Bird-safe - Introduction To Strangers

Introduction To Strangers

Strangers to a bird include new people and animals. It is recommended that a new bird be quarantined and vet checked before being introduced to existing household birds. Birds that do not know each other should always be supervised when introduced, even if they are of the same species.

Ferrets can be potentially dangerous around pet birds as they have a strong hunting instinct. Cats and dogs are also potentially dangerous to pet birds, but most can be successfully trained to get along with birds in their household. However a pet bird should never be left unattended outside the cage around a cat or dog. Mammalian saliva contains bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal infection in birds if introduced into a wound; a bird that receives even a minor bite or scratch should be taken to a veterinarian for treatment and appropriate antibiotics.

Some people have found to their dismay and cost that although newly bought birds that they put through quarantine looked healthy, the new birds caused birds of certain species of their stock to become ill and die when they were mixed together. That is what birds known as disease carriers can end up doing to a stock. Mixing newly purchased birds with established stock without a veterinary examination can be dangerous, no matter how healthy the new birds look even after quarantine.