Safeguarding Your Cockatiel COPYRIGHT © 2000 & 2006 BY LINDA S. RUBIN First published in the February 2000 issue of BIRD TIMES Magazine Published in the August 3, 2006 issue of CAGE & AVIARY BIRDS, UK If you own one or more birds and wish to add a new addition to your flock, you will have to quarantine your new arrival. This should be standard practice with all bird owners, especially during and after the holiday season when companion birds are frequently given as well- intentioned gifts, without thought to proper quarantine practices. The act of quarantining safeguards birds in two ways. First, keeping new birds isolated from your existing flock helps protect the birds you already have from acquiring new diseases. Second, a quarantine period allows you to closely monitor new birds, gradually switch them over to your diet, and routinely check on their progress before placing them with your existing birds where they must battle for their social position in the pecking order. New owners should understand that most birds are experts at hiding their illness – by the time you notice a bird looks ill it may be too late to save it. This is an innate survival tactic, because birds that look sick or appear weak in the wild are easy prey to predators. Therefore, any new bird should be tested, even if the new arrival appears relatively healthy and especially if it appears less than perfect. An effective quarantine period is a minimum of 30 days, and more frequently 45 to 90 days for some illnesses. The new birds should be placed in cages or flights separate from existing birds, preferably in another room and ideally on a different air system. The best place would be a separate facility where no other birds exist, e.g., with a friend, relative or neighbor who is willing to board your new bird or flock. However, do not give up the responsibility of inspecting the birds every day to be certain they are thriving. There is little advantage in boarding your birds at another facility that also houses other birds – your birds are being exposed to ailments that other residents may carry. Ideally, find a place where no other birds reside and where you are able to inspect, feed and monitor your birds closely. Should this type of facility not be available, separate new birds from established birds by placing them in different rooms. Do not allow existing birds to land on top of cages holding quarantined birds, even if they are calling out to one another. They will meet each other soon enough. Always clean and feed your existing flock first, then scrub up and disinfect before attending to quarantined birds. Following the care of quarantined birds, scrub up a second time and change clothes to be certain you do not carry anything back to your original flock. Be certain to launder any clothing you wear following contact with the quarantined birds, including disinfecting your shoes. There are a number of good disinfectants on the market and household bleach is a popular standby used by many breeders. Iodine surgical scrub, obtained from veterinary or pharmaceutical supply stores, is an excellent product to thoroughly disinfect hands after washing with soap and water. It is best to find a veterinarian who is experienced in handling avian clients. Veterinarians who specialize in birds and who have additional training are called board certified Diplomates. The Association of Avian Veterinarians – www.aav.org - maintains a list of active members around the country on their website. The avian veterinarian should perform routine testing on new birds. This will begin with a physical exam that includes holding the bird correctly and listening to the heart and lungs; examining the eyes, nares (nostrils), beak and oral cavity (mouth); palpating the keep (breast bone) and feeling for masses; and weighing the bird on a gram scale. If the examination calls for further testing, the veterinarian may consider a routine gram stain, cloacal culture and possibly a chemistry profile. It is not unusual for the veterinarian to suggest a chlamydia test for chlamydiosis (psittacosis), a mouth culture for candida, or other tests if the situation warrants further information. Should any of the results prove positive, then your veterinarian may suggest extending the quarantine period for a longer time, until all birds are treated for the exact number of days and follow-up testing proves everyone is healthy. The cost of an initial exam and testing should be viewed as part of the purchase price of a new bird or group of birds. Breeders who plan to add a larger number of new birds to their collection should test several new birds at random – or those showing any sign of illness – and consider the test results as representative of the entire flock’s health. The initial expense of testing new birds will be a far cry from the steeper expenses ahead, should your new bird prove to be sick or infect other birds in your collection. Most breeders quarantine any new bird regardless of its pedigree. Germs don’t read pedigrees and even the cleanest aviary can harbor hidden illness waiting for a chance to take advantage of a stressed or weakened host. So don’t take any chances; always quarantine new arrivals. |
| QUARANTINING & SAFEGUARDING BIRDS Copyright © 2000 Linda S. Rubin All Rights Reserved |
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Copyright 2006 Linda S. Rubin
