Birdmarts a threat?

[Illumen]

I found this while researching diseases.

http://www.oldworldaviaries.com/text/miscellaneous/bird-marts.htm

I personally love going to birdmarts. I always shower and wash my clothes right when I get home from the birdmarts. I think their fun and a great place to find decent price bird stuff.

What do you all think?

[jknezek]

Very interesting but not particularly new. Most of us take the best possible precautions when attending a bird show. Others refuse to go at all. The debate goes on and an article like this certainly points out that there are inherent dangers.

I attended a few bird shows in the past and found them depressing. I haven't been to one in a while. I took the same precautions as you when returning from these shows. Would I go again? No. First because they make me sad and second because they can be dangerous.

However, I do want to point out that we don't really know enough about the transmission of these diseases to really understand whether a positive test on a swab indicates a real risk of infection.

PBFD is especially poorly understood. Some birds can be carriers for years, even shedding carriers, and show no real symptoms. Other birds are infected and die within a very short period of time. Lovebirds, as the article states, tend to be carriers but rarely suffer from the virus.

I wish the article did a better job correlating the data with geography. Were these shows all attended by similar breeders or vendors? Or could a particular set of breeders that attended all tested shows be causing the problems time and again?

I would also like to point out that not attending bird shows does not eliminate common risk. Ordering toys online can be equally as dangerous if the manufacturer keeps or breeds birds. Taking your bird to the vet can also be considered a danger. As the article states, PBFD is incredibly stable and can exist for up to a year outside of a host.

Research from UGA Vet School, I forget the doctors name but he is a leading PBFD authority, also shows that irradicating PBFD from a structure such as a home or a vet office once it has spread is almost impossible. So a vet's office that has seen a PBFD infected bird in the last several months is most likely not a safe environment either.

Does that mean no well visits and don't buy toys from bird stores or over the internet? No. Especially about well bird visits. It just means that you run risks in just about every aspect of bird ownership.

Do you reduce the risk by not attending bird shows, making your own toys, not going to bird stores, only going to the vet when absolutely necessary, and never visiting with friends who have birds? Of course. Would it suck a lot of fun out of life? Yeah.

Take risks that you think are appropriate. Be very careful about bird shows and bird stores. Wash clothes, shower, etc. You're doing the right thing.

Paranoia can always set in, but I wouldn't recommend letting it run your life.

Good luck!

Jeremy

[Mummieeva]

My thoughts are no matter were you go there is a threat of illnesses. That goes for humans and birds. That article is not really clear enough for me to have a true opinion. To many things left out. Like what was said what areas and vendors were at every single one? I have gone to a few bird fairs and will keep going to them. The money I save buy buying things there is a large amount and I enjoy them.I shower and change clothes and everything I buy is washed and cleaned well.



Steph

[Janie]

irradicating PBFD from a structure such as a home or a vet office once it has spread is almost impossible. So a vet's office that has seen a PBFD infected bird in the last several months is most likely not a safe environment either.

Jeremy, I gotta tell you that you just brought up a point that I've often wondered about.....my birds getting an infection while at the vets office for a yearly physical! We all know about quarantine but if I walk into my vets office with my birds, what about those other birds in the same waiting room or that have just been in the same exam room? :eek:

Bird fairs are a choice and I'll admit that I'm kind of a "bird fair junkie" but taking your bird to an avian vet is a necessity. Gosh, I guess there is no way to protect them in that situation.

I agree, the birds that I see at the bird fairs, for the most part, make me very sad. I don't touch them and try very hard to stay focused on the seed I'm looking for and not the birds. I've wondered about the toys I've bought and then brought into my home. Sheesh, I hate to think about it.