Birds can also suffer from some skin conditions. These can sometimes be quite a challenge to diagnose and treat.

Although birds do not tend to get fleas they can get lice infestations.

A bird with lice will be itchy so preens excessively. You may notice the feathers appear to be a bit damaged. It is rare to see the lice in and around the feathers and often these have to be seen under a microscope at the vet clinic.

Lice do not transfer to people and are treatable. Once a diagnosis is made, your vet will likely dispense treatment as either a topical or oral solution.

Birds can also get bacterial and fungal infections of the skin. This will cause diffuse loss of the feathers all over the body.

The skin can be quite itchy and appear red or swollen. Sometimes it can localise around the bird’s feet, in which case the feathers all appear normal but the feet are red and swollen. These types of infections can be diagnosed by your family vet.

Depending on the bacteria or fungal element causing the condition, they can be treated with antibiotics or antifungals either in the water or directly into the bird’s beak.

Some skin issues in birds can be behavioural.

The bird becomes bored in the environment – maybe there isn’t enough toys or human interaction and then they start plucking out their own feathers even though there is no itch or irritation.

This condition can be quite hard to get under control and will often take many months of behavioural therapy to reverse.