I was reading the quaratine program in the faq, do you have to treat them for canker,coccidiosis, megacteria. even if they don't have these things, I already worm and give my birds vitamins.

you quarantine when you bring in new birds. You cannot know what a new bird has or does not have in terms of disease. Your birds are not knew birds, so you are not quarantining them are you?

you quarantine when you bring in new birds. You cannot know what a new bird has or does not have in terms of disease. Your birds are not knew birds, so you are not quarantining them are you?

 

yes I am getting new birds from pet shops, what do I need to do. Do I have to treat them all for canker,coccidiosis, megacteria?

When quarantining a few birds at a time, i dont treat for diseases unless anything pops up.

When quarantining a large number of birds at a time, then i preventative treat to make sure one sick bird doesn't kill the rest.

 

The level of treatments and medications used, depends on the breeder and what works for them.

 

Every bird from a different location (or pet shop on a different day) needs to be quarantined separately if you dont want to use medications otherwise one sick bird could wipe out the rest.

Edited January 28, 200916 yr by **Liv**

Also can you stop giving cuttlefish bone to them if you use ornithon powder?

Edited January 28, 200916 yr by **Liv**

You are getting them form a pet shop right? What do you know about the birds? The breeder? Every other bird they have been exposed to at the pet shop? I say you give them the full quarantine treatment. the less you know, the more you need to do.

Well I am getting 10 new birds what do I need to treat them for anything?I already give my birds wormer and vitamins, can I stop the cuttlefish bone in cage as calcium is in the vitamins. So I should treat the new birds for canker,coccidiosis, and megacteria?

Well I am getting 10 new birds what do I need to treat them for anything?I already give my birds wormer and vitamins, can I stop the cuttlefish bone in cage as calcium is in the vitamins. So I should treat the new birds for canker,coccidiosis, and megacteria?

 

You need to treat them for anything they do might have. Birds disguise it well, so you need to be prepared. I say go back to the quarantine list that is pinned, and make sure you go through the full range. Treat them for canker, mega, coccidiosis, worms and lice, mites, give them vitamins, sparks if they are travelling. Put the birds first. Don't think about the effort. Everyday I am changing the water, and every second day the paper and seed in 6 cages as my birds go through quarantine. Yes it is is a hassle, but I want them to not only survive, but to come out of the quarantine experience in the healthiest condition they can be in.

 

If you want the best for you birds, and if you are determined to be a good breeder, regardless of the show quality of your birds, you will do what is right for them, not what is easiest for you.

I agree with Dave. I keep it simple normally and do not treat for illness unless something comes up. However, i did also treat treat all my new birds the same as Dave while in quarantine.

 

The complete quarantine treatment for Canker, Mega and Psittacosis takes over 75 days to complete as you can only treat one condition at a time and you need to give them a few days of clear water between treatments. ( i only did the Psittacosis treatment of 45 days)

okay I will treat for all of them. Now umm I cant find a treatment for canky well I can but only for dogs and cats. what be its name of a treatment for this canky?

I agree with Dave. I keep it simple normally and do not treat for illness unless something comes up. However, i did also treat treat all my new birds the same as Dave while in quarantine. The complete quarantine treatment for Canker, Mega and Psittacosis takes over 75 days to complete as you can only treat one condition at a time and you need to give them a few days of clear water between treatments. ( i only did the Psittacosis treatment of 45 days)

What is this psittacosis its not mention on that faq only coccidiosis is or is this the same thing?

A psittacosis carrier can wipe out every bird you have. I treat all incoming birds for 6 weeks using doxycycline for psittacosis. Psittacosis is dormant in a great many birds now and you just cannot take a chance. Psittacosis is a seperate disease of its own not cocci or mega.

Megabacteria is most likely what affected a bird Dave recently bought at a bird dealers and it died in just a few days. Luckily we had kept it in quarantine away from the others.

You cant take chances these days. The tempation is there to take all kinds of shortcuts and some smart a$$e$ will always say put them together and that they havent ever quaratined. BUT those of us with expereince will tell you it is an INSURANCE POLICY covering all the birds you have. We have had losses in the early days when we didnt know better and when we didnt quarantine.

Bear in mind too, that some unscrupulous breeders will cull ( sell to petshops etc ) the birds that are failing due to the diseases they are carrying and cannot fully recover from.

Re what I quarantine for....everything I can...just in case.

Edited January 28, 200916 yr by KAZ

Can you give me some examples of the treatments you use as I can't find anything on them except coccidiosis, that is the only treatment I can find, vetafarm only has treatment for that condition. Like name of the product I should get. a couple of each if you can as that brand might not be around here.

Edited January 28, 200916 yr by KAZ
Changed crap to anything... not needed....maeise. Kaz also changed shortsuts to full words

When I get new birds I put them in a quarantine cage far away from any other birds. I keep them their for 40 days and moniter them each day. I dont treat them for anything, A few breeders have told me it is bad to give a bird a drug if it doesnt have the disease. If the bird is fluffed up or looking sick then take it to a vet or give it the appropriate medication.

 

Megabacteria can be cured using Megabac-s

Can you give me some examples of the treatments you use as I can't find anything on them except coccidiosis, that is the only treatment I can find, vetafarm only has treatment for that condition. Like name of the product I should get. a couple of each if you can as that brand might not be around here.

Psittacosis requires vet supplied doxycycline drugs...psittavet and doxyvet.

Personally i believe there is no right or wrong answer here.

 

Some people use every medication under the sun to prevent their birds getting sick - side effects are the birds can get sick from the cocktail of medications.

 

Some people don't use medications unless there is illness - side effects are that birds can get sick from disease.

 

In reality, the birds who are sick will get sick one way or another. The main thing it to keep the overall flock healthy by providing quality food, clean conditions and a proactive attitude from the owner. Any birds showing any signs of illness need to be removed promptly and taken to a vet for diagnosis and treatment.

 

I understand that everyone has their own views on quarantine, like with all the other very topical subjects out there. The main thing is to help give a broad range of views and thoughts to help others make a decision that suits their personal needs.

Dragonx...as you can see some people do quarantine differently and some get emotive over it.

I must say that those that do not do a full quarantine or one where some possible ailments are NOT treated ...these people usually have NOT yet experienced the devastation a hidden illness can cause on the other birds. Once you have experienced this your quarantine methods become more strict as you know what can go wrong and you treat for it. Those of us that have experienced the worst of transmittable diseases in conjunction with more advanced knowledge in the care of our birds, will treat for the things we know that most birds now carry in a latent form, to preserve the larger flock.

A lot of birds culled to petshops are "problem birds"and may well carry a cocktail of diseases. Since the prices paid to breeders from petshops is negligable these places are often the dumping ground for birds that may be carrying something, and when healthy birds are added to the petshop cage, these healthy birds then also succumb to illnesses or become carriers. I think its even more important to quarantine fully birds from petshops.

Then it comes down to your own level of experience and what you have access to in regard to medications and the knowledge of how to use these meds correctly.

A suggestion made earlier about seeing a vet in advance of buying birds from all over is a very good one.....assuming the vet you see is an avian vet and up with current trends in bird medicine and how to treat flocks.

Edited January 29, 200916 yr by KAZ

This is a very good Topic for those that are buying birds to add to their existing flock. I personelly don't give any drugs to my birds with out cause. I would rather pay for a vet to examine the birds three times while they are in Quarentine to see if they require medication.

 

> Here is an Excelent topic on Quarrentine< I surgest that you all read it.

well I just emailed veta farm and got a reply from them they said that most of these illness the drugs on prescription, now if there prescription policy is like the human one which I bet it it. I won't get the drugs because the birds ain't sick. I am waiting on the lady the emailed me to call me to discuss this further.

 

Can you get bird insurance? to cover vet bills by any chance?

I am going to clarify what I do for quarantine.

 

I seperate the birds as advised.

 

I treat for psittacosis based on my experience and based on my vets advice.

 

I only treat for megabacteria based on tests I do at home with my microscope. If megabacteria rods are present in large numbers I confirm with colleagues or vet or both, and only then do I treat for megabacteria.

 

I treat for worms and lice.

 

I also test for canker and only treat if test shows it is present.

 

I base this on 6 weeks of quarantine.

 

I have experienced losses in the past from birds that carried psittacosis but seemed well and once they went into stress conditions....introduced to the flock or breeding...they had every bird around them dropping dead within days. So psittacosis is my main worry and after a talk with my avian vet he agrees treating them for this in quarantine is the way to be safe.

I will clarify what i do in quarantine.

 

Day 1

Birds are kept separated in holding cages well away from existing flock

All over check. Mega Test and poo smear under microscope.

Worming and mite treatment

 

Day 2 probiotics at stress level dose for 5 days

 

Each day. birds are watched closely for signs of sickness and stress

 

Day 30 before quarantine release another poop smear to test for mega and any possible worm eggs that may linger.

 

If all clear and no other signs of sickness have been sighted at any time during quarantine, then quarantine is completed.

 

If i am quarantining many birds from different places at a time (eg: purchased from an auction) then i will do 45 days of psitticosis treatment on day 2 then 5 days of high dose pro biotic after that.

Edited January 29, 200916 yr by **Liv**

I am going to clarify what I do for quarantine.

 

I seperate the birds as advised.

 

I treat for psittacosis based on my experience and based on my vets advice.

 

I only treat for megabacteria based on tests I do at home with my microscope. If megabacteria rods are present in large numbers I confirm with colleagues or vet or both, and only then do I treat for megabacteria.

 

I treat for worms and lice.

 

I also test for canker and only treat if test shows it is present.

 

I base this on 6 weeks of quarantine.

 

I have experienced losses in the past from birds that carried psittacosis but seemed well and once they went into stress conditions....introduced to the flock or breeding...they had every bird around them dropping dead within days. So psittacosis is my main worry and after a talk with my avian vet he agrees treating them for this in quarantine is the way to be safe.

 

Great Advice from Kaz.. Test and treat if evidence is found.

 

Kaz has experience and knowledge in these areas.

okay well I will treat for all of them IF they give me the meds other wise will have to just go with I can get from the petshops. Like petbarn.

I don't know if I have already said but I am not looking into go fully into quality breeding. Just looking for something to do as a hobby maybe sell some birds now and again at the markets. But I don't want to be the on known for selling crappy sick birds either. So I don't know if I need to go full gear with the treatments or not as as yet on just normal birds as I don't know if its worth giving tons of $ worth of treatment to just normal ones. I would go full on with treatments if I had rare birds but that's about it. I am not trying to be cruel or anything but I will follow the program and quarantine them for 45 days and give the all the treatments I can find that a petshop has as well as that stress relive thing. Pro something. As going into vet drugs is just to expensive for me to do when there not sick.

It doesnt really matter if they are lower quality birds or show birds. The fact that you have spent money on them to buy them in the first place, and you have hopes to breed them, means you have an investment in your birds, regardless of how many dollars you spent. To lose a bunch of them will still hurt whether they are $5 birds or $100 birds. Breeding is stress conditions so illnesses WILL come out uinder breeding conditions if they are latent ( hidden ). When I had a carrier of psittacosis in a breeder cage, not knowing she was a carrier and she showed no symptoms..... her partner died a horrible death over 24 hours once he showed symptoms and by then it was too late. I also lost birds from all surrounding breeder cages at the time until they were all under treatment.

This occurred before I started using doxy for quarantine and also when I was told to use the breeder cage as a quarantine .....i.e. if they are sick they will die in a breeder cage. Nothing was said about surrounding breeder cages and I lost 5 pairs of breeding birds and chicks due to this bad advice.

This is why some of us more experienced breeders have advice to share that is based on very sound knowledge and experience and why some may get to sound a little repetitive in trying to get others to listen.

BUT............

There are some petshop type meds that can be used in the place of vet priced meds. They may be a lesser drug, or weaker, but they can be used.

AVICYCLINE is one that can take the place of doxyvet or psittavet. Even my avian vet said it was the same but not as strong.

TRIPLE C is another very good antibiotic med that I use and have faith in for sick birds.

COCCIVET is exscellent for coccidiosis.

CALCIVET is a must for calcium supplementation.

 

My preference is vet prescribed meds over counter meds anyday.

Edited January 29, 200916 yr by KAZ

AVICYCLINE is one that can take the place of doxyvet or psittavet. Even my avian vet said it was the same but not as strong.

 

I used this one recently - it did the trick and cleared up a few birds that looked a little sus, but i noticed that after about 4 weeks of treatment the birds looked off their game and the antibiotics were getting a bit much for them. Thrush is a side effect of this antibiotic and i have thrown my tub in the bin. I didnt like it and i will get Doxy or Tripple C for next time

Edited January 29, 200916 yr by **Liv**