Quarantine... Do I need to do it?

To check if you do, follow this quick quiz below-

Answer yes or no to the below questions- 

a) Already have a bird/s and are gaining another?

b) Are you a breeder (even just one or two chicks a year)? 

c) Do your animals board when you are away with other birds?

d) Do you work with or come in contact (even laundry or cleaning in a vet surgery) with sick, injured or dead birds? 

If you said yes to any of the above, then quarantine is a definite must. 
Why is it important?
Well birds are strange creatures, they are different to humans in the facts that instead of doing the human thing and saying "I am sick help me doctor" or tell our family "I feel like i'm getting sick" they just keep perking about like normal until the pretty much drop dead. Being primarily a prey species they have evolved to stay safe. Staying safe means pretending you are okay, so something doesn't eat you in case you get better.
Well a bird that may appear to be in full heath, may in fact be a few days away from death. Good feather condition, good weight, bright alert eyes, eating and drinking are all NOT signs a bird is systemically healthy. Yes it means at that particular moment, the bird is fine and healthy. Also just like humans, birds carry lovely diseases like a backpack full of lollies that they are happy to share with all the new birds who then take these lollies (through the air, contact or saliva) become infected and subsequently become sick and seem okay but then die a few days later. So many people say, my bird died from "sudden death" was it a seizure? was it poisoning? Birds are quite susceptible to sudden death, but some of people who claim this, my be incorrect. 

a) If you said yes to a) above-  please remember you have a bird for a minimum of 7-10 years minimum, so why rush in introducing your birds? There is no need. If you are a breeder, you should always organise things prior to breeding season giving birds plenty of time to bond rather than rushing during the season to join them. It might seem excessive but a 8 week quarantine period should be a minimum.

A basic 8 week plan:  

Week 1- Settling in, new cage new surroundings new food etc. 

Week 2-3 Worming with product 1 or Faecal flotation (then rule out worming treatments unless required) + continuous observation for any signs (ring your vet or visit, check google images, ask on facebook, ring your friends with the same birds if you see anything strange e.g. does your budgie have an overgrown beak?) 

Week 4-5 Mite and Lice treatment + Reworm treat after 14 days 

Week 6 Check for any signs 

Week 7-8- Treat for worms with new product just in case resistant to other (or do another faecal float at the vet) or lice and mite treat if concerned. 

One of the most vital parts within this 8 week period is a vet check. Avian veterinarians can pick up disease, test for certain diseases and most find patterns with local breeders that can give a heads up to any issues down the track. In most cases a veterinarian cannot see disease without the help of diagnostic tools, such as blood tests and swabs for certain diseases. It is best to discuss with them which seem appropriate. 

In a small house and in the middle of winter it may not be as easy as to say keep them completely separated for these 8 weeks (maybe a full vet health check and blood may be a better option). You can try your best to- 

a) keep all "parrot things" separated- bowls, toys, cages, pellet mix that they sometimes have a nibble on when your not looking. No sharing and no washing together. 

b) keeping yourself clean- wear an apron or don't allow the new bird on your clothes and then your current bird afterwards. 

c) Wash your hands in between handling and cleaning thoroughly. 

If you said yes to (b)- Then quarantine is very important to you. Chicks are very fragile, they don't have developed immune systems. Hand raising parrots voids them of gaining from their parents important things such as enzymes to break down food and immunity from diseases the parents may have been affected by. This needs to be provided by a good quality hand raising formula, which although extremely good does not quite reach the level of parent care. Therefore it is important that extra care is taken to protect them from disease. Chicken producers use an ALL-IN-ALL-OUT system which means all animals raised together from an original group and the only way they leave that group is if they die or mature. No birds are added into this original group, although the original group are not only from one clutch. It is assumed, that in an all-in-all-out all birds carry and share the same diseases. A recent article highlighted the differences between old world (e.g. Australian species such as cockatoos) and new world parrots (e.g. conures, amazon parrots, macaws)- it suggested the difference between these species mean that they are more susceptible to each others diseases. Therefore, it may be a good idea to raise new and old world parrots separately (e.g. separate brooders and equipment). Occasionally breeders will hand-feed or completely raise chicks for other breeders. There is little difference between 10 and 15 chicks in terms of time, effort and equipment used. This isn't really adhering to good quarantine and those chicks may have diseases your birds have not been exposed to, and even if taking from the nest with other chicks they may be susceptible. Introducing during hand raising doesn't adhere to the all-in-all-out rule and risks the sharing of diseases that may be devastating to larger breeders. It is actually quite common for this to happen, and can kill a whole year worth of clutches in a matter of days. 

If you said yes to (c) the following will apply to you- 

You are going on holidays and as normal the birds go to Jennifer the Macaw breeder down the road. Jennifer is excellent, she cares for them the same as you do at home! You need to ask yourself however, does Jennifer have good quaratine? Do all of her birds have regular vet checks? If your parrot came from Jennifer last year and you think all of her birds will have what yours have perhaps you will be happy that your bird can stay there. If Jennifer could maybe have your bird away from the others if not, and if possible for example in her house where there are no birds. It may be worth asking the boarding facility of any checks they run and discussing your concerns. 

If you said yes to (d) the below information may assist you- 

Just a personal story- I myself worked in a wildlife veterinary hospital. I cleaned cages, gave medications, euthanised sick birds, held birds being anaesthetised (while getting covered in mites) to name a few. One day I got asked to help handle a sick curlew which I did, little did I know this bird had a zoonotic and dangerous virus. At the end of my shift I washed my hands and drove home. When I got home, my eclectus was out in the house with my father so he flew over to me I talked to him as usual. I told my father to remove him in case he caught any mites off me. The next morning he had very acute vomiting and diarrhoea. He was extremely lethargic. I had no idea what could be wrong with him so I took him to a local avian vet. The vet run some tests, but by the time I reached the vet surgery he had perked up and all signs had reduced. The vet said the tests he run was fine and perhaps it was some kind of gastrointestinal disruption, and he discharged him as he was normal. In the mean time we had received an email about the virus affecting the bird in the hospital. I immediately rung the vet from the hospital and explained by birds symptoms. The vet assured me that there was no connection between the two. The experience really taught me something- quarantine is a must! If that disease was spread to my parrot, and resulted in his subsequent death it would have been due to my own actions. So I stress- if you work with animals especially birds it is best to remove all infected clothing before leaving (so you don't leave the diseases in the car which the bird may travel in) and immediately shower on returning home before interacting with your parrots or other pets. Also don't forget to remove your shoes, as parrots often walk on the floor of your house. Ask the vet- is this contagious? If you are concerned, don't be afraid to ask to just discuss your worries with your supervisor. 

Quaratine may be overlooked in most cases, but it happens more than people realise. Introduce a disease which kills a whole flock of prize winning budgies, brought home a new macaw and it, and my two amazons I have had for 15 years have died three days later. 8 weeks is a good time for you to bond with your new friend one on one, and it is an investment in their lifelong health and the health of your entire flock. Even if none of the above apply to you, it is vital to keep this in mind for if you wish to add birds to your flock in the future. 

To Chop or Not to Chop?

Most parrot owners want to provide the very best nutrition for their parrots. The concept of chop is something that is excellent for pet owners. It is a combined mixture of finely chopped fruit and vegetables. Chops can be altered to suit a certain life stage- for example low fruit to reduce hormones. It means that parrots consume the bulk of their fruit and vegetables, rather than tossing them on the floor or choosing what they do and do not eat.

This is excellent! It does however have it's downfalls-

 

Chop became a fad in the captive parrot world a few years back. Similar fads are giving tea, coconut oil, pellets and sprouts. Once it gets hold, it becomes standard practice and almost an expectation of companion parrot owners to provide it. 

It seems ideal right? It does have its issues however.

The issue with chop is around its delivery, it is basically the equivalent of feeding a grown human baby food for their entire life. The majority of a birds day should be spend foraging and looking for food. When served in a bowl,

 all chopped and served to them it takes them very little time. Most parrots spend their time search, cracking, ripping, tearing whole foods even consuming unripened fruits. Some parrot native foods only the seeds are consumed not the flesh. Therefore, it really depends on the food type what part is consumed. When providing these foods in captivity a $5 pomegranate that two bites are taken and it is tossed on the floor isn't great on your pocket or for the bird as it doesn't get the full nutrients provided from the pomegranate.

Most parrots in the wild use their feet to hold or rip their food. They use their beaks to rip, bash and crush other items. This may take a parrot half an hour just to get to the seed or the flesh of that one food item.

So how can you deliver both a nutritionally balanced diet, whilst also allowing them to exhibit their natural behaviours? 

The process of learning to consuming whole food items in captive parrots may take some time. They need to recognise the green round thing as an apple, rather than the white pieces delivered beautifully in their bowl. Cutting holes in it to start them off, cutting a slice in one side, getting the seed (if that is the preferred food item) out and spread it over the outside hinting as to what is inside are all good tips to start feeding whole food items.

The best thing to incorporate whole food items into a balanced diet is to serve portion of their diet as whole food whilst still providing a chop with the remainder of the good fruit and vegetable mix. Giving foods such as apples, sweet potatoes, carrot, passionfruit, broccoli, capsicum and chilli whole (on a skewer can help prevent them tossing the food).  If your bird doesn't toss, you may consider doing an entire chop of larger sized pieces. Stainless fruit and vegetable baffle cages can also aid in making the food take longer to consume. Using leaves of celery, kale, bok choy to cover the fruit inside can add to the time taken foraging for food.

Whole nuts, fresh millet spray, whole native safe branches with flowers are also whole foods that are a good addition to the diet. Even safe flowers such as hibiscus provide enrichment. Species such as Lorikeets and Eclectus love to reach the nectar at the middle of the flower.