Quarantines over, now what??

[LovelySydney]

I was going to post this in the "other bird" section but I felt it would get more viewings if I put it in a category more frequently viewed. I really just want some feedback, feel free to move it if you need to!!


Due to a series of unfortunate events during the past few days we find ourselves considerably broke. This hasn't happened in awhile and let me tell you, its a little overwhelming. Hopefully Friday will bring a nice check but until then we're living on love!! :)


Neko's 30 day quarantine is done this Friday. Im doing an extra week just to be safe. I planned on taking him to the vet and doing the whole wellness check before introducing him to Oliver. Due to money issues Im not going to be able to do that just yet. I HATE that I cant do that for him but its just not feasible right now. The way I see it I have two options.

1. I continue the quarantine until I can get him checked and not let him be exposed to Oliver at all whatsoever until then.
2. I can introduce them after this week and hope for the best.




I know option 2 sounds risky and careless but I only say that because Oliver has been here for 3 months before Neko arrived & has been the only bird in our home. Oliver came from a closed aviary with no history EVER of illness and Neko came from a closed aviary that has NEVER had illness inside it. I completely trust the breeders that both of my birds came from & know they put their heart & souls into their fids. In my heart I dont think there is anything wrong with either of them and believe both of them to be very healthy. I dont know when I'll have the money to vet check them both (or vet fund went to Roxy last week when she randomly got sick) but I dont know how much longer I can leave Oliver by himself. He's getting time with us but I just feel like everyone would be better together, if that makes sense. I know Im not neglecting him but he definitely needs more social time & I know he would love seeing another bird around.



Any ideas on what to do? :confused:

[momo]

Coming from someone who had their new bird with an illness.. I would always do the vet check. It was so hard trying to juggle my time between Spots and Elmo but you cope and you manage. I made sure Spots had visual and hearing stimulation while I was gone. But I think the solitude helped him recover without the fear of having to protect himself.

Although you trust the aviary they came from, you just never know. I was reading an article in the Australian Bird Keeper saying that people don't realise if they have an outside aviary that ants can bring in diseases/mites/etc

It's ultimately a choice you have to make yourself and no one else can make it for you. But I would say wait, save the money up. 30 days is a quick quarantine time. As you have probably read, some people suggest 90 days to be completely sure because birds are so good at hiding illness.

[Eliza]

I'd err on the side of caution and keep them seperate, just in case. I personally feel that a 30 day Q is too short and would aim for a minimum of 45, with 60 or even 90 days being better. At the least, it helps establish a bond between the new bird and his/her caretakers and at best, it gives any critter a chance at not contracting an illness.