How long are birds contagious?

[TayKiren]

I am currently treating my birds for an upper respiratory infection. They have been on antibiotics for about a week now, so I am fully cleaning out and disinfecting their quarantine cages and then returning them. They will be on antibiotics for another week. Does anyone know if they are still contagious at this point? Can they reinfect themselves? My mom says humans aren't contagious once on antibiotics for a few days, but I can't find if this is also true for birds. I assume it would be, but I thought I'd ask and see if anyone else knows.

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[Laurasea]

That’s hard to say. But it sounds like yiu are taking great precautions.
Some bacteria takes longer to clear , so I think it’s best to act as tho they are infectious until they finish medication. Just be safe.

I hope your babies continue to get better.

 

[noodles123]

It depends-- if you are sure it is bacterial, I would finish the course of antibiotics before returning them to the others. If they were together previously, you should make sure that the "healthy" birds are actually healthy.

With viruses, it is a way different story.

 

[SailBoat]

So very well stated above!

Of all the Avian Medical Professionals that I have spoken to, all of them state that the Parrot should be considered contagious until the full treatment time recommended for the medication is completed. That is commonly two (2) weeks, but could be longer. The reasoning is a combination of whether the treatment is for bacterial or viral and the underlining health of the Parrot. Because of the variation, the Parrot should be consider contagious!

Interestingly, the same is true for Humans. The belief that the medication quickly builds antibodies and that the Human therefore is no longer contagious is 'as a general statement' Not True! There are extensive variations depending of the bacterial or viral menus one is fighting, let alone if it is a fungus, which can be vasty different. Contagious status is until the treatment is completed 'and' the Medical Professional has determined the illness has been defeated.

 

[TayKiren]

Thanks everyone! It's just my luck that today I noticed one of the parakeets seemed to be spitting up and having a hard time eating. The closest avian vet open today was over an hour away, whoooo! So yeah, today was a long day. Turns out she has a GI infection (don't remember exactly what he said, ugh, I wish vets would write it down), but she should be okay. She had lost almost 20 grams, which is terrifying. I can't believe I didn't notice until today, but I'm glad I was able to take her somewhere. She was tube fed, but the vet said she might not start feeling better for a few days, so does anyone have any tips on getting her more interested in food for the time being?

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[noodles123]

You could try jarred baby food (like mashed pears etc). Just make sure that it doesn't have any added fortification (many have a little vitamin C for preservation, and in moderation, that is okay)..but you don't want anything else added (no salt, added iron etc). Mashed potatoes (no salt or butter, sweet potatoes (steamed, no salt/butter), steamed corn (not that healthy, but it is calories), cooked rice (rinses before cooking until water is clear, no added salt), cooked quinoa (no salt etc), cooked plain oatmeal (you can mash a banana or something and add it in if you want).

This new infection could be related to the old..so just make sure you keep cleaning with a safe cleaner, isolating the sick ones and watching the others like a hawk.

 

[SailBoat]

With the ever lengthening names of stuff in the Medical World it has become very important to ask for a medical care document that reviews what was covered during the visit, what was found and what follow-up care and or medication is provided and how it is administered and for how long. In todays World, have them email it to you.

 

[TayKiren]

I got a document of everything during the visit, just not the diagnosis. He said it was an opportunistic infection that develops when a bird's immune system is already low and is not really contagious, but of course I will be watching them just in case.

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