Dos and Don'ts of Quarantine

[Merlee]

What should I do while a new bird is in the house is in quarantine?

My new bird is currently in a spare bedroom. She has a radio and a tv so it's not so quiet in there.

She also spent about 18 hours in a car for the ride home, so I have caught her sleeping quite a bit. I am thinking this is normal due to the stress and change in environment.

I would like to know what I can and should not do while going through this process.

 

[triordan]

I would think hand washing would be important~ especially if you are handling her. Also a vet visit to have blood work done....I'm sure others will come along and recommend other things as well. What did you get?

 

[weco]

Triordan's right about hand washing...and...also between handling food & water bowls, toys, etc. for the newbie. To keep from forgetting, I used to have all food & water dishes fixed, served the regular flock first, then took food & water to the bird under quarantine. Before going to the quarantine room, I 'd set the other empty bowls out to be washed, brought in the one from the quarantine room & washed all for the next feeding.

If you handle the newbie, you should change clothes & shower before handling the regular flock.....

What most of us consider quarantine is really just keeping the birds separated, because to create an effective quarantine, you need separate air handling systems.....not feasible in the average home.

 

[henpecked]

DO EVERY THING YOU CAN TO ISOLATE YOUR NEW FID FROM YOUR OLD.It's so hard to be standoffish but that's what is needed.Yes your new fid has been a only bird and not exsposed to other but consider how much your old fid means to you, and what is an acceptable risk.The best intentions often lead to bad decisions.Please be careful, a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Hmmm I have a kind of 'similarish' question... But mine is regarding duration.

My new Corella will be coming home in a couple of weeks... and although he has been fully health tested prior to his arrival, I was still going to 'quarantine' for a period. The front room is all set up for it. I am just wondering how long others would 'quarantine' considering he has the all clear health wise?
Being extra cautious I thought I would keep him apart for observation with health, behaviour etc. Mana is a very very outgoing bird and this guy, although raised with a galah, is apparently a real softy, so I want him to settle in before he has to meet the control freak little miss mana LOL and have his life turned upside down

 

[goalerjones]

I was always told 30 days for quarentine. Also, it has been suggested that a change of clothing is needed between visits to the isolated bird so there is no chance of passing unkown infections to your existing flock.

 

[weco]

Quarantining a bird can be inconvenient for you and may seem cruel to the quarantined bird, but some avian diseases, like proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), have an unknown incubation period, while others appear within several days, and yet others have incubation periods of 30-45 days or longer. Some can even lay dormant and un-detected for years.

 

[Boysmom]

I Have been told 30 days for a vetted bird, or earlier if the vet clears it. 90 days for an unvetted bird. You hear so much conflicting timelines, it is hard to judge. I always vet immediately and wait till the vet clears them to enter the bird room with the flock.

 

[OOwl]

Over the years I've religiously QT'd all new additions and blood tested new additions to my flock. I usually QT for 8 weeks following the report of "all clear" on bloodwork and an exam by my vet. Thank God I've never had a bird get sick or bring sickness to my flock. I try to be careful and conscientious about protecting my birds (we strip and wash EVERYTHING we're wearing if/when we go to bird shows or marts) but, quite frankly, I wonder how much control we have over diseases like PDD. I think sometimes what if someone doesn't know his or her bird is infected and makes bird toys in the home to sell online? They could one time not wash hands and that disease could be transferred to the toy and then to a new bird. Also, what about toys that seem safe, hanging on the rack at Petsmart or any avian specialty shop. What if they're touched by someone that has an ill bird at home. You'd never know. Obviously there is something at work in the immune systems of our parrots that protects one, yet not another. I'll continue to QT, but I do worry about PDD (probably the most of all since it's so ambiguous about how we can test for it).

 

[goalerjones]

Seems like all the more reason to build my own toys for him.