Hypothetical question about quarantine

[Bridgette]

I have been thinking a lot about quarantine. I ask this not to question the importance of it, but as a way to understand the parameters of it. I will be adding a bird or birds someday soon and I want to know I will do it properly.

So, say you have a bird or birds. You are thinking of adding to your flock. Someone you trust offers to give you their bird, who has been a single bird. Now, you trust this person and they say the bird they have is healthy. Would you still quarantine? Or would you just do a thorough vet check?

Also, if you buy a baby from a closed aviary, would you quarantine for less time than if you bought a bird from a pet store?

 

[JLcribber]

The very first thing you should do is a thorough vet check no matter what the situation "before" you bring them home.

A closed aviary only means you can't go in there. Depending on the size and "condition" of the closed aviary it can and many times does have lots of sick birds. The more birds in one place the higher the risk that illness is present. A lot of aviaries are "closed" because they don't want outsiders to discover their horrible conditions. Just sayin'

 

[Bridgette]

Thanks for the response!!

Like I said, I'm not questioning the importance of quarantine. And I do know that a thorough vet check is mandatory, regardless of where the bird is from. I was just asking if there are any situations where a quarantine isn't warranted.

I don't have anyone I trust gifting me birds, so it was simply a hypothetical question.

 

[Danita]

I was just asking if there are any situations where a quarantine isn't warranted.

Good question!

 

[jmfleish]

As John said, the very first thing you should do with any new bird is vet them...this is to ensure that you have a healthy bird and to establish a baseline on that bird.

And, ideally, you should probably still do a quarantine until the new bird has established itself in its new environment. They say that birds can get sick when they are stressed and moving a bird to a new home could definitely be stressful. That and the fact that you are exposing the new bird to a new household with new issues (things in the air it might not be used to), quarantine is always a good idea.

 

[jmfleish]

Good question!

Honestly, if you want to be safe and not sorry, I'd have to say no...take that with a grain of salt of course from someone who rarely does quarantine but more because I don't have the facilities to do it properly in. It also really and truly depends on the bird.

 

[sodakat]

I have a different opinion. Hypothetically a bird who has lived alone for many years would be disease free. If the bird is a species that is known to be a carrier, well that is a another matter and truthfully, I wouldn't bring one of them into my home with my Eclectus.

I trust the MAP certification process (Model Aviculture Program, Inc.) and did buy an adult bird from a MAP certified aviary this year and did not quarantine him. But, I respect and trust this breeder and know the precautions they take. I would not buy from a breeder/aviary that I was unfamiliar with or who was not a well known breeder of the species I keep.

I know I cannot quarantine properly in my home so any testing has to be done on the bird before it arrives. Quarantine here would be just a feel good measure.

 

[Chantilly Lace]

You need to quarantine even a healthy bird. They can carry different bacteria that doesn't make them sick, but would make another bird sick. Definitely do quarantine. I do it in different air space because I am lucky enough to already have that, but it is not easy. Worth it though!

 

[merlinsmom13]

Not to take away from a serious important question, but if Kiwi was in WV, a quarantine would be a non-issue.

 

[lotus15]

I would definitely still quarantine a single bird that was presumably healthy. You never know if their owner frequented bird shows or even the occasional pet store, or hung out with other bird-owning friends.

For me, I'd do a full vet check with ALL the tests and quarantine for 60 days. If purchasing from a closed aviary or otherwise less-risk associated situation, I'd still do the full vet check but only quarantine for 30 days as long as everything came back clean. To me, 30 days is the absolute minimum quarantine, no matter the situation.

 

[QP4CAG]

Bridgette, before we brought Jax home, (he was in a quarantined situation at his breeders) we took him straight on over to the vet. IMO, rather be safe than sorry. As we waited for some of his results to come back, he was in a completely different room than ross....i want to say a week before the results came back stating he was healthy...then we slowly merged him into the same room w/ross and let me talk to each other and it was perfectly fine Good luck!

 

[itzmered]

John brought up a good point about closed Aviaries and one I had never thought of. Unless you really know the breeder personally how are you to know that they are using the closed aviary concept to protect their birds or to keep people from seeing their true conditions? I would do the best quarantine I am capable of doing and also a vet check as soon as possible

 

[crzybrdldy]

John also gave info on how to quarantine in homes that do have shared airspace on a previous thread. So there really isn't a good reason to not do a quarantine.

So yes I would quarantine any new bird coming into my home, period.

 

[mrstweet]

Yes, you should quarantine.

When birds are stressed (even not visibly) by something like a move into a new home/environment, they can shed virus particles that your existing flock may not be immune to. The existing flock members can shed particles that the newbie is not immune to. It's better overall.

I promise it is worth it. When you break it (whether intentional or not) you WILL feel like crap afterwards for putting your fids in danger. Take it from someone who has been there.