Questions to ask on the first vet visit

So Sunny and Skye will be having their first vet visit next Saturday. They will be seeing the only avian certified vet close to me, which is about a 20 minute drive. I will obviously have them check the weight and poop as well as overall body condition. Is there anything else I should ask for/be aware of? Also, how the heck do I get them there? I have 2 boxes that I have cut holes in for air and holes for a perch close to the bottom as well. Sunny I can get out of the cage, no problem there, he’s my Houdini bird, but Skye refuses to leave his cage. Skye’s cage was open all day today and he won’t even think about leaving it.

I called the store that I bought Skye from after this mornings fiasco (he was there for a few months). Sunny escaped and went to visit Skye. Very small shop, local family owns and runs it. They said they separate birds by breeder so that if 1 breeder has an issue the other birds aren’t exposed. They do have what seems to be random placement of birds, but now I know why. Also all of their birds have a vet check before they are sold including band ID numbers. When he was at the vet last (maybe 5 or 6 months ago) his fecal was normal and was given a clean bill of health.

I didn’t get Sunny from the same place. So I’m hoping everything checks out with Sunny. If it does then I *think* I’m in the clear and don’t have to worry that one will make the other sick.

These little guys captured my heart so fast. I would be devastated ( as well as my children) if anything happened to either one of them.


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Hopefully the vet visit goes well, these little winged creatures become part of the family! I practice getting the birds out and into the carrier before the day that I need to do it - way less stress if I’ve done it and know how much time I need to get it accomplished. My personal preference during vet visits is to be present during all procedures - like drawing blood and that sort of stuff. I know that some vets prefer to do things in a back room.....but until I know and trust the vet, I want to be there when things happen.

Jen5200 said:

Hopefully the vet visit goes well, these little winged creatures become part of the family! I practice getting the birds out and into the carrier before the day that I need to do it - way less stress if I’ve done it and know how much time I need to get it accomplished. My personal preference during vet visits is to be present during all procedures - like drawing blood and that sort of stuff. I know that some vets prefer to do things in a back room.....but until I know and trust the vet, I want to be there when things happen.

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Yeah...the whole practice thing...we shall see if Skye is agreeable to that. Sunny loves to escape his cage as often he can but Skye wants nothing to do with anything outside of his cage. Worst case I can have my husband grab (and probably traumatize him) while I play the savior who lets him back into the cage...


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Will Skye get on a perch you place in front of him? Oliver won't get on my finger but he will ride on the perch to the cage door or just beyond. Maybe if Skye would ride on the perch to the cage door you could then get him in the box without too much trauma.

He will get on a perch, I’ve been trying to get him to come out using the perch and millet and he’s just not interested as soon as the millet is outside the door he’s jumping onto a toy. He really doesn’t want to come out...I can’t say I blame him. He’s been in a cage his whole life so the “outside” must be scary to him.


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When I was a child my grandfather, who lived on about 20 acres in the country, raised parakeets and had a large aviary outside. He gave us a blue and white male we named Corky. Well Corky tamed down quickly, learned some words and had run of the house during the day. He was put in his cage at night and covered, and caged when we left the house. He never had that tag put on his leg, and didn't experience the trauma of being shipped from breeder to pet store. What a contrast Corky was to these birds now that go through so much before reaching the buyers.

Sometimes Oliver will let me gently rub him in the a.m., but not the rest of the day. He pretty much spends the rest of the day eating and playing with toys. I'm afraid some of these breeders amount to being equal to puppy and kitten mills. All of their interest lies in the money.

It’s definitely not easy on these little guys before we finally get them. It’s amazing how much stress and trauma they go through to get to us. I know Skye was from a semi local breeder, so his shipping to the pet store consisted of a couple hours in a vehicle, then a 15 minute drive home to our house. I can’t imagine how they ship birds to big pet stores...that has to be absolutely awful for them. Then the whole catching and boxing process...it’s amazing they ever learn to trust us.


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