upon my observations of a captive flock of healthy Gouldian finches receiving the best possible nutrition. The moult in these birds has progressed as rapidly as possible.

Captive Gouldian finches carry between nine and ten primary flight feathers. They follow the same moult sequence as for wild populations.

They replace the first four primary flight feathers on each wing one at a time and in sequence. The main moult period begins following the re-growth of the fourth primary flight feather on each wing.

Normally during this peak moult period that occurs during September and October one primary and one secondary flight feather of each wing are replaced one at a time (figure 5).

The speed of the wing flight feather moult may accelerate or slow down at any stage in captive Gouldian finches according to the diet they receive and climatic conditions they experience. In enclosed aviaries with artificial lighting and a controlled environment the progress of the moult may be more constant.

The start time of the moult in captive flocks exposed to natural sunlight conditions may vary slightly according to geographical location and local weather conditions. However under ideal conditions, captive Gouldian finches in Australia start to moult their proximal primary flights in July.

This initial stage of the moult often goes unnoticed as the four proximal primary flight feathers are replaced one at a time (figure 5). The replacement of these four feathers is gradual and takes over a month to complete. Consequently there is no undue energetic or nutritional burden on the bird and physiological stress is minimised. However, the early progress of the moult may be retarded by poor nutrition, disease, breeding activity or cold winter weather conditions that often persist throughout July and August in temperate parts of Australia and in New Zealand.

In order to avoid a delay in the progress of the starting phase of the moult, captive Gouldian finches should not be allowed to breed beyond June in Australia and New Zealand. In the Northern Hemisphere all breeding activity should cease by January.

Most Gouldian breeders and scientific researchers view September as the beginning time of the moult period. However, this is mistaken as the moult begins at least a month beforehand. Instead September is the time when the peak phase of the moult begins, being obvious to fanciers as many feathers appear on the floor of the aviary. Starting at this time both primary and secondary flights start being replaced and new feathers on the body of juvenile start to appear. This is a time of increasing physiological stress and vulnerability for the Gouldian finch, as there is a sudden increase in energetic and nutrient requirements.

When the moult is progressing as rapidly as possible, the wing moult is complete by mid October. As with wild birds, there is variation with some individuals taking longer to complete their moult (Milton Lewis, 2001).

Individuals born at the beginning of the breeding season start to replace their primary flight feathers within a month of fledging (photo 4). This goes unnoticed by breeders, as the wing moult progresses very slowly and the body colour remains unchanged until August/September.

Under ideal conditions the moult of adult birds begins as early as July. By the first week of August three or four primary flight feathers have been replaced in both adult and juvenile birds. Juveniles bred early in the breeding season start the body moult (i.e. replace their body contour feathers) by the second week of August. Adult birds start to drop body contour feathers during the second half of August.

Under normal conditions, each primary flight feather is replaced one at a time in an orderly sequence starting from the innermost (proximal) and ending with the outermost (most distal) primary flight feather. The body feathers and secondary flight feathers start to moult when the fourth primary flight has been replaced.

This marks the beginning of the peak period for the wing moult that continues throughout September and into October. Sometimes two or more adjacent new primary flight feathers may be seen growing simultaneously during the peak period of the moult. All wing flight feathers are replaced by mid October. The head feathers start to be replaced towards the end of the wing moult. The moult is concluded during the first weeks of November.

Moult abnormalities are most noticeable in captive birds towards the end of the moult when head feather abnormalities including baldness appear (photos 5 & 6). These feather problems indicate a delayed moult, which may be created by poor nutrition, disease, poor housing conditions during the period of the moult. Stress induced Airsac Mite infection and other diseases will also delay the moult.

Moult & Breeding Success in Captive Gouldian Finches
Good management of captive flocks during the moult should be a priority for all Gouldian breeders because a rapid moult is a sign that breeding outcomes will be highly successful.

Above all, a balanced diet fortified with protein and energy is required by Gouldian finches to rapidly complete their moult. The soft food recipe and water supplements outlined for the Moult period (August-December) provides all the additional nutrients required for a rapid moult. In addition repeat treatments against Airsac mites will ensure a rapid moult.

Preparations for a good breeding season must begin early (the beginning of August for the Southern Hemisphere and 1st February for the Northern Hemisphere) to ensure the moult is completed as rapidly as possible.

Every effort must be taken to support a rapid moult, because there is a strong relationship between the completion of a rapid moult, good health and a successful breeding season.

When receiving the best care, the moult of Gouldian Finches will be completed towards the end of November (in the Southern Hemisphere) or late May (for the Northern Hemisphere). Breeding may then commence by Christmas (in the Southern Hemisphere) and 25th June (for the Northern Hemisphere).

The accompanying Moult and Breeding Programmes will give your birds the opportunity to enjoy a rapid moult and two highly successful breeding rounds before June (the Southern Hemisphere) and December (Northern Hemisphere) when all breeding activities must cease.

The following information explains the importance of these proven programmes for breeding success. In fact, when housed correctly, the use of these programmes makes breeding of Gouldian finches -including strong families of Blue coloured mutations - very easy.

Poor nutrition, airsac mite infections and cold weather are the common causes of a slow moult that will lessen breeding success. Control of these will help improve breeding outcomes.

The soft food recipe outlined in this article has been used with outstanding success by Alan Simpson, whom I consider is the best breeder of Blue series Gouldians in Australia. The nutritional requirements of your birds during the moult and breeding is assurred by the use of his soft food mix incorporated into the Moult and Breeding Programmes.

Airsac mite ifection & the Moult
Airsac mite infections are inherent to wild Gouldian finch populations and it should be assumed Airsac mites are present in all captive Gouldians. Infection exists in a dormant state when ideal conditions create good health Any stressful episode will activate infection. In captivity, stresssful conditions occur during the moult, breeding and in juvenile birds.

Cold spells at the start of the moult may delay the moult and create a compressed moult. During a compressed moult multiple flight feathers grow simultaneously. Ivermectin treatments administered for 2 consecutive days each three weeks must be given during a compressed moult because Gouldian finches become vulnerable to airsac mite infections at this time even when they receive good nutrition.

Airsac mite treatments must be given regularly during the moult and breeding seasons in order to prevent infection during these naturally stressful periods. Gouldians are particularly vulnerable to infection at the end of the moult and at the beginning of breeding when their immunity is at its lowest ebb.

Poor breeding results are likely when treatments are not regularly administered as Gouldians infected with Airsac mites succumb to Chlamydia (Ornithosis) and Streptococcus infections. Airsac mites become a problem when Gouldians experience stress, and especially when additional stress factors such as changing weather conditions (e.g. warm weather followed by sudden cold and wet spells) occur during the moult. The immediate effect of Airsac mites is to retard the moult, so that often birds with baldness are suffering from Airsac mites and respond quickly when treated with ivermectin or moxidectin each week for 3 weeks. Airsac mite infection starts a vicious cycle that interrupts and delays the normal moult cycle. The end result is a prolonged moult, weakened bird, infertility, parental neglect, rejection of the babies, parental deaths and poor breeding outcomes.

The Gouldian moult may be normal, compressed or delayed. Normal and compressed moults occur in well-managed aviaries.

A delayed moult (eg head baldness, pin feathers on head (photo ) indicates a failure to provide good nutrition, airsac mite prevention or a protected aviary environment.

It is during the peak moult period (October) and immediately following the conclusion of the moult (late November or early December) that most moult-related health problems appear. Bird deaths and catastrophic outbreaks of airsac mite infections are likely during these times especially when a cold spell interrupts a compressed moult. The information below will prevent these problems. I hope you enjoy a successful breeding season.

Above all, a balanced diet fortified with protein and energy is required by Gouldian finches to rapidly complete their moult. The soft food recipe and water supplements outlined in the Breeding Brochure should be used during the Moult period (August-December) as it provides all the additional nutrients required for a rapid moult.

Moult Programme to Improve Breeding Outcomes
Preparations for a good breeding season must start during the moult period to ensure the moult is completed as quickly as possible, because there is a strong relationship between the completion of a rapid moult, good health and a successful breeding season.

When receiving the best care, the moult of Gouldian Finches will be completed before December. Breeding may then commence by Christmas day. This is practically a perfect time to set the pairs for breeding because it allows time to monitor the birds closely during the holiday period.

The accompanying Moult and Breeding Programmes will give your birds the opportunity to enjoy a rapid moult and two highly successful breeding rounds before June. This breeding routine follows that of the wild bird and provides captive Gouldian finches with their best opportunity to remain strong and healthy for many future breeding seasons as it prevents unnecessary stress.

Poor nutrition, airsac mite infections and cold weather are the common causes of a slow moult that will lessen breeding success. Control of these issues will help improve breeding outcomes and reduce the likelihood of health problems in your birds.

The soft food recipe outlined in this newsletter has been used with outstanding success by Alan Simpson, whom I consider is the best breeder of Blue series Gouldians in Australia. The nutritional requirements of your birds during the moult and breeding are assurred by the use of this soft food mix as part of the Moult and Breeding Programmes.

Airsac mite infections are inherent to wild Gouldian finch populations and it should be assumed Airsac mites are present in all captive Gouldians. Infection exists in a dormant state when ideal conditions create good health. Any stressful episode will activate infection. In captivity, stresssful conditions occur during the moult, breeding and in juvenile birds.

THE CHANCES OF A RAPID MOULT ARE MARKEDLY INCREASED BY:

Incorporating Alan Simpson's soft food recipe and my water supplements into your feeding system.

Administering Ivermectin for 2 days on a 3-week rotation with Praziquantel to control airsac mite and tapeworm infections from August until December.

Using Quik gel (2mls/litre) for 2 days at the onset of cold or wet spells to alleviate stress.

Adding Megamix (5mls/litre) to the drinking water when using city/town water supply.

Avoiding soaked seed recipes and dry seed mixes that may be contaminated with bacteria or fungus.

Poor breeding results are likely when treatments are not regularly administered as Gouldians infected with Airsac mites succumb to Chlamydia (Ornithosis) and Streptococcus infections.

Gouldian Health Programmes

These specialised Gouldian Programmes have been developed for the clients of Dr Rob Marshall. Please phone or email for further information.