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Someone is trying to get me to adopt a parrot from a shelter. The bird is a type of Amazon, about 18 years old. He seems healthy - in appearance.
I presently have 2 birds and I'm concerned about bringing in a new bird which might be carrying an avian disease. One of my birds is 10 and one is 20 years old and both are presently in good health.
Are there tests that can be run on their droppings that would prove that this bird is healthy?
We already had a young Conure and someone wanted us to adopt a 3 year old African Grey. The person giving up the Grey had too many holes in his story, and I believe the bird had never seen a vet in her 3 years of life.
We kept the birds apart until all of the tests could be run. If you do not have a friend or family member who can keep the bird during the testing period, you might want to consider boarding the bird with your Avian vet.
More than likely, since the Amazon is 18 years old, he is fine. Your birds are over the age of 2, so they have their immunities in place to be impervious to many of the parrot diseases (if they were under 2 yrs, the risk is significantly higher).
I forget all the names of the tests, but yes, they will take droppings (the vet will collect the droppings in the office), they will probably draw blood (good time to test the DNA if there's any chance the bird might be female and not really a male), and they will probably swab the crop. I think the full panel cost me $80 when we had it done (might have been less, but that's what I'm remembering).
Today that Grey is 9 years old and her best bud is that Conure, now 7 years old .
How long did it take to ge the results from the tests?
I will call them tomorrow and see about the test.
I really do like him and he really seems to like me. Apparently, no one else is able to even handle him. I don't want to lose everyone and it be my fault!
How long did it take to ge the results from the tests?
I will call them tomorrow and see about the test.
I really do like him and he really seems to like me. Apparently, no one else is able to even handle him. I don't want to lose everyone and it be my fault!
At that time, and from my memory, I think it was roughly 1-2 weeks.
But......
This was quite a few years ago and the process might be quicker now. You could also ask for the results to be expedited and pay a little extra if need be.
Really, the physical exam answered so much for the vet. Many of these diseases manifest in unhealthy feather formation and other very visible signs. You know birds, and if this bird looks healthy chances are good that it is healthy.
I would make a call to your Avian vet and see what they say. Here is a link to mine with their page of links - you can find a lot of health information here:
You know birds, and if this bird looks healthy chances are good that it is healty.
I must respectfully disagree with this statement. Just because a bird looks healthy, that is no indication that the bird is indeed healthy.
A new bird should be quarantined for six to eight weeks. This not only includes keeping them at a separate area, it includes keeping the air handlers separate. Additionally, wearing different clothing and utilizing strict handwashing techniques are an absolute must.
I must respectfully disagree with this statement. Just because a bird looks healthy, that is no indication that the bird is indeed healthy.
A new bird should be quarantined for six to eight weeks. This not only includes keeping them at a separate area, it includes keeping the air handlers separate. Additionally, wearing different clothing and utilizing strict handwashing techniques are an absolute must.
The OP is very familiar with parrots and would recognize the obvious signs of a sick parrot, so I was taking that into account.
What I had said was since this is an 18 year old parrot who appears healthy by all accounts, since the OP knows the owner of the bird/knows the history, more than likely the bird is fine.
But, yes, absolutely the bird should be quarantined (I suggested that as well) and absolutely the bird should be examined by an avian vet for any possible diseases (which I also suggested).
I don't think we're disagreeing at all, I think we're in agreement - if the OP was to take the bird in, the bird needs a full exam done by an Avain vet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by riveree
We did this years ago.
We already had a young Conure and someone wanted us to adopt a 3 year old African Grey. The person giving up the Grey had too many holes in his story, and I believe the bird had never seen a vet in her 3 years of life.
We kept the birds apart until all of the tests could be run. If you do not have a friend or family member who can keep the bird during the testing period, you might want to consider boarding the bird with your Avian vet.
More than likely, since the Amazon is 18 years old, he is fine. Your birds are over the age of 2, so they have their immunities in place to be impervious to many of the parrot diseases (if they were under 2 yrs, the risk is significantly higher).
I forget all the names of the tests, but yes, they will take droppings (the vet will collect the droppings in the office), they will probably draw blood (good time to test the DNA if there's any chance the bird might be female and not really a male), and they will probably swab the crop. I think the full panel cost me $80 when we had it done (might have been less, but that's what I'm remembering).
Today that Grey is 9 years old and her best bud is that Conure, now 7 years old .
Quote:
Originally Posted by riveree
At that time, and from my memory, I think it was roughly 1-2 weeks.
But......
This was quite a few years ago and the process might be quicker now. You could also ask for the results to be expedited and pay a little extra if need be.
Really, the physical exam answered so much for the vet. Many of these diseases manifest in unhealthy feather formation and other very visible signs. You know birds, and if this bird looks healthy chances are good that it is healthy.
I would make a call to your Avian vet and see what they say. Here is a link to mine with their page of links - you can find a lot of health information here:
any of these diseases manifest in unhealthy feather formation and other very visible signs. You know birds, and if this bird looks healthy chances are good that it is healthy.
People, on the other hand.... may look healthy and be completely disabled and/or running a wicked fever. But we aren't talking about people and this has virtually no bearing on the topic at hand. Poor riveree, I think you were egged by someone who wasn't reading all the posts - just caught a glimpse of one of your posts and took a trip out to left field - - - as is my "people" comment.
The OP is very familiar with parrots and would recognize the obvious signs of a sick parrot, so I was taking that into account.
What I had said was since this is an 18 year old parrot who appears healthy by all accounts, since the OP knows the owner of the bird/knows the history, more than likely the bird is fine.
The OP may very well indeed be familiar with parrots, but when one describes a bird as some type of amazon, I do not get the impression that they are an expert. Most of us are not. An expert may have described the bird as a BFA or a YNA, etc. instead and probably wouldn't have even made the original post.
I reread this thread and do not see where the OP said s/he knows the owner of the bird/knows the history. This bird is in a shelter. It would seem to me that either someone s/he knows visited the shelter and contacted him/her when she saw the amazon there, or the OP knows someone who works at the shelter.
I disagree that a bird should be quarantined until all the tests are run. As you posted, that is usually 1-2 weeks, with the possibility of it being expedited upon request. A quarantine of just two weeks is not long enough and less time is even less adequate. New birds should be quarantined for 6-8 weeks, in addition to being seen by an avian vet, regardless of how healthy a bird visually appears.
I posted links in this thread. They each parrot my opinion about the lengthy quarantine (pun intended) and explain the rationale behind it. To summarize, it is because many avian diseases lie dormant until activated by stressful situations, such as going to a new home. Some viruses can hide for weeks or months before making an appearance. In the meantime, the bird sheds the virus and infects others.
Last edited by CheyDee; 07-12-2008 at 03:16 AM..
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