Spate of ill birds prompts disinfectant give-away

Birds can be very susceptible to disease when weather is bad.

Bird table hygiene

February 2011. A Sussex wildlife organisation is urging people to clean their bird tables and feeders after a spate of garden birds being admitted suffering from coccidian, which can easily be spread by unhygienic bird tables.

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service says people who love wild birds may not realise the harm their bird feeders and tables could be causing. Many people enjoy watching garden birds visiting to take food from bird feeders and off tables but how often are they cleaned?  In a restaurant you wouldn't reuse a plate time and time without washing it. You wouldn't put cat or dog food down in a dirty bowl with out cleaning it first too. The same goes for bird tables and feeders.

"Every time you fill one up you should clean it out first and at least once a week you should disinfect the feeder and table" said Trevor Weeks founder of East Sussex WRAS.

Doves, robins, blackbirds and finches
Over the past week East Sussex WRAS has had numerous birds including doves, robins, finches and blackbirds coming in suffering from coccidia and salmonella which are commonly spread via bird tables and feeders.

No survivors yet
"These birds have come in underweight, puffed up and lethargic, we have been using a donated microscope to look at faecal samples and even sent some off to a laboratory for testing which has confirmed what we suspected and have been seeing under the microscope. So far all have been too ill and none have survived, despite attempts to treat them and working with veterinary surgeons and seeking advice from other rescue centres."

Another solution. The Refectory bird table has a removeable  base that simply lifts out of the table. So it  is very easy to wash (will go in your  dishwasher!) without needing disinfectant. Read more on Wildlife World website.

Other diseases spread on bird tables
It is not just coccidia which can spread via bird tables and feeders but also salmonella, avian pox, avian flu, west Nile virus, mycoplasmal conjunctivitis and aspergillosis. Feather loss, swollen eyes, lesions and pustules, discharges from the eye or mouth, breathing problems, poor reaction to human presence and erratic behaviour can be some of the signs seen in wild birds which are ill.

First come first serve
East Sussex WRAS has teamed up with Safe Solutions Ltd and are giving away 100 bottles to bird lovers on a first come first serve basis. East Sussex WRAS will have a display and table in The Quintins Shopping Centre, North Street, Hailsham from 10am on Saturday 18^th February where the bottles of disinfectant will be available to those who bring along a photo of them with their bird table or bird feeders.

This offer is limited to one per household whilst stocks last.  Bottles of disinfectant are also available for sale via East Sussex WRAS?s ebay shop which is reach able via East Sussex WRAS?s website www.wildlifeambulance.org.

Safe Solutions
Alan Dudley, Managing Director of Safe Solutions Limited who have donated the disinfectant for WRAS to hand out said "We are delighted to be able to help in this way and we hope that this will encourage people across East Sussex to keep their bird feeders clean and hygienic to cut down the spread of disease and illness. Our disinfectants are good against viruses including avian flu, canine parvovirus, feline leukaemia virus, plus bacteria including kennel cough, listeria, salmonella, staphylococcus and fungi including Candida Albicans, Microsporum and Trichophyton. In addition to this the disinfectant is non-toxic, non-staining, non-tainting, non-corrosive, non-irritant as well as being biodegradable and ph neutral."

East Sussex WRAS is one of many animal welfare charities which use Safe 4 Disinfectants within their animal hospitals with great results.