I Am Totally Devestated

[melbournebudgies 0]

My main flight which houses about 60 budgies has been hit with psitticosis Other than maybe a pigeon coming in through the garage door(the flight is inside the garage) I can't think where it would have come from, I haven't added any un quarantined birds, etc. They are being treated but so far it isn't looking good, I've already lost ten and there are about 30 huddled under heat lights all fluffed up at the moment and others just randomly dropped off perches. I have five birds which haven't become ill in my breeding aviary and two chicks inside which are fine but at the moment I'm facing the devestating reality of loosing almost my whole flock. Man I need to just eat some chocolate and have good cry right now. :yellowhead:

[renee 0]

My main flight which houses about 60 budgies has been hit with psitticosis Other than maybe a pigeon coming in through the garage door(the flight is inside the garage) I can't think where it would have come from, I haven't added any un quarantined birds, etc. They are being treated but so far it isn't looking good, I've already lost ten and there are about 30 huddled under heat lights all fluffed up at the moment and others just randomly dropped off perches. I have five birds which haven't become ill in my breeding aviary and two chicks inside which are fine but at the moment I'm facing the devestating reality of loosing almost my whole flock. Man I need to just eat some chocolate and have good cry right now. :yellowhead:

 

Have you taken one to the vet for diagnosis? Are you giving them Doxy?

[Daz 0]

MB... psittacosis can be transmitted to Humans. You can be carrying it from your quarantine birds to your flight.

 

In a proper quarantine, the quarantine birds are attended to very last and then you are to disinfect yourself.

[Pearce 0]

I'm very sorry to hear that Melbournebudgies.

[**KAZ** 0]

I have been where you are with Kens parrots and I also have had psittacosis. It may have gone from quarantined birds to you to the others without knowing it...just dust from droppings will do it. I am so sorry :yellowhead: You have them on doxyvet or psittavet right ?

[lochlan 0]

My main flight which houses about 60 budgies has been hit with psitticosis Other than maybe a pigeon coming in through the garage door(the flight is inside the garage) I can't think where it would have come from, I haven't added any un quarantined birds, etc. They are being treated but so far it isn't looking good, I've already lost ten and there are about 30 huddled under heat lights all fluffed up at the moment and others just randomly dropped off perches. I have five birds which haven't become ill in my breeding aviary and two chicks inside which are fine but at the moment I'm facing the devestating reality of loosing almost my whole flock. Man I need to just eat some chocolate and have good cry right now. :yellowhead:

 

Have you taken one to the vet for diagnosis? Are you giving them Doxy?

I agree , You need to see a vet , it could be any number of diseases

[melbournebudgies 0]

They are being treated under the guidance of my vet with doxy My quarantine is very strict, I keep them in the bathroom(unused one) for four weeks and they are attended to first thing in the morning before I even shower or dress, then my pjs go straight into a hot wash and I get in the shower and scrub before seeing to my other birds over the course of the day. After the four weeks is up they spend another two weeks outside also in isolation before joining the main flock.

 

Oh and I've had psitticosis before(as in me personally) so I'm aware of the potential risk to me so every care is being taken.

 

 

Actually I was a little surprised you guys had to ask :yellowhead: I guess that's what happens when you go AWOL for a while

 

 

ETA: I haven't had any new birds in for a while anyway, I certainy would have expected that if I was going to have a problem due to added birds I would have had it long before now

Edited April 17, 2009 by melbournebudgies

[**Liv** 0]

I am so sorry to hear that. :yellowhead:

I hope many recover and you dont have much more loss.

 

With small kids and a baby on the way i would be extremely careful - might be best to get someone else to tend to the birds to ensure you dont catch it.

[melbournebudgies 0]

There isn't anyone else that can unfortunately Liv, just me and the kids. I'm being very careful though :yellowhead:

[**KAZ** 0]

Neighbours with birds ? Droppings dust can carry on the wind. When we had it in Kens aviary and the budgie aviary was just feet away, we also covered the mesh with plastic to keep the dust travel down.....none of my budgies caught it.

Please look after yourself :yellowhead:

Edited April 17, 2009 by KAZ

[melbournebudgies 0]

Have just read AVs post about her losses, we got birds from the same breeder :yellowhead: I will be taking one of those birds back to the vet in the morning to be retested, I need to be sure I'm treating the right thing.

[lochlan 0]

I have read articles by vets that say Quarantine isnt 100% effective , as a true carrier bird is never cured even after medication , a carrier bird can supress illness for 12 months or more before showing the signs of illness and in this time spreads the disease .

Birds have a built in factor from the wild that stops them from showing weakness , this is so predators dont get them straight away, you will never find this in quarantine.

Even though I dont breed anymore , I think putting birds under breeding stress is the easiest way to see if they are carrying anything.

With todays birds and all the problems that have been bred into them , Quarantine is almost obselete.

Goodluck with yours Melbournebudgies, Looks to me like you will need to Doxy every year from now on , thats why big breeders do it. Our pets and stock are worth too much not too!!

[**KAZ** 0]

I have read articles by vets that say Quarantine isnt 100% effective , as a true carrier bird is never cured even after medication , a carrier bird can supress illness for 12 months or more before showing the signs of illness and in this time spreads the disease .

Birds have a built in factor from the wild that stops them from showing weakness , this is so predators dont get them straight away, you will never find this in quarantine.

Even though I dont breed anymore , I think putting birds under breeding stress is the easiest way to see if they are carrying anything.

With todays birds and all the problems that have been bred into them , Quarantine is almost obselete.

Goodluck with yours Melbournebudgies, Looks to me like you will need to Doxy every year from now on , thats why big breeders do it. Our pets and stock are worth too much not too!!

 

This is correct. I had a hen who appeared perfectly healthy who was carrying psittacosis.....she went on to infect her breeding partner and he died and so did all the birds in breeding cabinets around them.......losses from 6 breeders cabinet...adults and chicks.

[nubbly5 0]

Oh nooo! You AND AV. You poor things. It's as easy as a wild bird pooping on your lawn and you inadvertantly picking up a bit of dirt on your shoes if it is psittacosis. Damn heartbreaking whatever the cause. I feel for you both and hope you get on top of it soon.

Edited April 17, 2009 by nubbly5

[Dave_McMinn 0]

Everytime you introduce a new bird into an avairy, you take a risk. it can be heartbreaking.

 

I recently had to put down one of my recently pruchased top hens. She never got near the aviary. She was ill, may have recovered, may not, but I could not risk it. She could infect the whole flock. tough decisions need to be made, but sometimes, we think we do everything right, and we can still be caught out.

[Heathrow 0]

In my experience, psiticosis doesn't cause losses so quickly. Sounds like coccidiosis, which is probably just as difficult to control.

[**KAZ** 0]

In my experience, psiticosis doesn't cause losses so quickly. Sounds like coccidiosis, which is probably just as difficult to control.

Psittacosis when it hit my husbands parrots took a two birds a day or more. He lost half his flock in a few days.

Cocci took a lot of birds real fast too when it hit the budgies. I lost 40 birds over a couple of days.

Edited April 17, 2009 by KAZ

[melbournebudgies 0]

This saga has played out over the course of a number of days Heathrow, we lost the first on Monday, started treating on Tuesday(initially it was only the one that died which looked ill and we didn't realise the magnitude of the problem) and we are still loosing them now.

[krosp 0]

I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to you even though you've taken such perfect care

[melbournebudgies 0]

Just did a late check then as I have heat lights going on them 24 hrs so I can sneak a peak without bothering them. About 15 are still perching although not all of those look 100%, the rest have all huddled under the heat lights. Most of those are quite weak so I've put some shallow water dishes down with their meds(which I have seen a fair few of them drinking) and also just spread seed all over the floor where they are huddled as they are picking at it slowly and eating while they rest. No more dead since I checked after lunch...

[Munchie's Mum 0]

Fingers crossed!!

[renee 0]

MB I am so sorry you are experiencing the devastation of an outbreak of a killer disease. I'm not so sure about the wisdom of open water dishes, how about a drinker placed on the floor nearby?

 

Heat and carbs are vital so adding Calcivet to the water would be good, though you'll have to replenish it regularly.

 

For all the ones huddling around looking crook I would crop feed them a mixture of calcivet and protein powder every 6-8 hours.

[shannon bird breeder 0]

hopeing for the best for you

 

so sorry :rip:

Edited April 17, 2009 by shannon bird breeder

[Daz 0]

MB I am so sorry you are experiencing the devastation of an outbreak of a killer disease. I'm not so sure about the wisdom of open water dishes, how about a drinker placed on the floor nearby?

 

Heat and carbs are vital so adding Calcivet to the water would be good, though you'll have to replenish it regularly.

 

For all the ones huddling around looking crook I would crop feed them a mixture of calcivet and protein powder every 6-8 hours.

 

Very Good advice for all.

[splat 0]

MB I am so sorry for your losses , I really hope things improve for you. Have you loss any of the ones from here yet.