lice and borax

has anyone on here everheard of putting borax in the birds bath water to clear up parasites if so was it any good

andy

Yep, I used to use it all the time, it also cleans their feet and makes their feathers soft.

can i ask why you dont use it anymore gaz is it because its difficult to get hold of

andy

Because I've only just started again and they don't sell it in the chemist any more for some reason mate.

will borax harm their eyes when getting a bath.....? or will it be ok.........?

No it's ok, I got the idea from my Grandad who showed budgies, he said it kept scaly leg mites away and any feather lice, his budgies always looked the part.
I used it for a few years.

never used it but just read up on it and it has a lot of uses

andyw wrote:

has anyone on here everheard of putting borax in the birds bath water to clear up parasites if so was it any good

andy

i add ordinary table salt and vinegar to the bath water andy, this is supposed to keep lice/parasites etc away.....

Primarily it's a water softner, but can be used for washing, in a spray it's good for ants it's really good stuff. you can feel your hands going softer when you have had your hands in the water.

Gaz b wrote:

Because I've only just started again and they don't sell it in the chemist any more for some reason mate.

you can buy Borax on a site called Intralabs chemical distributor if any body wants to try it. I might but dont know how much to use and is it safe for birds to drink the water?

yes good question jason, im sure gary will be happy to tell us the answers to this.......

So long as it's not over used and the dilution rate renders it safe.

Borax as a source of borate has been used to take advantage of the co-complexing ability of borate with other agents in water to form complex ions with various substances. Borate and a suitable polymer bed are used to chromatograph non-glycosylated hemoglobin differentially from glycosylated hemoglobin (chiefly HbA1c), which is an indicator of long term hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus. Borate and a proprietary synthetic amino acid, Deselex (from Henkel) have been used to complex water "hardness" cations to make a non-precipitating water "softener". Borate alone does not have a high affinity for "hardness" cations, although it has been used for that purpose.
Component of detergents
Ingredient in enamel glazes
Component of glass, pottery, and ceramics
Borax can be used as an additive in ceramic slips and glazes to improve fit on wet, greenware, and bisque.
Fire retardant
Anti-fungal compound for fiberglass and cellulose insulation
Anti-fungal foot soak
Insecticide to kill ants, cockroaches and fleas
Precursor for sodium perborate monohydrate that is used in detergents, as well as for boric acid and other borates
Tackifier ingredient in casein, starch and dextrin based adhesives
Precursor for Boric acid, a tackifier ingredient in polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol based adhesives
Treatment for thrush in horses' hooves
Used to make indelible ink for dip pens by dissolving shellac into heated borax
Curing agent for snake skins
Curing agent for salmon eggs, for use in sport fishing for salmon
Swimming pool buffering agent to control the pH
Neutron absorber, used in nuclear reactors and spent fuel pools to control reactivity and to shut down a nuclear chain reaction
In agriculture it can be used as a fertilizer to correct boron-poor soils; however, it is required in small amounts. Excess can cause injury to plants.
To clean the brain cavity of a skull for mounting
To color fires with a green tint
Borax was traditionally used to coat dry-cured meats such as hams to protect them from becoming fly-blown during further storage.
Borax is found in some vitamins, such as Puritan's Pride Multi-Day.
For stopping car radiator and engine block leaksSmall-scale mining
Borax is replacing mercury as the preferred method for extracting gold in small-scale mining facilities.

thanks for the replies guys
i cant believe they have stopped selling this in the chemists everyone i have spoken to that remember it being readily available say how brilliant it is and always had some in the cupboard. ive seen it on ebay but wasnt sure if it was the same stuff as it had got lab formula on it
suppose i will have to stick with the mineral salts. someone else told me they use radox but am not sure about that one

andy

This is the stuff mate
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BORAX-1kg-Sodium-Tetraborate-Decahydrate-Lab-Grade-/290693509248?pt=UK_BOI_Medical_Lab_Equipment_Lab_Supplies_ET&hash=item43aeaef080

cheers gaz that was the same one i was looking at

andy

Just ordered some off ebay whats the dilution ratio to water
Atb Kev

A tablespoon per 3 litres should do it in warm water.

Thanks Gaz

No probs mate.
Hows your lad doing.

Good mate thanks, youngest lad is in, now royal engineers, he is training in Jordan at the moment prior to Afghan.
Atb Kev

That's great news Kev.
Making their old Dad proud
Well done to him.

Kevin Webb wrote:

Good mate thanks, youngest lad is in, now royal engineers, he is training in Jordan at the moment prior to Afghan.
Atb Kev

Wish him all the best Kevin from one Webb to another mate

Gaz b wrote:

That's great news Kev.
Making their old Dad proud
Well done to him.

Will second that Gary

Good stuff Gary your the man again

ive some of that one spot im going to use on my ybs soon, before the yb season starts...........