Frequently Asked Veterinary Questions
How often should my pet bird visit the Avian Vet?
- All pet birds need to visit an Avian vet for a check up at least once a year to ensure preventable diseases are caught early. All pet birds should be brought in for a “Well bird Exam” on purchase.
Is my bird Sick?
- It’s important to keep an eye out for subtle signs that may indicate your bird is unwell, as birds hide disease very well! These include:
Lack of appetite, decreased activity, weight change, changes in dropping, abnormal wing carriage, decrease in grooming, fluffed appearance, decreased talking, open mouth breathing, tail bobbing, feather plucking, sitting motionless on the floor of the cage, falling from the perch, limping or perching on one leg.
Sadly most people wait too long before bringing their sick bird to the vet. Can you take blood from a bird?
- Yes – in fact at Bird Vet Melbourne we take blood from pet birds a few times on most days. Our Avian labs can do a full bird blood profile on 0.3 ml of whole bloods – which can be safely taken from most pet birds.
Should I clip my birds wings?
- No! Not without careful consideration and knowledge on how to do it and how many millimeters of specific feathers to remove. Bird Vet Melbourne Avian vets will advise you .
Should I trim my birds beak?
- No! Most healthy birds go a lifetime without ever needing to have their beaks trimmed. Most beak overgrowth is due to disease of something other than the beak – that needs to be treated.
What should I do if my bird flies away?
- 1. Put ads in every newspaper you can, inclusive of the local papers.2. Display signs in your neighborhood, and at schools, churches, supermarkets, or wherever large numbers of people would see it.
3. Post an ad on www.parrotalert.com along with appropriate Facebook sites
4. Contact all the veterinarians who see birds within 30 kilometer radius of your home, as well as pet stores, feed stores, humane societies, and local councils
5. Place your bird’s cage outside full of food and toys in case it is in the area and can see it. If you have another bird, you can take it, out (as long as it is safely trimmed) to see if they will call to each other.
7. Make sure your pet birds are micro-chipped