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How long do you quarantine?

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Archiesmom

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Yay! So I am happy to report that Ella has finally started warming up to me, and seems completely content to stay on my shoulder so long as Paul isn't around, and I'm not trying to take her off of Paul. :rolleyes:

So, we have been quarantining Ella from Archie, but our house is more like a bunch of big, open rooms that flow into each other, and then closed bedrooms off of that. So we currently have Ella in our bedroom right now, but its so isolated in there, poor girl :( So I was wondering exactly how long do you guys quarantine new birds? She was recently given a vet check up (her previous owner had her examined before I brought her home) and she came back with healthy results :dance5:

We're so excited for the quarantine period to be over, so she and Archie can finally meet! They call and call to each other, back and forth. Gets pretty noisy sometimes, but I would be pretty darn interested too if all of the sudden another bird started answering me! :p I'm wondering if a month is a good timeframe? Too much? Too little?
 

chompie_puppy

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I quarantine my birds for 6 weeks. :) This is what my avian vet recommended to me. Of course, if something goes wrong during those 6 weeks (my new fid gets ill), then quarantine starts all over again once they've been treated.

Ella and Archie sound adorable! You have to post photos when they do finally meet! :D
 

Billie Faye

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You are probably jaw drop on my "Q" time but it is around 180 days....but that also include the slow time of introducing the birds to the one who they are going to be with in certain rooms...30 day is very short time....what have you learned about the bird in that time? What has the bird learned about trusting you...and what now happens when you put them into a NEW area with birds?????
You basically are back to square one on the trust and now they have to worry about other birds around and competition....To me, I feel it takes about 90 days for a bird to feel comfortable in a new home/hearing new sounds/learning about you/learning new foods (this is another issue also) /hearing new birds/ etc and we try to cram all of this into them in 30 days and say they are OK to go to another area and start all over!!!!!
I feel it is important for you to learn about the new bird on a one to one level...what are the body languages, how does he eat/when does he eat/poop sleep...What are his alert signs/calls? What are his reaction to things going on in the house...all of this takes time for a bird to relax and you REALLY see how the bird behaves...you hear of the Honeymoon period...it's around 90 days (give or take) Ever think why????
Introducing it very slowly to the old birds TERRORY is very important...you have more than just the new bird to consider in your house hold...the old bird has its territory being invaded..how is that bird going to react?
This is why I go about 180 days when a new bird comes to live with me....I have learn about the bird so I know the difference when it is upset/not feeling well or stress...and I can make adjustments for it/old birds...just some thought for you to consider:hug8:
 

Renae

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I quarantine for 90 days. :) That way I can take any new fid to the Avian Vet and then treat them while still in quarantine (if they're ill or there's something wrong) and then take them back to the Avian Vet to find out if they're all clear before being introduced to the rest of the flock.
 

Archiesmom

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I very much appreciate the input! I am all for a suitable quarantine period, as I know very little about Ella other than last week at this time if I would have tried to get her out of her cage she would have gladly taken a chunk out of me. She has been passed around a lot (from her backstory, we know of at least 3 homes, possibly 4 previous to me) and I can understand that her aggressive personality is probably more of a defensive action on her part, and that a long process of gaining her trust is also in order. I just want to make sure that she is included, as our bedroom is so secluded from the rest of the house, and she cries and cries when we shut the door. I am not really looking to move her into Archie's part of the house for quite some time, I can see doing a full 180 days of slowly moving her closer and closer until they are in the same room, but would it be possible after a month to take her out of the shut in bedroom and keep her in another part of the house? They wouldn't be able to see each other still, but since the house is so open, I am worried about the passing of diseases (even though both are current on their annual vet checks). Do you think moving her from the bedroom would be too stressful? She thrives on Paul and I's interaction with her, especially Paul, and he feels so awful just keeping her in the bedroom with the door shut. I've had to explain to him numerous times the importance of quarantine with the bird, to make sure that it isn't sick and that its adjusted to the household.
 

Archiesmom

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I quarantine for 90 days. :) That way I can take any new fid to the Avian Vet and then treat them while still in quarantine (if they're ill or there's something wrong) and then take them back to the Avian Vet to find out if they're all clear before being introduced to the rest of the flock.
You answered my question before I could even ask it :lol:. I'm a little bit skeptical about this vet report. I will type what is written in the comments section word for word. Thinking I am going to bring her to my vet to do a more thorough examination, just to make sure.
I quote:
"Appears healthy upon exam, all results normal. Not fully hand tamed. Gender reported as female however, cannot 100% guarantee the sex of Ella without a blood test."

I'm thinking that little comment about her not being fully hand tamed might mean Miss Ella grabbed a few chunks of vet flesh before they were able to finish the exam....:o:

Do you guys think that would be wise, or a waste of money? What is this "all results normal"? I've got two pages of vet information that her previous owner gave to me, but it says nothing about which tests were ran...
 

chompie_puppy

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I take any new birds to my avian vet on the first day I bring them home. The standard tests I get them to run are:

- Gram Stain
- Crop Swab
- Physical Exam
- Psittacosis
- White Blood Cell Count

If things are perfectly fine and they get a 100% clean bill of health, then after their six weeks of quarantine they go back to the vet for a final exam.

All the tests are repeated (except for the Psittacosis test).

I, like you, live in an open plan house. It can get pretty hectic trying to divide time between all the fids!
 

Billie Faye

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