Eye Infection in Lovebirds - Causes and Treatment

Lovebirds are one of the most favorite birds species kept worldwide as pets. They are stunningly beautiful and are very active birds. Anyone who visits a pet shop is amazed by their beauty and charm. There are very few problems that lovebirds create for their owners or keepers during their lifetime. They are overall good breeders and can breed well under all conditions in a very short time.

One big problem that bird keepers face with lovebirds is the problem of their eye infection. When you purchase a new lovebird and bring it home, sometimes you see that their eyes get infected after a few days. This problem can be life threatening for your lovebirds and a lot of headache for the bird keepers. But there are ways you can overcome this problem without much difficulty.

The eye infection disease is more common in summer in countries like Pakistan in the months of April, May, June, and July. In these months the temperature often reaches above 40 degree Celsius. Young birds are more affected by this disease and especially when you purchase some new birds and bring them home in these hot summer days. Without proper treatment, your birds will eventually die.

Different people give different reasons for the cause of this problem. Some will say that the birds of Karachi bought into Punjab carries the virus with them. Others will say that due to climate difference between Karachi and Lahore causes the birds to develop this eye infection. Some people argue that mosquito bites is the cause of this disease. The more people you meet the more opinions you will get.

I have done a lot of researching on this particular disease. Now I realize that above all other reasons stress is the main cause of eye infection in lovebirds. Lovebirds are more shy birds and when you change their place or the cage they take stress and become sick. Due to stress, their immune system becomes weak and due to hot weather conditions and change of environment, their eyes get infected.

If you bought some new birds home or shifted some lovebirds chicks into a separate cage, then provide them with a stress free environment to relax. Put the bird cage into a place where there is less disturbance for the birds. Do not go near the cage too often. Keep the bird cage away from other pets at home like cats and dogs. Cover the cage at night so that they can sleep well and have plenty of rest.

If some of your birds have developed this infection try to do the treatment as early as possible. Eye infection in its early stages is easy to cure. Catch your bird with a net and put some eye drops into its eyes. I would recommend Dexamethasone Phosphate and Chloramphenicol in them. Put one drop in each eye for at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Some lovebirds recover fast from this treatment while some take much more time. keep on with the treatment until your lovebirds fully recover from eye infection. Also place a nest box inside the cage to reduce their overall stress level. Birds who are less stressed recover fast from this disease. Do not change the place of the cage too much and give them more privacy and security for them to live a healthy and happy life.