BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Birds Quarantining New Birds

Since most of us who have birds seem to have more than one - how do you quarantine new birds that you get? We all know that birds carry diseases that may be contagious to other birds. Do you keep them in a separate room - a different floor in the house - a neighbour's house? Or - do you put them right in with your other birds because you've never had a problem yet?

Hi Mavis,
Seems to me people have different ideas as far as the Quarantining of birds.
I think for safety all round you would take your time putting new birds together, or taking them anywhere till you are sure everything was okay.
When we got our budgie Ink spot, I put her in the bedroom with our son. It's going on 2mths now, Maggie can hear her and vice versa but that's it they have not been any closer. Ink spot thinks that room is her's and goes down on the floor all over everywhere. Now though I feel quite comfortable, that everything is okay.
Mind you as far as maggie is concerned, she might think she's something to play with. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
Take Care
Dawn <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Dawn,
I think for most of us, putting a new bird into a different room is about the best we can do as far as quarantining. Since the air re-circulates through the furnace (or air conditioner, in the summer), its not a true quarantine, but its better than nothing. I'm sure it also helps the birds get used to hearing each other so it doesn't come as a big surprise when they finally see each other.

It depends on the bird and where it came from. For example, I took in 4 birds from a closed group, they had been in contact with no outside birds for several years. I didn't go overboard with a true quarantine, just kept them in a separate room so there wouldn't be a huge culture shock. Ditto my old cockatiel, he hasn't been around another bird since he was around my former cockatoo in 1989. Went right into the bird room. OTOH, my one pet-store purchase was about as quarantined as I could manage - in another room with hand washing and such going on after handling him.