Megabacteria infections are not as common as they were 10 years ago. However they still occur and birdkeepers need to be aware of the dramatic effects the disease can have in an aviary, particularly of show Budgies.

An aviary of show budgies began to show illness were the birds developed watery droppings, weight loss, and an occasional death. This was after a period of wet weather and it was no surprise to see lots of coccidia in the dropping sample. Coccidia typically occur in budgies and finches after periods of wet weather and mild temperatures. Treatment with COCCIVET and then putting them on SPARK LIQUID CONCENTRATE usually does the trick and the birds recover quickly. In this instance most of the birds recovered quickly but several failed to respond to medication. Instead of simply extending the treatment we tested again to find that the coccidia had gone but the birds had Megabacteria (otherwise known as Avian Gastric Yeast (AGY)).

Megabacteria are very good at lurking in the background just waiting for a stressed bird so they can begin to multiplying. Then they cause ill, underweight birds that often have a black sticky droppings. These birds might linger on for weeks but usually they die. This is one of the many causes of the “going light” that birdkeepers talk about.

Treatment for Megabacteria is not simple and involves looking at each aviary situation and trying to work out what are the best options. It is important to realise that some birds just do not respond to medication and should be isolated or euthanased for the good of the whole aviary. You will need to talk to your vet about what the treatment options are.

Eradicating the Megabacteria is virtually impossible but you can live with it if you manage the aviary sensibly and keep the stress levels down (the bird’s not yours!).