Question for Halo

[tvymola]

I am trying to figure out how all of us with MBS manage veterinary expenses caring for so many feathered friends. Do you get a multi-bird discount? Is there an aviary clinic? I would love to expand my flock but I fear the insane expense of getting my fids vetted every year. I know there are quite a few people here with large flocks, so any input would be helpful!

[xafsmom]

Kidnap an avian vet. It's what I do. Seriously, I do.

...Ok, so I call it 'friendship', but really, it's an abduction.

[xafsmom]

And now for the serious answer...

Before I kidnapped an avian vet, I pretty much took what I spent per month on the bird(s) and doubled it. I put the half away into an emergency account and let it build up. At that point, I could afford the emergencies that popped up. Another thing I did was that whenever I bought a bird, or acquired one, I would take what that bird cost, or would have cost had I purchased it, and put that amount into the emergency account as well. Sometimes it would take a bit of time to do that, but I made sure to do it.

[KDK241]

My vet has a flock charge of $90 for an exam of up to 10 birds at a time so that saves a TON of money. Blood work and other tests also get a group discount.

I think that is an excellent idea xafsmom! I will do that if I get any birds in the future. I already have emergency money saved and a bird emergency only credit card as well.

[kellywess]

I would definately like to kidnap my vet... he is pretty soft on the eyes. Yeah, he is good with the birds too. LOL

[KDK241]

Originally Posted by kellywess

I would definately like to kidnap my vet... he is pretty soft on the eyes. Yeah, he is good with the birds too. LOL

LOL! I used to have Russian tortoises and I felt the same way about their vet...he was HOT!

[tvymola]

The kidnapping idea...I like it. I also like the idea of a flock charge. I am taking all 3 of my lovely birds to the avian vet on Friday. I am sweating bullets on how much that is going to run I will bring up the flock discount to see if it applies. We don't have too many choices of avian vets around here, so I imagine with no competition they would have no reason to give a discount. I am just curious as to how much the annual expense for keeping a flock of 10 birds runs.

Anyhow, thanks for sharing the information.

[xafsmom]

Just 10...? No clue! I can tell you what it costs to maintain about 50 breeders, 15 rehabs (minus a bh pionus, long story there), and 7 pets! 'Bout 5k every 6 months just for maintenance... that's with the kidnapped vet. Before him, it cost about 10k every 6 months. But, the cost is mainly due for the rehabs, my own flock hasn't had any huge issues (knock on wood).

[tvymola]

Originally Posted by xafsmom

Just 10...? No clue! I can tell you what it costs to maintain about 50 breeders, 15 rehabs (minus a bh pionus, long story there), and 7 pets! 'Bout 5k every 6 months just for maintenance... that's with the kidnapped vet. Before him, it cost about 10k every 6 months. But, the cost is mainly due for the rehabs, my own flock hasn't had any huge issues (knock on wood).

That is insane! No wonder you must build a savings account strictly for the birds. So does the breeding help offset the cost very much? I imagine that there is more expense that goes into the breeding as well.

You have a big heart to put yourself out there for the rescues. I'm sure your work is rewarding. Good for you.

[Halo]

Sorry!! I've been gone all day!

My vet charges $50 for the first visit (including basic blood work) and $35 for each additional bird. We also have a lady here nearby that we found out used to be a Bird Wildlife Rehabilitator and she does the toes and nails for free because she just loves us so much LOL. It's really not bad... the worst part is if we have an emergency, it's a two hour drive to the vet. But our vet is on call 24 hours so it's not too bad and hopefully we don't have any emergencies (banging furiously on all the wood in the house).

And Xaf... HOLY COW!!!! That's insane!!!