Leg band question..

[Mr Five]

If you really need you might want to towel the bird. I have all the information off all the bands for the birds just incase they are stolen or the fly away. I had to towel a few of them but I think that it's well worth having the information and the little stress that I've had to put them through.

[The Outlaw]

Open rolled bands are usually birds that are older and imported into the U.S. prior to the cites treaty. Closed bans are used on domestically raised birds. Open bands can also be placed on birds who were banned too late. Usually baby birds are banned within the first few weeks and they literally grow into their bans.

[Mr Five]

Outlaw this is somewhat true. All the imported bird will have an open legband but they will all be stamped USDA. Even if a bird is brought in with a legband they will also have place USDA band on it.

[Alika]

Originally Posted by Mr Five

Outlaw this is somewhat true. All the imported bird will have an open legband but they will all be stamped USDA. Even if a bird is brought in with a legband they will also have place USDA band on it.

That's good to know about the USDA thing. We tell people that the only way they know that a bird they're buying is captive bred is if it has "a solid metal band around their ankle". We know that sometimes breeders have to use open bands, but it's good to know that imported birds have the USDA thing on their bands.

So, if I understand this right, then imported birds HAVE to be banded?

Of course, I suppose that anyone who wanted to could remove that band at any time during a birds' life.

I always wonder about Sam, because I don't know her history.

[Casa Amazona]

Lol-a has an open band that appears to be rolled. I want to get it off him, but when Barb and I were working on him last week he was so fidgety that I decided to wait 'til I could take him to the vet. I'm itching to get a good look at it, thinking it might yield up some clues as to his past.

[Freedomoflight]

Ahhh, I am not the only one wondering then, thanks for all the info- I dont want to towel him, he is deathly afraid of towels and still settling in- this guy is at least 18 or 19 years old, and that age is not even definant, I am wondering if it is possible he could be imported..... I like Joanie am thinking the band could yield clues to this guys past.

[The Outlaw]

All imported bird prior to CITES will have to pass through US quarantine. It is correct that the bands will have USDA stamped on them. However, on really old birds, the numbers may have worn off.

There is a special tool that avian vets use that is designed to remove bands safely. Please don't attempt this on your own. Bolt cutters and wire cutters can atually smash the band onto their legs and lead to extremely serious problems.

[Mr Five]

Here is a little more about the USDA leg bands.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ncie/bird-leg-bands.html
This might help so that do have an imported bird understand what quarantine facilities their bird might have passed through.

This is another good place to as they say "Get the ABC's on Leg Bands"
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww5eiii.htm

one other site
http://members.aol.com/pacificASC/artpg932.htm