Excessive Dander

[Jackie]

Two months ago we moved to another town. My beloved Grey has, for the first time in 9 years, excessive dander. Our vet says he's 100% healthy & doesn't know the cause of the dander. I spend most of my day with him. We've added Premolt to his water and Mirra-Cote to his food (vet's suggestions) but it hasn't helped. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Tycos_mom]

The only thing I can suggest is lots of bahs and mabie after a good soaking a light spray af Aloevera juice. Greys have dander and at time its very heavy I have noticed this with my Grey as well latley. I don't know what else you can do about it.

[Dave007]

All greys give off dander, all year long. Some give off more dander than others but it has absolutely nothing to do with any type of health problems. Most of the time it may increase because of the amount of humidity in the air or the actual temperature in the air or nearness to sunlight which can slightly dry out the skin. A lower temperature, a higher humidity helps the skin but it won't affect dander at all. Your bird may have what you think is a steady amount of dander being put into the air but it can increase at any time. I've never seen a *constant, regulated* amount of dander come off of any grey because it goes on all year long. Yes, you can wash, spray or bathe your bird but it won't lessen the amount of dander that grey or cockatoo will throw off. Bathing, spraying only saturates the dander, making it extremely heavy and what happens is that the dander is shaken off and drops downward instead of flying through the air but that's only temporary unless the bird is wet 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Dander is a natural protective coating which protects and waterproofs feathers. People are affected and annoyed at the dander much more than a bird is.

Actually, this is the first time I've ever heard of a vet recommend something that he/she thinks will help lessen the the dander situation in birds. It's nature's way of protecting a bird. Some birds need it and some don't.

[Luvparrots]

Hi Jackie, I bathe my grey every three days, light spray on her body, never her head (careful of ears & nose), and mist her with Aloe Vera juice on the other two days. It keeps her dander down. Perhaps it was a change in the heating in your new home that caused more dander (just a guess). What is your grey's name and have you had him since he was weaned? If you have any pictures, we would love to see them. This is a great place to learn about greys and chat with great people who truly love their greys. Welcome to the family.<br><br>Post edited by: luvparrots, at: 2009/04/20 20:44