Sad first post-Pachecos Advice

[erniemom]

Hi,
Our beloved White Bellied Caique, died suddenly a couple of weeks ago at the young age of 4. He was a beloved member of the family (albeit loud), we taught him many tricks, and he loved to snuggle and cuddle in towels and blankets. We could not identify any toxins that could have caused this, and an avian specialist told us that it may have been from a virus called Pachecos. My children (ages 11 and 9) and I are very sad. My kids want to get another bird over the summer, but I am scared of infecting another bird. Also, I also had a Senegal parrot for 15 years that died about 6 years ago from PDD, another viral illness. If we do get another parrot what is the minimum amount of time we should wait (I have been told 3, 4, and 6 months)? I want to make sure that there is no trace of the virus that could infect another parrot. We threw out all of his perches, power washed the cage and then disinfected it with bleach. Anything else we should do to rid a virus? Would 3 months be enough time to wait before getting another parrot?

Also, he was a solo bird, but the specialist told us that he may have gotten a virus from toys purchased in a pet store. How do we prevent this from ever happening again to another bird? Do I avoid buying pet supplies from pet stores?

Thank you so much for your advice.

 

[AvianCrew]

Always wash the toys before giving them to parrots. I don't do that, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Take your time. You won't be replacing him if you adopt a new companion, either way. All that cleaning would be enough, imo. also, welcome to the fourm! So sorry about your loss.

 

[Pipsqueak]

I am so sorry. I heard that some people buy only at places that do not have birds, I have bought toys from a bird store before but will be more careful in the future. Have you thought about adopting?

 

[Birdbabe]

Adopt when your ready, as hard as it is, you must disinfect your cage, perches, everything! Twice! Any new item must also be disinfected before giving it to your bird. I'm sorry you lost your baby, but remember, they're all different and the new guy will not " replace" the other guy. It'll be completely different and a new love and adventure awaits!

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I'm so sorry for your loss


I'm not sure on the timeframe to be safe but one thing I'd like to recommend is buying a special cleaner called f10. You can get it on Amazon. It's bird safe and it does a good job of killing viruses and bacteria.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I'm so sorry about your caique. I do not know how long viruses live on surfaces, but hopefully someone will come along that does.

 

[AvianCrew]

Welcome! Sorrry about your caique. Take as long as you need.

 

[Nikomania]

So sorry to hear about your loss. I googled Pacheco virus, and have a link that says wait at least 30-60 days following disinfecting everything.
Pacheco's Disease (PDV)

 

[WendyN]

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I recommend F10 too. Since joining this forum I tend to buy most of my toys from online bird free stores. Its scary how many things you have to worry about. It's such a tragedy what happened to your birds. I'm so sorry that happened to you

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

welcome so sorry for your loss

 

[Birdie Onions]

I'm so sorry for your loss, and welcome to the avenue.
Viruses are a bugger, depending on the virus they can last a while.
Bacteria can last quiet a while as well, there are even bacterias that protect themselves from disinfectant called biofilms. The key is to scrub every surface thoroughly and then wait to dry, then disinfect, as you do not want the disinfectant to be diluted. There must be a minimum contact of 15minutes in order for a disinfect to work, which means you must let it dry in the shade.
Remove all wood as this can not be disinfected, rather buy new perches.
All debris must be removed as well in order for proper disinfection.

 

[Birdie Onions]

Oh sorry, I forgot to mention, if the cage has a plastic base.
Make sure there aren't any fine scratches, this area is prone to harbor bacteria.

 

[jmfleish]

I think the more important question is what did your bird die of? Did you have a necropsy and histopathology done? Until you do that you are only guessing. PBFD is the hardest to get rid of. PDD is probably the next hardest. Everything else should be go away with a good scrubbing.

I'm so sorry about your loss. Your best bet is to talk to your vet about wait times and cleaning practices based on what he/she thinks your bird died of.

 

[SandraK]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I recommend F10 too. Since joining this forum I tend to buy most of my toys from online bird free stores. Its scary how many things you have to worry about. It's such a tragedy what happened to your birds. I'm so sorry that happened to you

I was also going to suggest the F10 since it is used by veterinarians - F10 Veterinary Disinfectant - Home | Facebook There are two types though I believe - one can be left on items to dry and the other should be rinsed off. Don't let the small bottles fool you as the solution is diluted - 1 part F10 to 200 parts clean water.

And where are my manners? Welcome to AA though I'm sorry for your loss and the circumstances. As for how long to wait, I'd say visit some rescues and you and your children may just be chosen by somebirdy instead of you choosing somebirdy.

 

[iamwhoiam]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[erniemom]

Thank you everyone for your advice and kind words. F10 will be on our list before we get a new bird. Yes, we are thinking of adopting. It might be nice to adopt a bird that has passed puberty. I think the adoption place near us makes us wait at least 6 months since we did not get a necropsy (I did not know this was an option until it was too late and the Vet did not mention it). My kids are upset and don't want to wait that long.

 

[SandraK]

I don't think most of us think of a necropsy if we have a single bird who crosses Rainbow Bridge. But you should be able to explain to your kids why the rescue is asking for you to wait. As in: if there are any germs left that made (caique) ill and die, the rescue wants to make sure that they are all gone or dead before we bring somebirdy else home who might catch the same germ and get ill too.

I'd also look at this - were you buying things for your Senegal from the same store that you bought things for your caique from? Consider cross contamination from/at the store where you've purchased your bird supplies over the years, as much as I dislike bringing it up.

 

[erniemom]

Thanks - no- with the Senegal, I used to go to a place that is no longer open. For the Caique, we usually buy on Amazon. However, we went recently to a place near my mother in law which had a variety of pets including 2 conures. So he may have gotten it from them- we bought a toy there. But I also read that pachecos can stay dormant for a long time. So who knows.

 

[expressmailtome]

I am sorry for your loss.