Air sac mites are most commonly found to infest Gouldians and Canaries. However they can be found in most any species of finch. They are easily transmitted from finch to finch through direct oral exchange, such as a parent feeding its chick or some courtship rituals. They may even be deposited in drinking containers and picked up by the next finch to take a drink. They don't, however, appear out of no-where; they are usually introduced through a new addition to the flock.

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These mites do their damage by infesting the air sacs, trachea and sometimes lungs of a finch. As they multiply it becomes increasing difficult for the finch to breathe. You may notice the your finch sitting with its beak open and gasping for air. The finch will tire easily and after a short chase, will be relatively easy to capture. Hold it close to your ear and listen to it breathe. You will hear distinctive clicking sounds as it breathes. In a heavy infestation the finch will gasp for air and may have fluid leaking from its nares as infection sets in. If left untreated the finch will die.

There is hope, however, in a product called Iverlux. The active ingredient in Iverlux is Ivermectin, which is a very lethal drug to the mites yet harmless for finches. It is currently the easiest and safest way to cure your finches of air sac mites.

On skin: Apply in a single application 1 to 2 drops depending on the size of the bird (1 drop per 30g body weight), to the bare skin between the shoulders. For best results ensure re-treatment is carried out 3 to 4 times per year. Most pet finches weigh only 10-16 grams. This means you will only be using 1/3 of a drop of the Iverlux for their treatment.

In Water: add 1/2 tsp. of IVERLUX to 1 quart of clean drinking water for small bird flocks( finches, canaries) or add 1 tsp. to 1 quart of clean drinking water for large bird flocks (greys,mynahs) for two connective days. Repeat for 3 weeks in a row.

Please note that a heavily infested finch may not survive even with a Iverlux treatment. As the mites die they can clog the airways and asphyxiation may still occur.

If you are Hand Feeding a finch and notice a clicking sound after feeding. It isn't air sac mites. It's actually aspiration and there is nothing you can do. Aspiration occurs when fluid (usually runny hand feeding formula) gets in to the chick's lungs. The fluid can not be expelled properly and death results.

Article © Myra Markley 2005

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