A Conures First Vet Visit And What To Expect?

I just recently took 3 of mine to a new vet, and I’m happy to share what I talked about with them. We took baseline bloodwork, did DNA testing, I asked that they do a general wellness check, check body weight and condition, do nail trims for them. The vet also wanted to check in with me about diet, behavior, cages, etc - which I was happy to have them ask about. I didn’t feel like I was being rushed through the appointment, which was important to me - and I liked how the vet interacted with my birds.

If Cody is afraid of cages - are you planning to spend some time desensitizing him a bit to his travel carrier? Baby is very difficult to get into a carrier - but once in there, she’s good. My other 4 are pretty easy to pop into a carrier. I do leave their travel carriers out and open regularly - and I try to pop them in once in awhile and give them a treat (even if they’re only in for a quick moment). I try to be super casual about it, pop them in, leave the door open, give a treat and then move on to some other activity with them....if I catch them exploring the carriers when out, I just pop a treat and move on lol... it works with 4/5 of mine - the carriers are no longer the enemy for the most part. Baby just hates the idea of going into any of the carriers and doesn’t “buy” any of my tricks to put her into one. It’s traumatic for both her and I to get her into a carrier - but she is a happy traveler once closed in and moving.

Good luck - looking forward to hearing more about Cody. I’m also very interested to hear others’ tips for vet visits (I have two more that need their first visit with this new vet)

We just started our annual "Wellness Checkups" last week too...It's always a fun, fun, fun time of the year...do you sense my sarcasm? Lol, no, it's not that bad, it's only because I have 4 of them and they can't all go at the same time, so it's a nightmare...well, that and my Senegal is usually out for blood and I get embarrassed...

I have a great CAV, and he is very thorough...So you definitely want a CAV who spends a bit of time doing a visual/physical exam (they will towel him to do this, no matter what his temperament is like, because they should be looking under his wings, at his vent area, his preen-gland, etc., so don't be surprised about them toweling him)...After he does the visual/physical exam but while he still has them toweled he draws the blood from their neck for the routine, baseline Blood-Work, which should be a part of your bird's yearly Wellness-Exam. That way you get a picture of his overall health, you'll pick-up on any underlying infections, anemia, nutritional deficiencies, and most importantly his liver and kidney function/health...and you can also have him DNA-tested for gender with this same, single blood draw...They should not need to use any sedation or anesthesia at all to draw blood from a bird's neck, if they do then something isn't right, usually it means they aren't comfortable with doing it to begin with...Taking blood from their neck takes all of 30 seconds and is quick, painless, and over before you know it... Then they also do microscopy/gram-stain on the fresh Fecal-sample I bring in, or they'll take a swab themselves if I couldn't get one to bring, and they'll look for any "bad" bacteria, fungi, etc., and to make sure the bird has enough "good" bacteria in their intestinal-tract...

I don't have my guys toenails clipped at the CAV, I do it myself (they don't often need it because I use cement perches and Mineral-Blocks for their beaks as well)...Again, they should not EVER have to use any sedation/anesthesia to clip their toenails..And his beak really shouldn't need to be "trimmed" at all, especially if he's young. I wouldn't EVER let them take a Dremel or any other power tool to your bird's beak, at most a manual hand-file to simply dull the point on the end of his beak, but that's it. NEVER let a power rotary tool near his beak...it's totally unnecessary, and it often results in the death of the bird for multiple reasons. Making sure you have a cement perch and a Mineral-Block for your bird will make toenail and beak trims unnecessary...And besides dulling the point on his beak, there shouldn't be a reason to have to take any beak off, except with a hand-file, maybe...but that's it.

The two previous replies by others pretty much summed it up, but just for reference I'll share what I had done with Skittles.

When I took Skittles for his first vet visit they did the following: wellness exam (basically a 'complete phsyical' only for a bird). They check the eyes, ears, throat, vent, crop and preen gland. They also check feather condition and weight). They also did a complete blood panel (mainly to check for/rule out any diseases or genetic anomalies). I've only had that blood test done once cause that one test alone was almost $200 and there hasn't been a need for another. I also had them do a DNA sex test and they did a nail clipping and beak trim & polish.

As for what information YOU should provide, the more they know about his previous environment the better they can treat since it gives them a good baseline to check for certain things if need be. But any good avian vet will be thorough regardless. You should also provide dietary information as well as the lifestyle and environment you'll be raising him in so they can provide you with accurate information and also hopefully help with the adjustment.

For example, I told Skitty's vet where I got him (a 'local' non-national chain pet store)
as well as the history of that store. I also had been in contact with the breeder so I was able to let the vet know how he was weaned and the breeding environment. I showed them a picture of the cage I housed him in at the time as well as the toys etc that I got for him and where the cage was housed. I also told them about his diet. The only changes they suggested I make was changing his diet (he was previously on a complex seed/pellet commercially sold mix). I changed him over to Harrisons per vet suggestion. The other change I made had to do with his toys and perches. They suggested replacing them with 'all natural' wood perches and toys and only buy rope toys/rope perches that were 100% cotton.