Hi All,
One breeder has insisted that he only quarantines new stock for about 2 - 3 weeks before introducing birds into his aviary, but I have also been told by another person that it should be 6 weeks quarantine period and nothing less.
Someone at work mentioned that she had an aviary with zebras; that they may have caught something from wild birds landing on her cage and so a full cover is recommended across the entire cage etc.
What is your opinion on quarantine period and any horror stories to tell about bird losses due to infections etc?
Cheers and thanks so much to everyone for informative feedbacks on any of my previous posts.
star62
Quarantine Time
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craig
- ...............................
- Posts: 82
- Joined: 14 Jul 2009, 22:39
- Location: SOR Perth, Western Australia
Everyone has a different opinion to how long you should quarantine your birds. Essentially you have to look at the point of quarantine.
To isolate the bird from your birds to prevent any form of infection to your current flock that the new bird might carry. Hence giving you enough time to check your new bird thoroughly, administer worming and so forth. Good inspection of the birds you buy prior to handing over the cash is always a help. Theres a few topics on here about buying new birds.
There are other advantages to quarantining your new birds as well. Firstly it gives you some time to have a good look at it, inspecting for anything out of the ordinary, disease etc. Also it gives you time to adapt the new bird to your current conditions that you have setup, like your diet.
One other good point is also the fact it can give you a good come back to a breeder, who you purchased the stock from if there is any issues whilst in quarantine.
End of the day, it does come down to the individual. I quarantine for about 3 weeks, or until I'm happy with the bird. Other factors that can change things are whether or not you trust or know the person you are buying from. Have you purchased from them before ? And is it worth risking your birds for the sake of being impatient ? There are some horror stories on here about birds going cactus once being brought home.
http://www.aussiefinchforum.net/viewtop ... =40&t=2624
To isolate the bird from your birds to prevent any form of infection to your current flock that the new bird might carry. Hence giving you enough time to check your new bird thoroughly, administer worming and so forth. Good inspection of the birds you buy prior to handing over the cash is always a help. Theres a few topics on here about buying new birds.
There are other advantages to quarantining your new birds as well. Firstly it gives you some time to have a good look at it, inspecting for anything out of the ordinary, disease etc. Also it gives you time to adapt the new bird to your current conditions that you have setup, like your diet.
One other good point is also the fact it can give you a good come back to a breeder, who you purchased the stock from if there is any issues whilst in quarantine.
End of the day, it does come down to the individual. I quarantine for about 3 weeks, or until I'm happy with the bird. Other factors that can change things are whether or not you trust or know the person you are buying from. Have you purchased from them before ? And is it worth risking your birds for the sake of being impatient ? There are some horror stories on here about birds going cactus once being brought home.
http://www.aussiefinchforum.net/viewtop ... =40&t=2624
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dano_68
- ...............................
- Posts: 262
- Joined: 20 Jul 2010, 22:29
- Location: Brisbane, QLD
Hi star62,
Quarantine is something I take very seriously and spend considerable time perfecting it. I think now I have my ideal quarantine, but that said, I am always open to new ideas and suggestions.
As for time, I have a strict quarantine of 40 days. The reason is that this will allow for the full breeding cycle of certain worm and protozoa species.
So for example, if you worm your bird in week one, some eggs may survive, so you need to follow it up 2 weeks later. Then there are the other little nasties that can come out of hibernation in week 2. I have recently changed the order of my treatment due to a recent horror story.
It goes like this. A well known and respected breeder sold a bunch of new, rare, very expensive birds to other well known and respected breeders. The seller had been using Bengalese finches to foster the rare and expensive birds. What most people don’t realise is that Bengalese finches are carriers for Cochlosomosis. So when they feed the young foster birds they can pass Cochlosomosis on. So unbeknown to anyone, the rare and expensive finches carried Cochlosomosis into the aviaries of other well known and respected breeders! So you see, it can happen to anyone that thinks they know better. Or think, “I bought them from such and such, so they’ll be right!”
Further to this story, the University of Queensland conducted a small study of all pet shops around the outer Brisbane area and Ipswich. 98% of ALL birds (not just finches) were infected with Cochlosomosis!! That is why I now make that the FIRST round of treatments in my quarantine procedure.
So to outsmart the breeding cycle of most worms, Protozoa, lice, mites and upset tummies it takes about 40 days!
On the upside, my quarantine cage is a “pallet” cage 2.4m high, way over the other side of the yard. It gives me great access to observe the new arrivals, learn their calls, and test what seeds and food they prefer. I take notes and cross reference them against books and previous acquisitions of the same species. I have learnt more about the different species whilst holding them separately from the flock then I would ever learn about them in a mixed collection.
In brief, I treat for:
Mites & lice
Dehydration & stress
Protozoal - Treat for Canker, Guardia, Cochlosomosis, Cryptosporidium and Coccidiosis.
Air-sac mite / lice (not just Gouldians can get these pesky little buggers!)
Worms - Thread Worm, Tapeworm, Roundworm, Caecal Worm, and Hook Worm
Gut infections, diarrhea
Many of these treatments are then followed up throughout the year. For example I treat for worms every quarter and Coccidiosis every 6 weeks or after heavy rain. I also give supplemnts during the breeding and moulting periods.
Finally, I have fully roofed aviaries. I used clear laserlite, so they still get plenty of sun, just no Indian Myna poos and lice!
Quarantine is something I take very seriously and spend considerable time perfecting it. I think now I have my ideal quarantine, but that said, I am always open to new ideas and suggestions.
As for time, I have a strict quarantine of 40 days. The reason is that this will allow for the full breeding cycle of certain worm and protozoa species.
So for example, if you worm your bird in week one, some eggs may survive, so you need to follow it up 2 weeks later. Then there are the other little nasties that can come out of hibernation in week 2. I have recently changed the order of my treatment due to a recent horror story.
It goes like this. A well known and respected breeder sold a bunch of new, rare, very expensive birds to other well known and respected breeders. The seller had been using Bengalese finches to foster the rare and expensive birds. What most people don’t realise is that Bengalese finches are carriers for Cochlosomosis. So when they feed the young foster birds they can pass Cochlosomosis on. So unbeknown to anyone, the rare and expensive finches carried Cochlosomosis into the aviaries of other well known and respected breeders! So you see, it can happen to anyone that thinks they know better. Or think, “I bought them from such and such, so they’ll be right!”
Further to this story, the University of Queensland conducted a small study of all pet shops around the outer Brisbane area and Ipswich. 98% of ALL birds (not just finches) were infected with Cochlosomosis!! That is why I now make that the FIRST round of treatments in my quarantine procedure.
So to outsmart the breeding cycle of most worms, Protozoa, lice, mites and upset tummies it takes about 40 days!
On the upside, my quarantine cage is a “pallet” cage 2.4m high, way over the other side of the yard. It gives me great access to observe the new arrivals, learn their calls, and test what seeds and food they prefer. I take notes and cross reference them against books and previous acquisitions of the same species. I have learnt more about the different species whilst holding them separately from the flock then I would ever learn about them in a mixed collection.
In brief, I treat for:
Mites & lice
Dehydration & stress
Protozoal - Treat for Canker, Guardia, Cochlosomosis, Cryptosporidium and Coccidiosis.
Air-sac mite / lice (not just Gouldians can get these pesky little buggers!)
Worms - Thread Worm, Tapeworm, Roundworm, Caecal Worm, and Hook Worm
Gut infections, diarrhea
Many of these treatments are then followed up throughout the year. For example I treat for worms every quarter and Coccidiosis every 6 weeks or after heavy rain. I also give supplemnts during the breeding and moulting periods.
Finally, I have fully roofed aviaries. I used clear laserlite, so they still get plenty of sun, just no Indian Myna poos and lice!
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jusdeb
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- Posts: 9796
- Joined: 12 Mar 2009, 19:43
- Location: Dubbo, NSW
- Location: Western Plains NSW
No hard or fast rules here , observation of newbies ( away from other birds ) is about it other wise it is all too clinical for me ..I buy from breeders who maintain healthy aviaries thus healthy birds TOUCH WOOD no dramas here .
I worm quarterly and other than that leave the birds alone unless a problem arises that requires medication , healthy and varied diet wards off most nasties and again touch wood no dramas.
Very laid back bird keeper here ....
I worm quarterly and other than that leave the birds alone unless a problem arises that requires medication , healthy and varied diet wards off most nasties and again touch wood no dramas.
Very laid back bird keeper here ....
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
David Brent
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spanna
- ...............................
- Posts: 1071
- Joined: 03 Jun 2010, 16:03
- Location: Bullsbrook, Western Australia
- Contact:
i'm exactly the same deb. but worm only when i see a need to. i don't want to overmedicate birds as i am of the firm belief that if a bird needs to be constantly medicated to survive, its genes aren't strong and shouldn't be included in the future gene pool, survival of the fittest and all that. that being said, if a bird of mine does get sick, i will do absolutely everything in my power to nurse it back to health, but still will not overmedicate. into a warm box they go, seed, water, greens and some live food provided and a dose of moxidectin plus to see if that has an effect. if not, further steps and if required a more specific medication.jusdeb wrote:No hard or fast rules here , observation of newbies ( away from other birds ) is about it other wise it is all too clinical for me ..I buy from breeders who maintain healthy aviaries thus healthy birds TOUCH WOOD no dramas here .
I worm quarterly and other than that leave the birds alone unless a problem arises that requires medication , healthy and varied diet wards off most nasties and again touch wood no dramas.
Very laid back bird keeper here ....
quarantine of about 30 days for me. all dosed with moxidectin in the water upon arrival and again a week later. haven't had any bad experiences yet. that said, when i eventually have my dream property and thousands of birds, quarantine and preventative measures will be much more strict.