Hi All,

I was quite surprised about the danger of using vaseline (petroleum jelly) to smother ticks and make them drop off as it is a common practice with cats and dogs, even ferrets!

Is this a bird specific thing? Could someone post the reason for it and perhaps any other method that a rescuer could use who didn't have access to a vet supply.

Also , I read last night that these pigeon ticks can spread disease to humans does any one have information on that?

Thanks Neil

Hi Neil,

The problem with vaseline or any similar product is that they are petroleum based and the oil will ruin a birds' feathers and render them useless for flying and useless for insulating them from heat or cold. You CAN however use such products or oil based ointments on their legs and feet. You are correct that products like this will smother scaly mites, but it's only recommended for use directly on the skin where there are no feathers. This is where further problems can happen however, and because birds will preen their feathers after rubbing their beaks on other areas. A bird/pigeon can indirectly rub an oil based product from their feet, via their bill while preening, onto their feathers and ruin them.

This is mostly a concern for a wild pigeon that is going through rehabilitation however, it won't kill the bird, but you need to be aware of this effect of the oil on the feathers. Oil residue can be washed from feathers using dawn liquid soap diluted in water, but it's still better to avoid this from happening in the first place.

As far as I know, pigeons and birds don't often get ticks or fleas..and if they do, these are species specific. Most of the external parasites that pigeons and other birds get are lice and mites, both of which can easily be treated with various sprays and powders and again, species specific.

Ticks from mammals are different and can be transmitted to humans. You might be thinking of Lyme Disease.

Weemuck, I saw a pigeon one time on top of the telephone pole and it was so very very black and shiny and I thought: "Oh how beautiful it is in the sun". Towards late afternoon I found that bird huddled in the corner of my yard just dying, someone had dumped this bird in grease or oil and it feathers were just filled with the stuff. It seems that some people to get the pigeons off the roofs use a mineral based product and the bird lands in it and in a few hours it spreads to their feathers and they eventually die of hyperthermia because they cannot no longer regulate their body heat. This particular bird after me calling people found out that you have to get the bird warm by wrapping it with a heat pad or hot water bottle or however you can get it warm but you have to give it a bath and use dawn or someother strong detergent liquid kind and get the stuff off the bird and this takes many many washings but you do it a few at a time because you don't want to shock the bird too much with fear. Then you put it on a heating pad or heat lamp or hot water bottle or next to a heater whatever you have to work with and with this particular bird I washed it and just wrap it in a towel and hugged it to me until I could figure out a way to get it warmer. It actually took about 6 or 7 washings before I was able to set it free and I gave it support feeding and water for the first few days. With the oil spill in Louisanna those ducks and geese are dying not because of the oil but because the oil is making them have hyperthermia and they are freezing to death and the wildlife people have special baths that are set up to get the wildlife (washed) and even still with this a lot of them die. If can be a small amount at first but like Brad said they preem and try to clean it off and it rapidly spreads to the other feathers and it doesn't take long. People use mineral oil if their birds seem egg bound and they put a few drops (inside the cloacia) to help the egg come even this doesn't really help that much for its at the wrong end and can.t get up to where the egg is stuck but if they put too much need to wash that off the bird after its ordeal. If it is a parakeet or love bird or a smaller bird it does not take much to spread to the rest of the feathers and the bird will die if it gets enough with no help by washing and especially "heat".... I never heard of a bird getting ticks and on Tuesday I am going to ask my vet about that. c.hert

Thanks for the heads up about the vaseline c.hert and Brad. I think it is a good thing to have in this section as I would bet some folks with ticky birds would try it. I would'ave if mine got them§

I was thinking of Lyme disease Brad cos as I said I was curious so did a wee web search. It may be you don't get these in the States and Canada but In Western Europe we have a bird tick called Argas reflexus the Canterbury or Pigeon tick that has been known to bite humans and cats. see http://www.dartmoorcam.co.uk/CAM/ticks/ticks.htm and follow Pigeon tick.

Also http://www.bada-uk.org/homesection/about/ticks/britishtickspecies.php for carried diseases.

In the UK these are said to be found in the South West which is just across the coast from Brittany in France were Karen found her pigeon so her bird could have been bitten by this kind of tick.

Cheers Neil

Weemuck,
You have shared two very wonderful websites and I will be really looking at them in detail later. I did read all of both of them but never went into them in detail and very very interesting stuff you shared with us and I am sure glad it is on a post for future use.. Later when I get time I am going to do a web search here for some information about our area.. I sure appreciate and thank you.. c.hert