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Post by Hezz on May 26, 2019 9:15:48 GMT
... regarding my sulphur crested cocky visitors. I've been enjoying them turning up for several months now, but the last couple of weeks have seen two very sorry, scrappy looking creatures turn up. One has a very over-grown top beak, the other is losing lots of feathers, the rest are very dirty and unhealthy. I know that these guys have PBFD - it has been proven in this areas' flock in the past and all signs point in that direction. After consulting with my vet, regarding contagiousness (very!!), I've had to stop inviting them on to the deck, (all scrubbed down) as that's somewhere I like to take my birds out to catch some sunrays at this time of the year. It is really hard, as they still turn up, landing on the roof to let me know they are there, so instead I'm putting seed out for them right down the driveway (they don't mind eating off the ground) and shooing them away when they do land on the roof or the deck railing. Hopefully they are getting the idea. Keeping my birds away from where the cockies are "preening, pooping and sneezing" (vet's words) is the important part. Most of them look beautiful, but chances can't be taken. Plus Loki hates them with a passion - he'll be happier if they are not visiting quite so close.
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Post by suesbird on May 26, 2019 9:47:39 GMT
What a shame. At least you can still see them. Your birds top priority 👍
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Post by Shirls on May 26, 2019 13:34:51 GMT
That is a shame Hezz, but birds get these things in the wild and they have no way of being treated. As suesbird has said, your birds take utmost priority.
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May 26, 2019 14:04:54 GMT
jolee
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 25
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Post by jolee on May 26, 2019 17:26:18 GMT
PBFD is a horrible disease, how sad My very first Sulpher Crested came down with it back in the early 1980's, very little was known about it at the time. You do have to protect your birds and I know it's heart breaking to chase them away, they have no idea why, but it's for the health of your birds.
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Post by Hezz on May 27, 2019 0:38:26 GMT
The vet nurse asked if I would be able to catch them. I laughed. Me and who's army?? Even the scruffy ones can still fly. It is the scrub turkeys who are going to miss out to some extent, and having to share, which they all do - rather funny seeing cockatoos and scrub turkeys eating out of the same dish.
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Post by Shirls on May 28, 2019 9:58:31 GMT
What will happen then Hezz, will they eventually die, or is it something they can cope with, and how contagious is it to the scrub turkeys? I would assume it is contagious to all birds?
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,743
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Post by Marianne Marlow on May 28, 2019 12:15:16 GMT
Oh, poor birds, but I understand that you had to take that decision.
Is it not life threatening in itself, but it makes it harder for them to find food with overgrown beaks and possibly losing the ability to fly. Oh and be susceptible to predators?
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Post by samwiseg on May 29, 2019 8:27:20 GMT
Aww that is so sad but as others have said your birds are the most important here. It is a shame you cant catch and treat them unless the vet can come round and visit
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Post by Hezz on May 29, 2019 19:18:16 GMT
To answer the question re the scrub turkeys, no they are safe. Remember it is called Psittacine beak and feather disease, meaning of the parrot family. The cockatoos are the only ones that it affects the beak of, apparently. so all the other little doves and finches are fine as well. There is no known cure - prevention is the only measure to use, as far as I know. I think the vet surgery was rather thinking along the lines of putting the sickly ones out of their misery. It will eventually kill those affected. As Marianne as pointed out, prone to predators and not being able to feed well if the beak is overgrown, plus not being able to fly well enough from food source to food source. They also suffer from the weather as the disease causes them to loose their powdery coating on their feathers, leaving them not water-proof, and of course the feathers drop out as the disease progresses. They are such a delight, and so cheeky. It is hard not to feel mean.
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Post by Shirls on May 30, 2019 7:19:20 GMT
So sad.
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Post by clt80 on Jun 5, 2019 17:04:33 GMT
Aww
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