Whoop! Happy Gotcha day to Dante and Baby!
Dante joined on June 23, 2013, and Baby joined on June 24, 2018.
Both came from breeders, so I wanted to share my experience in bringing in new birds into an existing bird(s) situation.
To get straight to the point: You should ALWAYS quarantine your new bird regardless of where they are coming from.
The rationale
I think a lot of people worry about whether or not birds are going to get along, but the bigger foundational question is – will the incoming bird be safe for my bird (or vice versa)? Regardless of how reputable or sweet the breeder or store is, it’s ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry. Especially when it comes to bird health. Birds are sneaky bastards! They hide their illnesses so well, and at the same time, they get sick from everything so easily too. Assuming that your existing bird has a clean bill of health, it’s mandatory to quarantine your new bird in an isolated area for at least a month.
It’s okay to be judgy. It’s encouraged.
I know how people hate being judged and stereotyped, but I think when it comes to health and anything directly related to living beings, it’s okay to be judgy!
Wait, who are we judging?
Answer: the person/breeder/store you’re about to get your new bird from.
Ask questions! lots of questions, look around and see what environment the bird grew up in, how is the cage set up? is the water in the water bowl clean? does the cage look like it’s been cleaned out regularly? how are the conditions of his/her other birds, what diet was fed? How are the siblings’ temperament? what’s the feather condition of the bird? Is the person being honest? How long have they been in this business? How are their bird handling skills? Look at their facial expression when they look at the bird, etc.
All these are legit questions, and if someone goes into explosive anger or a defensive mode, then you should silently start waving a red flag in your head.
If the person starts telling different versions of a story or if they are confused and contradicting their own words, that’s also a huge red flag.
Birds are expensive to acquire and even more expensive to maintain. You shouldn’t feel sorry for asking a lot of questions and trying to get the most possible information about the bird you’re about to purchase. You’re paying big bucks to a very long commitment of responsibility and the only person that (should) know most about your new bird is — the person you’re about to pay.
Your birb can be sick!
Ok, so you’ve brought home a new bird after your screening process, now what? All three of my birds exhibited signs of sickness shortly after they came home. I think the sudden change in environment and stress can easily stir up illness that had previously gone unknown. Even if the bird seems chirpy, I think it’s safe to think that there’s something the bird can be hiding. One sick bird is much more manageable than multiple sick birds, which makes quarantine all the more important. At least 4 weeks of isolation will be enough time for your new bird to show any signs of sickness or unwellness if it carried anything to your new home.
Set up a space for your new bird in its own cage. Preferably the birds should be in separate rooms, but if that’s not possible, try to make a physical barrier. When Dante came, I lived in a one-bedroom apartment where Chewie’s cage was in the living room. I didn’t have enough room in my bedroom, so Dante’s quarantine cage was also in the living room, but boarded off with giant TV boxes from Chewie’s cage. The two never interacted during the quarantine.
The dreadful wait
My biggest issue I had with quarantining new birds was the ‘socializing’ period. Because Baby and Dante came at such a young age, I didn’t want the bird to develop weird personalities for being isolated at such a critical period of their development. I feel like birds can only learn to be birds from other birds, so how do you balance the quarantine period so it doesn’t emotionally scar your bird?
I think hearing and ‘feeling’ the vibe of other bird(s) is enough. I used to think it was awful and so damaging, but 4 weeks is a drop in the ocean for these guys. Take the quarantine time for you to have a 1:1 bonding time with the new bird. Make sure that the new bird isn’t left alone for long periods of time, and have them bond to you first, before befriending your existing bird(s).
The precautionary measures
I think we’ve learned how important it is to wash our hands to avoid transferring .. well.. anything. When we were quarantining Baby and Dante, we made sure to always wash our hands before and after interacting, and also changed our clothes or thoroughly showered when our last session of interactions was over.
Hopefully all the new birds in the world will have a smooth transition into their new homes!
Be safe, and cheers!
x Birdmom
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