Can We Discuss Quarentine?

[Greycloud]

I thought I would start this thread since it has come up recently that we really don't have the means in our own homes to properly quarentine.
My vet told me to turn off the vent in the quarentine room and cover with a board or large book than place a towel over it. After leaving the room he recommended stuffing a towel under the crack of the door. This is how I quarentined my U2, Sammy, before introducing him to the living room where my CAG, Dexter is. I did this for 30 days.
I have heard from others it is not possible to quarentine. I know some people have outdoor aviaries and no birds in the house. So they could quarentine in the house before moving the bird to the aviary.
I am asking for some honest opinions here as well as experience. I have also learned of people losing their birds to disease or virus due to inproper quarentine or no quarentine at all.
What do all of my cyber birdie friands think? Thanks.

[RockysMom]

I have not had to quarentine before since I only have Rocky for now, but I'm all for it! I would hate to think I didn't quarentine a new bird and it made my other birds ill or possibly kill them, I couldn't live with myself! One question though if you turn off the vent in that room and put a towel under the door, shouldn't you be concerned about it getting to hot or cold in that room, depending on what time of the year it was?

[FloorCandy]

I would think that if you keep the birds in an outdoor aviary that the proximity of wild birds would negate any quarantine. I think the best you can do is take any new birds right to the vet for a wellness check, and keep as separate as possible. If you can't separate (and even if you can), keep a close eye on all birds for signs of illness, and just be prepared to medicate all birds when you bring a new one in.

[ChrisUlrich]

under what circumstances are we talking about here? I never heard of this and i'm a but curious now since I am introducing a Red Bellied Parrot to two other birds of mine next month.

[MissV]

I have forgotten to quarantine both times I brought new birds into the house because I suck.

Luckily, nothing was wrong with them and the others were not affected.

[MissV]

Originally Posted by ChrisUlrich

under what circumstances are we talking about here? I never heard of this and i'm a but curious now since I am introducing a Red Bellied Parrot to two other birds of mine next month.

Because of various avian diseases that are difficult to detect, you're supposed to quarantine a new bird for about 30 days to make sure it shows no signs of said diseases before introducing them to the rest of your flock.

Real quarantine is supposed to be done in a different building--most people just keep them in separate rooms.

[ChrisUlrich]

Originally Posted by MissV

Because of various avian diseases that are difficult to detect, you're supposed to quarantine a new bird for about 30 days to make sure it shows no signs of said diseases before introducing them to the rest of your flock.

Real quarantine is supposed to be done in a different building--most people just keep them in separate rooms.

Oh man... I don't have a different room in my house available! Is this totally necessary? I didn't do this the first time I introduced a bird.

[xafsmom]

True quarantine cannot be achieved by housing a new bird in the same building as the established birds if the air supply is at all shared. This also means air exchange that you create moving through the room the bird is in, and out. The amount of particulate debris from birds on your person even with minimal contact is astronomical.

However, there are ways to lessen the chance of cross-contamination. Closing off the vents is one, adding a towel to the floor blocking the doorway is another. Scrupulous cleaning daily is also something to do, and most importantly, different clothing and a complete wash before exiting to your established birds. You won't get a 100% quarantine but it's better than nothing. The best quarantine is in a different place entirely though.

As for length of time? 30 days isn't even worth the effort unless you've tested your birds thoroughly. 90-120 days is best and even then, it's not 'the best' unless you get the bird cultured and retested once a month.

That said, any Q helps!

One of my biggest beefs is not quarantining the established birds from a new baby, but a new baby from the established birds! I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people complain their new baby had 'something' and of COURSE the baby brought it! I ask if they'd had their birds vet checked recently. "Well, no!" They do and find their birds are riddled with disease or infection that's been well-established.

I alway tell my buyers that this is why most aviaries only have a 3 day guarantee - not because they're worried about their babies and hoping to 'beat the deadline', but because after 3 days, something can establish in the baby from the existing pets. I always tell my buyers to get their birds cultured and checked before bringing in a new baby.

[MissV]

Well, without it, it's just a risk you take...I would think that with a very young bird from a trustworthy place the risk is pretty low...but the result, if they have a disease, is that your other birds may be infected.

Like I said...I completely forgot with my last two, but I lucked out and everything is fine.

[MissV]

Originally Posted by xafsmom

True quarantine cannot be achieved by housing a new bird in the same building as the established birds if the air supply is at all shared. This also means air exchange that you create moving through the room the bird is in, and out. The amount of particulate debris from birds on your person even with minimal contact is astronomical.

However, there are ways to lessen the chance of cross-contamination. Closing off the vents is one, adding a towel to the floor blocking the doorway is another. Scrupulous cleaning daily is also something to do, and most importantly, different clothing and a complete wash before exiting to your established birds. You won't get a 100% quarantine but it's better than nothing. The best quarantine is in a different place entirely though.

As for length of time? 30 days isn't even worth the effort unless you've tested your birds thoroughly. 90-120 days is best and even then, it's not 'the best' unless you get the bird cultured and retested once a month.

That said, any Q helps!

One of my biggest beefs is not quarantining the established birds from a new baby, but a new baby from the established birds! I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people complain their new baby had 'something' and of COURSE the baby brought it! I ask if they'd had their birds vet checked recently. "Well, no!" They do and find their birds are riddled with disease or infection that's been well-established.

I alway tell my buyers that this is why most aviaries only have a 3 day guarantee - not because they're worried about their babies and hoping to 'beat the deadline', but because after 3 days, something can establish in the baby from the existing pets. I always tell my buyers to get their birds cultured and checked before bringing in a new baby.

Never thought about it that way....awesome point.