Ask the Avian Vet

We gratefully acknowledge the support of Dr. Kerry Korber of the Calgary Avian and Exotic Pet Clinic  for continuing to submit valuable articles.

Beak and Feather Syndrome

 Question:

I recently heard of "Beak and Feather Syndrome". Is this a disease which the average parrot owner should be concerned about? What are the symptoms?

Answer:

Absolutely! All parrot owners should know about Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD).

Psittacine beak and feather disease is caused by a circovirus. This virus causes a wide range of clinical signs associated with progressive feather and beak abnormalities. Birds can be infected by inhaling, swallowing or absorbing viral particles shed in feather dust, crop secretions, and feces of carrier or sick birds.

Old World species (Cockatoos, African Greys, Lovebirds, etc.) are typically birds in which the disease is fatal. New World species (Macaws, Amazons, etc.) can be affected, although the reported incidence of disease is lower and the potential for recovery is more likely. Clinical disease and incubation times depend on many factors, including the species exposed, how old the bird is when exposed, how aggressive the viral strain is, how much of the virus the bird is exposed to, the route of exposure and the health of the bird during exposure.

PBFD can have peracute, acute, and chronic forms. The peracute form is usually in young birds which typically die due to infection. Because of the rapid nature of this form, there are rarely classic feather abnormalities. Without an autopsy, this form of PBFD can be missed.

Acute PBFD is characterized by depression that may last several days, followed by mild to moderate feather abnormalities. Hemorrhages in the feather shafts and premature molting of abnormal feathers are quite common. These birds often have secondary infections and anemia. Molting often makes recognizing PBFD more evident.

Chronic PBFD is the classically recognized form of the disease and is the result of surviving an acute case of PBFD. These birds typically have missing feather tracts, colour changes to the feathers, feathers that remain in their sheaths, and a loss of powder down feathers, resulting in abnormally shiny beaks. Feather abnormalities may progress at each successive molt and feathers may not be replaced resulting in loss of overall feathers. Beak lesions typically show up late in the disease process and include abnormality in growth and shape with beak tissue that hemorrhages or sloughs. Secondary bacterial infections often occur.

Testing for PBFD includes blood sampling and biopsies. There is no available vaccine for PBFD at this time. PBFD is often likened to diseases that suppress the immune system and open the patient up for secondary infections. In the birds that do not succumb to acute PBFD, death is often the result of secondary bacterial or fungal infections.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Kerry Korber Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

Carbonated Drinks

Question:

Although not good for our parrots due to the sugar and other ingredients, does the occasional sip of a carbonated beverage, i.e. 7-up, club soda, have the potential to kill parrots because of the carbonation in the beverage?

Answer:

The person who asked this question knows the answer already - ‘pop drinks are not good for our parrots due to the sugar and other ingredients’. If you’re having something to drink that you know your bird shouldn’t share (coffee, tea, alcohol, soda pop) - give the bird a safe substitute such as some dilute fruit juice – or duck out of the room and have your drink out of view!!

Dr. Kerry Korber, Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

Clipping of Wings

Question:

Too often I see parrots with excessively clipped primary and secondary feathers. Could you offer some basic guidelines on the correct method for clipping a bird's wings?

Answer:

I couldn't agree more. Far too often, we see birds with injuries, both physical and emotional, from poor wing clips. In our practice, we feel each bird should be evaluated individually for the type of wing clip that best suits it. Factors that should be considered include age, species, weight, and environmental circumstances. In general, the purpose of a wing clip is to prevent a bird from gaining or maintaining altitude. After a wing clip, a bird should be able to gently glide down to a surface.

In general we always recommend a symmetrical wing clip (same on both sides). The only feathers that should be trimmed in a wing clip are the primary feathers (the first 10). Wing clips should never proceed into the secondary feathers. Variations of how many primary feathers, how short the primary feathers and in what order the primary feathers are trimmed are determined by the individual bird.

Aerodynamic light weight birds such as Conures or Cockatiels will usually need a more aggressive wing clip (cut the first 6 - 8 primaries short in a 'block cut') to keep them grounded. Leaving even one end feather per side can be enough for some birds to get lift off!

Heavier birds such as Amazons or African Greys often do better with a modified cut, taking some and leaving some of the primaries. We liken it to creating a few 'holes' in the wing of plane - enough to glide, but not enough to flap and get loft.

We always recommend birds with new wing clips be placed on the ground to do a few 'false starts' and get the idea they cannot fly. It is better to take fewer feathers initially and 'take more' as needed (ensuring the bird cannot injure itself) - as there is no putting back what you cut off!! We advise owners to come in for a wing clip demonstration prior to trimming wings at home. This way, the individual bird's circumstance can be assessed, the best wing clip recommended and owners can be taught how to recognize a blood feather (a new feather that is growing in, has a blood supply and should NEVER be cut).

For birds that are recovering from a bad wing clip, we discourage sitting high on a cage top or on an owner's shoulder. If the bird is prone to flapping around (young Cockatiels/African Greys) we recommend rearranging the cage so that the bird cannot injure itself on the perches or the floor as it flutters down. Always avoid doing aggressive nail trims on birds with poorly cut wings to ensure that their grip is maximized while their balance is compromised.

Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Kerry Korber Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

Dietary Supplements

Question:

Recently I noticed a new dietary supplement for parrots which is based on their ability to self- medicate in their natural environment. The product Herb SaladTM is said to help prevent illnesses and deficiencies that can arise from captivity. Would you recommend this as addition to my parrot's regular diet and what can you tell us about self- medication of parrots in the wild?

Answer:

I always enjoy a question that directs me to a product that is new to me! Having read about Herb Salad®, I can certainly see how bird owners may be tempted to add it to what they already feed their birds. It would appear that all the products that show up in the salad are safe for ingestion by birds and I see that the product gets around the fact that not all birds are exposed to all the items in their individual natural environments by suggesting that the bird will selectively eat the items that it needs, when it needs it. To me, therein lies the debate.

We are all familiar with examples of birds seeking out an item for ingestion (the salt licks in Costa Rica for example) where we know the birds must intuitively be seeking something that they are not getting anywhere else.    But to suggest that the bird 'instinctively know that medicinal plants are a necessary part of its diet' seems a bit of an extrapolation. Whether birds actively seek out specific items, in addition to what they normally eat, in response to ‘not feeling well’ is debatable. I think that birds can learn to seek an item when the item is available and selectively pick an item if there are choices to be made, but I would wonder whether a bird eats item ‘x’ because it has symptom ‘y’. If one extrapolates at all from our pet birds, we all know that birds will choose the food item they want rather than the one they need!

Having said that, during times of stress or duress, including disease and traditional medicating, I do not think that it is wrong to ‘boost the immune system’ with natural supplements, keeping in mind that just as with people, one should make sure that the naturopathic supplement is not contraindicated with any medications or supplements that the bird is already taking. It is always good protocol to run any new supplement past your bird veterinarian prior to using it so that each case can be assessed individually.

The caveat ‘do no harm’ applies. If you have done your due diligence and you know that the items in the herb salad are not in any way contraindicated in your pet bird, go ahead and offer the herb salad. It would be an interesting study to find out if the items a bird chooses from the salad are, in fact, items that would naturally be available to that bird or if, given the whole salad to choose from, it selectively picks the items that it likes the taste of best!!

Dr. Kerry Korber B.A., D.V.M.

Do birds need a regular bath?

Question:
Since cockatiels come from Australia, where the climate is dry, do they really need to bathe, or have spray baths? Mine won't have anything to do with water, in any way, shape or form! Yet, I know that baths keeps their 'dust' down. Any help?

Answer:
All birds bathe – it is just a question of recognizing the form that bath takes. Sometimes, in dryer climates, a bath will take the form of a fluffing around in a dust wallow. Determining where the bird originates will help determine what kind of a bath it will take. It is always easy to bath a rain forest bird; every day, in the late afternoon, the sky opens up and a warm rain falls, showering all the birds in the canopy. We mimic this with the classic ‘spray bottle bath’.

Birds from dryer climates are more of a challenge. I recall a pair of budgies I had years ago that didn’t like to bath in any of the ways I had offered. Then one day, in a rush, I put fresh lettuce into their cage, dripping wet. I heard some flapping and rustling, looked back and the budgies were happily rubbing in the greenery having a bath! Of course!

Some birds like to run through wet grass to bathe. Kip, a cockatiel in the practice, likes to have his bath in the ‘swamp’. His owner takes a pie plate, fills it with shredded lettuce and some water and Kip runs through it, having a splash and a nibble!
Some birds like to stand under a dripping faucet – others, like my canary Chancey, like to leap in and out of a large hanging water dish. Some birds dislike direct spray and will do better hanging out in the bathroom when their owner has a shower, picking up the odd droplet, but enjoying the steamy humidity that builds up in the bathroom and yet other birds will go right in the shower and get soaked to the skin!!! Watch the sparrows in the summer. If there are no puddles to bath in, they will go through the same bathing motions in a patch of dust.

A ‘bath’ is a bird’s way to naturally help maintain the quality of their feathers – and so each bird innately needs and wants to bath and should be allowed to so. The onus is on the owner to try and find out which way the bird prefers their bath and sometimes to teach the bird to bathe in the artificial situation of captivity.

Some tips to encourage bathing include: spraying from above, not from the side (rain falls from overhead), using tepid water ( it doesn’t rain hot water!) to avoid drying out the skin, disguising the sight of the bottle by wrapping it in a towel, or disguising the sound of the spray bottle by using a plant misting bottle that can be pumped and primed to slowly release a continuous gentle spray.

Interestingly, many birds are stimulated to have a bath when they hear the vacuum running!

So be persistent in trying a variety of bathing scenarios – and watch closely for cues (like head dunking when the vacuum is running), that tell you which way your bird wants to bathe.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Kerry Korber Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

Parrots can outlive their owners---some advice for first time parrot owners

Question:
I have often wondered how parrot breeders and parrot- selling pet stores can justify selling birds that will outlive the owner. What advice would you give to a potential first-time parrot owner who is considering the purchase of a parrot that will outlive a human lifetime?

 

Answer:
The advice I would give to a first time parrot owner would be similar advice I would give to anybody planning to get a pet. Always evaluate the reasons for wanting a pet and then hone in on the pet that best meets that criteria. Size of bird and required cage, ability to talk or sing, general breed personality, neighbours and noise, and of course, life span should all be considered. After that, a person should then evaluate their own life style to see if they can meet the bird’s needs both in the present and in the future.
Circumstances in life change. Children leave home, jobs come and go, couples separate and death is not always predictable. So what happens when a bird outlives its human caretaker? Just as parents plan for their children, bird owners should plan for their birds. It is not fair or reasonable to assume your children, spouse (who, perhaps, the bird has never liked!!) or best friend will want to take over the responsibility of caring for your bird when you are gone.
A bird guardian should be appointed prior to needing one – and ideally, considered prior to making the commitment of taking on a long-lived bird.
A caretaker agreement should be made clear in a will or other legal document and can be as spelled out as either party wants. Owners should consider leaving a trust account or financial stipend for the future care of the bird as part of the agreement. And whenever possible, the person named in the agreement should play a role in the bird’s life before it is a forced necessity.
We never like to think of the unthinkable, but having peace of mind that your beloved pet will be cared for means facing the reality that the life span of many of the beautiful parrot breeds can exceed that of us humans.
Respectfully submitted, Dr. Kerry Korber Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

Pet interaction and saliva

Question:

Is it appropriate for parrots and other animals (e.g., cats) to interact? In addition, is there a danger to parrots from animal saliva in the case of a bite? And, is human saliva a danger to parrots?

Answer:

I was wondering if anyone else was looking at 'Tweety and Sylvester' as a potential disaster!! There are always the stories of the cat that 'grooms' the bird, the dog that lets the bird ride on its head, the bird that seeks out the company of the other pets in the household, and I can't say that these anecdotes aren't charming; we all love the idea that the 'lion lays down with the lamb'. But if we look at pet interaction in terms of the potential problems, it can become much less cute.

As with anything owners should go into a pet interaction armed with information. It is a fact that instinct is instinct. A cat may be absolutely benign while 'playing' with the bird, but playfulness in cats and kittens often involves extended claws, especially as the game escalates and the 'toy' keeps moving.

It is a fact that even a tiny knick in the skin of a bird by a cat's claw or tooth can inject enough bacteria (that is normal to the cat) into the bird that it can die within 24 hours. A retriever may 'soft mouth' a bird, picking it up and setting it down, but the from the bird's perspective, it has been snatched into the jaws of a carnivore, only to be dropped wet, cold and possibly bruised!

I would think that a cat 'harmlessly' staring into a bird's cage, 'but never touching it' would be like someone threateningly standing outside your front window, but 'never coming in'. Your attention wouldn't be far from the potential threat and your body would continually be flooded with adrenalin in a 'flight' response.

So why do birds not act more 'afraid' of the family dog or cat? One could speculate that in the 'flock' that is family, the human flock members don't act as though the animal is a threat and the bird, as a flock member, takes signals from the rest of the flock. In nature, a bird has the ability to fly away from a threat in a moment (think of the magpies on the road when the car is coming), but at home, many of our pet birds are wing clipped, removing that instinctual escape route and potentially creating a dangerous situation. And as we all know too well, birds love action. Name me an Amazon that wouldn't love the ensuing drama of nipping a dog or cat on the nose or tail - I can almost hear the peals of laughter coming from that beak!!

The bottom line has to be this. If you have a multiple pet household, don't become complacent. All pet interactions (and child pet interactions) should be supervised. Cats and dogs should be discouraged from behaviour that could escalate into something dangerous. If there is any doubt about what occurred during the interaction, have your bird examined by an avian veterinarian. And accept that some pets just should NOT be interacting. The risk is just too high.

And, is human saliva a danger to parrots?

Human saliva can carry bacteria that could potentially be harmful to birds. We do not recommend 'sharing' chewed food or letting a bird preen a person's lips.

Respectfully submitted, Dr. Kerry Korber, Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

Plastic Products

Question:

Lately, there has been a large amount of press regarding the safety of various plastics for human use. How safe are the plastic products we use for bird food and water dishes, toys, etc, for our birds?

Answer:

When in doubt, default to the maxim 'if I wouldn't use it, I won't use it for my pet'. Plastics, especially as they age and degrade, become harder to clean and as humans are warned, can potentially leach harmful by-products. As well, plastic can be easy to chew and break into smaller pieces which can potentially be ingested by the bird. Stainless steel is always a safe choice for bowls and natural products are best for toys.

Dr. Kerry Korber Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic

Spring and Summer tips

As summer approaches, (at least that’s what they tell us is going to happen!), it is appropriate to ‘bird ready’ our pets for the season. Here are a few spring and summer tips:

Have a safe and happy summer!!

Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Kerry Korber Dr. Kerry Korber
Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic