Do I need to quarantine my new green cheek?

[ShadoBaby]

I've had my pineapple green cheek, Shado, for over a year now, and soon I'm bringing home a new cinnamon green cheek, Charlotte. She's a baby, so I had to wait for her to be weaned, thankfully, she should be able to come home in a week or so. I've heard some people say to quarantine Charlotte, and others say that they should be okay in the same room. Charlotte has been diseased tested, and I actually got both her and Shado from the same pet store almost exactly year apart.

So I want to know if she needs to be quarantined. I don't really have a place to
keep her separate, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. I've visited Charlotte plenty of time over the past few months and haven't brought any diseases home to Shado. Obviously I don't want to quarantine her, but if I absolutely have to I will find a way. So, does she need to be quarantined? If so, how? Thanks

 

[plumsmum2005]

I've had my pineapple green cheek, Shado, for over a year now, and soon I'm bringing home a new cinnamon green cheek, Charlotte. She's a baby, so I had to wait for her to be weaned, thankfully, she should be able to come home in a week or so. I've heard some people say to quarantine Charlotte, and others say that they should be okay in the same room. Charlotte has been diseased tested, and I actually got both her and Shado from the same pet store almost exactly year apart.

So I want to know if she needs to be quarantined. I don't really have a place to
keep her separate, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. I've visited Charlotte plenty of time over the past few months and haven't brought any diseases home to Shado. Obviously I don't want to quarantine her, but if I absolutely have to I will find a way. So, does she need to be quarantined? If so, how? Thanks

If this testing has been done properly and she has a clean bill of health then I'd say not. You should see the results though not just accept it is okay by being told verbally.

 

[ShadoBaby]

I've had my pineapple green cheek, Shado, for over a year now, and soon I'm bringing home a new cinnamon green cheek, Charlotte. She's a baby, so I had to wait for her to be weaned, thankfully, she should be able to come home in a week or so. I've heard some people say to quarantine Charlotte, and others say that they should be okay in the same room. Charlotte has been diseased tested, and I actually got both her and Shado from the same pet store almost exactly year apart.

So I want to know if she needs to be quarantined. I don't really have a place to
keep her separate, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. I've visited Charlotte plenty of time over the past few months and haven't brought any diseases home to Shado. Obviously I don't want to quarantine her, but if I absolutely have to I will find a way. So, does she need to be quarantined? If so, how? Thanks

If this testing has been done properly and she has a clean bill of health then I'd say not. You should see the results though not just accept it is okay by being told verbally.

I have the results on paper! Thanks

 

[Anansi]

You should definitely quarantine her. Keep in mind that some diseases are only detectable while they are actively shedding. Given that these shedding cycles can last 30-90 days, most recommend that quarantine should last anywhere between 1 and 3 months. (Obviously, 3 months is a more secure measure than 1.) If there are no symptoms after that time, you can feel reasonably assured that it would be safe for the birds to be in the same room.

A lot of these diseases are quite easily transmitted. Errant dander could do it. So when interacting with your new bird, make sure to wash your hands and face and change clothes before doing anything with Shado. (This holds true for any future trips to bird stores, too.) It's a pain in the butt, but it's worth it for the safety of your birds.

True quarantine, btw, requires separate air systems. This is not feasible for most of us, granted, but you want to at least try for a separate room.

 

[rosembers]

I think you will be fine to have them in the same room given what you've said. I think quarantine for that amount of time would cause you to lose valuable time to get the new baby and your current one used to each other while the baby is young. You might want to consider not cross-touching their food or water for a period of time, but in my opinion, with what you've said about the testing and such, I think they would be fine in the same room. Birds can hold some illnesses for years and I think if you make your best responsible judgement with your circumstances then you are doing great. If it were a bird with unknown history and no medical paperwork, then absolutely some sort of quarantine would be best. Enjoy your birds!

 

[Anansi]

I respectfully disagree. I would say much the same if your new bird had taken that test AND came from the house of someone you know who doesn't allow other avian visitors into his/her home.

But that's not the case. Your new bird is coming from a pet store. A large variety of birds passes through those doors as a matter of course. And other bird owners pass through there as well. Add to that the fact that pet shops often take on services such as nail clipping, wing trimming, and even boarding, and you end up with a situation filled with too many variables to account for the risk of skipping quarantine.

Look, is it possible to skip quarantine and for everything to turn out okay? Certainly.

But you should ask yourself whether the benefits of that gamble are worth the risk.

 

[plumsmum2005]

I respectfully disagree. I would say much the same if your new bird had taken that test AND came from the house of someone you know who doesn't allow other avian visitors into his/her home.

But that's not the case. Your new bird is coming from a pet store. A large variety of birds passes through those doors as a matter of course. And other bird owners pass through there as well. Add to that the fact that pet shops often take on services such as nail clipping, wing trimming, and even boarding, and you end up with a situation filled with too many variables to account for the risk of skipping quarantine.

Look, is it possible to skip quarantine and for everything to turn out okay? Certainly.

But you should ask yourself whether the benefits of that gamble are worth the risk.[/QUOTE]

I respectfully agree with this comment by Anansi and over looked this info, you cannot know or guarantee what is coming through the door. Really better safe than sorry even though it will be a pain.