Question about Quarantines

[spiritbird]

Thought I would post this here to read what your thoughts are. I have been told by more than one avian vet that if you are adopting a bird from an individual that had only one bird in the home there is no need for a quarantine. This is of course if the adoptee has had a recent physical and passed.

[plax]

In my opinion, given the circumstances you've put forth it would be better to say that there would be 'far less' need to quarantine the new bird. However, redundant safeguards can never hurt. However 2, if there is no convenient way to isolate a new bird who happened to be the only bird at its previous home AND whose health had been recently evaluated by an avian veterinarian, I would think it acceptable (and most likely safe) to forgo isolation.

[2birds]

I would think that the only factor you would have to worry about in this scenario would be that the stress of the move and new place would stress out the new bird weakening its immune system for a short time. Bacteria and stuff that is around your house that a birds system normally would not have a problem with might have a chance with a weakened bird. Once it takes hold and sickens a bird it gets bigger and the existing birds could then succumb to something that normally their bodies were handling. I would still quarantine.

[Mare]

I agree with both Tony and Lori. Sometimes, though, the stress can be greater for the new bird by being separate from the rest of the flock. When we brought our little Chip home, we kept him in a separate room from the cockatoos (quarantine) and he chirped loudly almost non-stop, until he got put in the same room. Why he would want to be in the same room as these loud mouths is beyond me but he settled right down once we did this :)