There's no shame in admitting it, but most of us will experience an infestation of Red Mite at some point in our time with birds.

I moved my birds into a brand new bird room in July 2005 and by March of the following year I had small infestation. I’ve often wondered where they come from, I mean, they don’t live on the birds and only come out of the cracks and crevices at night to feed on their unsuspecting prey, so in theory, they must travel the equivalent of several hundred miles through the local gardens to make their way into your shed; and how do they know birds are in there? The subject of how they get there is really quite irrelevant; the most important thing is how to get rid of them...and how to stop them re-appearing.

The Red Mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) is a blood-sucking parasite that comes out to feed at night. During the day they are hidden in cracks and crevices in close proximity to birds’ roosting sites. As the daylight diminishes the mite’s leave their hiding place and journey across the perches and on to the bird’s legs and body to feed. Red Mite are generally a grey colour and only appear red after feeding.

Small infestations are easier to keep under control and birds can be quite tolerant to them. Large-scale infestations (which I have never experienced) can be very serious as in worst cases can cause anaemia or even death in young birds. Treating them can be a lengthy process due to their life cycle.

Source: The Livestock Knowledge Transfer – A DEFRA Initiative.

One of the most important factors in all types of animal husbandry is cleanliness and vigilance. I don’t clean my birdroom to laboratory standards but I regularly clean my cages and disinfect periodically with an avian disinfectant. Vigilance also plays an important role in your bird’s health. Observing your stock and birdroom daily will enable you to identify early signs of an infestation.

Affected birds will appear irritated and will be seen scratching and picking themselves in areas where the mites have been feeding on them. To assist in locating mites in my birdroom I use a thin craft knife. By inserting the blade into cracks and joints around my birdroom, it soon becomes evident where the mites are as they will appear on the blade usually accompanied by plenty of dead mites that have just eliminated with the knife blade.

I always have a spray gun bottle to hand filled with a diluted Duramitex solution. I tend to use this when I discover a small cluster of mite in the birdroom. Before spraying I will always use my thumb or finger to squash the mite that I can see and then I will spray the affected area. I find Duramitex works well but it does have quite a nasty odour.

Many bird keepers swear by adding Duramitex to the paint they use when they repaint their birdrooms. I’ve often been curious by this technique so I contacted Harkers, who manufacture Duramitex, to ask for advice and they told him that it works by forming crystals that the mite absorb when they pass over them. It is best applied in a mist that settles over large areas, which in-turn will increase the chance of treating mite. Adding this product to paint, according to the manufacturer, is a completely pointless exercise, as the paint will not allow any crystals to form (and will give you VERY smelly paint!).

Personally, I find doing what it says on the label works best; after all they are the experts!

Duramitex is no longer manufatcured by Harkers but is still available at many bird events/shows and many pet shops.