Disease

[Nopi13]

Hello. How easy can a parrot get a disease from another parrot? I visited my friends house. His love bird is sick and my cockatiel was near his cage. He actually touched the cage. Is there any possibility for Parrot to get sick because of that?

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[Bird_Boy]

I would be careful. Did he touch the cage with his mouth to climb? His feet?

 

[Bird_Boy]

there is a video here for keeping parrots clean
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jroT2ORUnwc"]Keeping Your Parrot Clean | Bird Hygiene - YouTube[/ame]

 

[noodles123]

I know this isn't what you hoped to hear (sorry) but they can catch them very easily- many diseases are airborne via microscopic particles of dander and feces that float around. You should never bring your bird around other birds if you can help it (even those that seem healthy) as asymptomatic carriers of serious diseases are common. It really depends on the specific illness, so if you know that, you could better assess risk.


The fact that this bird was sick and living there increases the risk and that is compounded by the fact that he breathed the air but also touched the cage.


What is your friend's bird sick with?


Viruses are the ones most likely to spread in the air via dander etc and those are often most dangerous (as they are not treatable and due to the fact that many healthy carriers spread them unknowingly)..and because their incubation time-lines can range from months to over a decade from the time of exposure (but that varies bird to bird)


Bacterial infections are easier to deal with but there are still some really nasty ones like psittacosis (Chlamydophila psittaci, Chlamydophila avium, or Chlamydophila gallinacea ).


In the future, do not allow your bird around birds that are not yours and if you bring a new one home, quarantine is essential for 45 days BARE minimum as far from the other bird as possible (totally separate rooms). This won't prevent asymptomatic spread, but it will at least prevent a new bird who is pre-symptomatic from infecting your bird. It's also important to keep in mind that your bird could pose a threat to others if he/she is already a carrier of something, so that is why you shouldn't allow them around others (barring an adoption situation in which some risk is inherent, but in which quarantine is observed).

 

[Nopi13]

I didn't knew that his bird was sick. I just saw his birds poop and they were so watery so i guessed it was sick.

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[Nopi13]

I would be careful. Did he touch the cage with his mouth to climb? His feet?

He touched the cage just a little bit with his mouth i took his away immediately

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[noodles123]

You were in the space with him, so even if he hadn't touched the cage with his mouth, there is serious risk *if the bird is actively sick or even just a carrier*--the fact that your bird touched the cage with his mouth makes it even more risky, but just entering the home was risky. Again, you won't know the extent of the risk unless you know what is wrong with the other bird specifically, as certain viruses float in the air on invisible dander etc. That is why super fancy boarding facilities have their own air systems for each enclosure.


It's important to remember that even a bird in perfect health with non-watery poop etc (perfect feathers, no symptoms at all) can spread deadly disease (most common when it comes to PDD, ABV and PBFD but not limited to), which is why they shouldn't be around others unless it is absolutely essential. Some of the scariest diseases are extremely common in terms of asymptomatic spread, and yours could be a carrier too, so this isn't just about your bird's safety, but also about the safety of other birds.


Going to a place like a vet is even risky but it's far less risky than entering the home/air space where a bird has been living because their HVAC etc is going to be pumping particles around the house

 

[Nopi13]

You were in the space with him, so even if he hadn't touched the cage with his mouth, there is serious risk *if the bird is actively sick or even just a carrier*--the fact that your bird touched the cage with his mouth makes it even more risky, but just entering the home was risky. Again, you won't know the extent of the risk unless you know what is wrong with the other bird specifically, as certain viruses float in the air on invisible dander etc. That is why super fancy boarding facilities have their own air systems for each enclosure.


It's important to remember that even a bird in perfect health with non-watery poop etc (perfect feathers, no symptoms at all) can spread deadly disease (most common when it comes to PDD, ABV and PBFD but not limited to), which is why they shouldn't be around others unless it is absolutely essential. Some of the scariest diseases are extremely common in terms of asymptomatic spread, and yours could be a carrier too, so this isn't just about your bird's safety, but also about the safety of other birds.


Going to a place like a vet is even risky but it's far less risky than entering the home/air space where a bird has been living because their HVAC etc is going to be pumping particles around the house

Yeah so what can i do now? Should i wait? Cause i don't think that my friend will take his bird to the vet. That is a problem cause i will not be able to know which disease it is dealing with.

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[noodles123]

You really can't do anything other than wait. Even if your bird shows no symptoms, do not assume he/she is safe around other birds (as you don't know what was wrong, but also because, again, many infected birds live full lives but kill other birds via transmission-- you don't know if your bird is a carrier or if another bird is a carrier). Transmission (depending on the disease) can occur just from being in the same home, so keep that in mind as well.


If you see any symptoms, at that point, get your bird to an avian vet (if at all possible). Keep in mind, that birds hide illness, so by the time you see illness, they are often quite sick and the visit shouldn't be put off.


I would note the date that this occurred as well, and the symptoms you observed (in case you do end up having to go to the vet)


When it comes to things like pdd, abv and pbfd, test results often provide false negatives for asymptomatic spreaders...plus, with extremely variable incubation periods, it could take up to 10 years to get a positive result *which doesn't always even happen for carriers even though they are spreading it-- viral shed is variable*


Basically, stay away from other birds and watch closely (which is what people should do even if they don't have an exposure). If you see symptoms (however minor) take them seriously--- vet will likely do a gram stain, culture and possibly a cbc in order to rule out certain bacterial infections.
A CBC will not tell you if your bird is a viral carrier, as carrier's bodies do not react poorly. To test for specific viruses, you need specific serology panels, but again, depending on whether your bird is a carrier, asymptomatic or ill, the results would vary in terms of their accuracy.

 

[Laurasea]

noodles gave you such great information.

I would add get a digital kitchen scale and start weighing your burd daily for 3 weeks. Then go to weekly. Sick birds will often loose weight as the first sign something is wrong.

You go by % 3% lost see vet, 5% lost or more definitely sick

Take grams lost divide by their normal weight x100 = % lost.

 

[Nopi13]

Thank you all for the information you share with me. Im so glad. I will do everything you insist to me.

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