Last updated on October 15th, 2022 at 03:09 pm
Rabies is a dangerous disease that causes severe, even deadly reactions in the nervous systems of infected animals. However, it’s only spread by certain species of animals, like raccoons and bats.
You can’t get rabies from a bird because rabies only spreads through mammals; therefore, birds cannot be rabies carriers. However, birds can spread many diseases including histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, and more. Most of the diseases spread through bird droppings or direct contact.
Understanding How Rabies Spreads
Rabies naturally only affects mammals, and since birds aren’t mammals, they don’t carry rabies and can’t spread it to humans.
Rather, the most common culprits for spreading rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes.
Rabies spreads when saliva or nervous system tissue from an infected animal in a late stage of the disease touches another mammal’s open wounds or mucous membranes.
Usually, rabies spreads through a bite.
One way that you can prevent the spread of rabies is by vaccinating your pets.
Some government agencies have even begun vaccinating wild animals to prevent the disease from spreading.
They do this by feeding target animals baits treated with vaccines.
You can also prevent rabies from spreading by avoiding handling wild animals. Wild animals account for over 90% of rabies cases in North America.
Very occasionally, infected bats will bite people while they’re sleeping, in which case they might not receive treatment because they won’t know they were bitten.
However, less than half of one percent of all bats in North America carry rabies.
Very few people die of rabies; in the United States, fewer than three people die from rabies each year, on average.
You can receive effective medical attention for rabies if you know you have been exposed to a wild animal.
Diseases Humans Can Get From Birds
More than 60 diseases can spread from birds to humans, often through droppings.
Make sure that you use gloves when cleaning birdhouses or other surfaces that may contain bird droppings.
And make sure that you wash your hands afterward as well.
These are the most common diseases spread from birds to humans:
- Histoplasmosis (fatal respiratory disease resulting from a fungus in droppings)
- Candidiasis (disease of the skin, mouth, respiratory system, intestines, and urogenital tract, causing pain, itching, and discharge)
- Cryptococcosis (disease of the lungs and nervous system caused by intestinal yeast)
- St. Louis Encephalitis (inflammation of the nervous system; causes drowsiness, fever, and headache, as well as paralysis, coma, and death if left untreated)
- Salmonellosis (disease spread by bacteria in bird droppings through the gastrointestinal tract)
- E.coli (spread when birds peck at cow manure and then infect food or water supply)
- Allergic Alveolitis (caused by the inhalation of bird dander; affects the lungs)
- The Bird Flu (transmitted through feces; causes high fever, respiratory problems, and muscle aches and can be deadly)
- Avian Tuberculosis (potentially fatal disease impacting the respiratory and digestive systems, spread through bird feces)
- Campylobacteriosis (causes gastrointestinal problems; spread through bird feces contaminating food or water)
- Erysipeloid (infection of the skin that can spread to joints)
- Ohio River Valley Fever (spread through inhalation of bird droppings; causes serious and even deadly respiratory problems)
- Pasteurellosis (spread through scratches or bites from an infected bird, causing a respiratory infection)
- Psittacosis (causes potentially lethal flu-like symptoms, passed through inhalation, ingestion, or contact)
- Q Fever (found in bird feces; causes headache and fever)
- Sarcocystis (parasitic infection transmitted through contaminated water, causing potentially life-threatening diarrhea)
Disease can also spread through the ectoparasites birds carry. More than two-thirds of the over 50 parasites carried by birds are harmful to humans in some way.
Ectoparasites carried by birds include:
- Bed bugs
- Chicken mites
- Ticks
- Lice
- Fleas
- Yellow mealworms
- Flies (maggots)
Birds and West Nile Virus
Birds are strongly associated with the West Nile Virus because they are carriers of the illness.
Dead birds are considered a sign that the West Nile Virus is active in the area.
However, birds cannot directly spread the West Nile Virus; rather, mosquitoes who bite infected birds can spread the virus.
Historically, government agencies have used bird death tracking as a method for the early detection of the West Nile Virus.
But in recent years, these agencies have mostly turned to other tactics for tracking the spread of the disease.
How To Keep Pet Birds Disease-Free
Here are 5 ways you can help keep your pet bird healthy and free from disease:
- Restrict the bird’s interactions with wild animals, including flies and mosquitos.
- Clean and disinfect your bird’s cage, feeding trays, and toys regularly.
- Monitor your bird’s health closely, looking for signs of disease.
- Thoroughly clean any used bird equipment before giving it to a new bird. Perches, cages, and toys are all potential vehicles for disease transmission.
- Thoroughly inspect any potential pet bird before adopting to avoid taking in a sick bird. This is especially important if you have existing pet birds. In fact, even if your new bird does not appear to be sick, you should keep it separated from existing pet birds for at least thirty days before introducing them, just to reduce the risk of spreading disease.
If your bird dies from a disease within a month after adoption, contact the organization, breeder, or store where you got the bird to make sure they know what happened.
The bird was likely sick before adoption, in which case the breeder or organization should know that their other birds are at risk.
Signs of disease in pet birds include:
- Weight loss
- Fluid coming from the eyes
- Diarrhea, and feather loss
If you notice your bird developing irregular symptoms, contact an avian veterinarian immediately.
How To Recognize a Rabid Animal
The following are signs and symptoms of rabies:
- Excessive wobbling as if drunk
- Agitation
- Biting or snapping at nothing
- Circling
- Partial paralysis
- Disorientation
- Self-mutilation
- No fear of humans
- Drooling
- Activity during the day (if the animal is nocturnal)
However, these symptoms can also be indicative of lead poisoning, distemper, or other diseases.
You should contact a wildlife rehabilitator if you have concerns that an animal near you has rabies, and they’ll be able to confirm the cause of the symptoms.