quarantine and introducing him to the family

[Rizosmom]

So I know that when Kenickie arrives I will need to quarantine him....question is how far is far enough away from the other fids.....we have an old 2 story home that has the old style dining room with french doors leading into the living room....Rizo and Maggie are in the living room....can I put Kenickie in the dining room? I can't put him in the basement and I really do not want to haul the cage upstairs plus we are only up there when we go to bed....thoughts? I have a month to come up with the plan lol....

Also...down the road how do I properly introduce the birds... I never did anything special with Maggie and Rizo and frankly they just ignore each other...

oh and here's a new pic of my 7 week old little boy!

 

[getwozzy]

It's best if you can put the newbie as far away as possible for QT- the thing is, is they need separate air because airborne illnesses can circulate easily room-to-room. Can you put Kenickie in a bedroom?

The easiest route is to take Kenickie to a certified avian vet as soon as you can- if he checks out healthy then you can end QT early since you still have a month to plan, you could probably schedule an avet appointment for the same day you pick him up and then you wouldn't have to do QT at all as long as he checks out healthy.

 

[Rizosmom]

OH wow ok....I did not know that! I can definitely call my vet and get an appt for the same day or the next day depending on when his flight is....I can always put him in a smaller cage that I have upstairs if its just for one night....this site is great I have learned so much!

 

[getwozzy]

Yes, one night is easier than 30 days of QT lol.

Make sure you wash your hands before/after you handle any of your birds during that one day though- you don't want to spread germs to or from kenickie. And if you let him ON you- on your clothes, etc you'll want to change clothes and shower after handling him like that...standard QT rules. And close the air vents in the room you plan to keep him in so the air won't circulate out into the house, and put a towl on the floor in front of the door so air can't go under the door.

 

[MikeyTN]

When you purchase baby birds from a breeder you only have a certain amount of time to take them into the avian vet to check if they're healthy and all or your warranty would be void.

 

[Merlee]

When I had my new amazon checked by a vet within 7 days of bringing him home, he was given a clean bill of health. I asked if I could put him in the same room as my macaw even though the quarantine time was not up. The vet said no because it takes 30 days for any disease to appear and could infect him. I was disappointed and followed through with the quarantine. By doing so, the bird had the opportunity to get know me in a quiet environment and helped with the bonding process.

Has anybody not gone through the quarantine process and ending up having to treat a sick bird? I am curious if it is really necessary because I have not seen any questions relating to this topic on any forums I participate. I would like to know the diagnosis and how it was treated.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I would always recommend quarantine for 30 days, plus vet check - IF it can be done without stressing the bird too much. The vet check is much more important than the 30 day quarantine, IMO.

Here is the thing about quarantine if it is to be of any effect: The bird must be far enough away from your current bird that no air can cross contaminate - so in a different air space all together. If you have central heat/air, you could put the bird upstairs in a closed room and it simply wouldn't matter as the air WILL be shared with the downstairs at some point.

Each time you spend time with the "quarantined" bird, you must first change into new clothes and shower, and the "old" clothes should be washed.

Sounds a bit excessive? Unfortunately there are some nasty viral diseases that a bird can carry but may never show symptoms of. Some viral diseases are: Exotic Newcastle Disease, Polyoma Virus, Pacheco's Parrot Disease (PPD), and Proventricular Dilation Disease (PDD).

In reality it's extremely difficult to quarantine a new bird effectively enough so that other fids in the home will not be exposed. Common folks like us just don't have the means to block out all the air and/or take all the other necessary actions, and often unknowingly and unwillingly cross contaminate "something". That's why a prompt vet visit is SO much more important than the actual "quarantine".

Kenicki is SO beautiful!!! I don't think you need to do anything "special" once you put him into the same area as your other fids. Just do the same thing as you did with Maggie and Rizo.

 

[crimson]

here you go Rizosmom- everything you need to know about the 4 major diseases

Diseases

 

[Rizosmom]

Yes I was planning on taking Kenickie to the vet right away regardless of the quarantine....I wish it was going to be spring here when he came home so that I could quarantine him properly (I have a beautiful sun room that he would love to spend his days) unfortunately the way this winter is going it will still be -50 when he gets here....gee I hope I am kidding ....but in all seriousness if it doesn't warm up here I won't want them to send him via air because well its just too cold here...

Wendy, that's exactly what I thought about the quarantine, we have a gas furnace so it isn't like any room could house Kenickie to be separate from the rest of my babies....I can't close the vent or there would be no heat so that's just not an option.

Thanks for that link Crimson its funny because I go on that site when looking for breeders but never noticed that section and it was very helpful...those diseases are horrible and I want to do whatever I can to keep them all happy and healthy...

Let me ask this what temperature does a room need to be so that its comfortable for Kenickie....reason I am asking is because this is an old house that we have been renovating and before I move a cage I want to check the temperatures and for drafts in the bedrooms upstairs to make sure they are warm enough for him....

The washing hands, changing clothes etc were all things that I had thought of because I support people living with intellectual disabilities. We have to be very conscious of all of those things esp. for the ppl that are susceptible to illnesses.

All in all I am so very excited to get him just want to make sure I do everything I can to provide a safe stressfree environment for him until I introduce him to our crazy household :54:

 

[MikeyTN]

That's part of the reason why reputable breeders is so important. They will not risk ruining their reputation.