The best way to prevent disease from affecting your birds is to always quarantine new birds that enter your household away from your present flock. A proper quarantine room is one that does not share the same air supply as the rooms where you current birds are. One should always wash their hands thoroughly and it is also a good idea to change clothes and shoes after being in the quarantine area before having contact with your other birds. It is the policy here at Feathered Friends to quarantine new birds coming in form Georgia for a minimum of 30 days out of state birds will be quarantined for a minimum of 90 days, they will be vet checked at 30,60 and 90 days. No new arrival birds will be adopted or socialized during that time. As a state licensed animal shelter a minimum 30 days is requested, here we go the extra 60 days on out of state birds to be safe from diseases here at the shelter. Annual vet checks are also very important, as many times a bird will not show any signs of illness until it is too late, and the chances of recovery are much higher if an illness is caught early. Keep your birds away from places you know they will have contact with other birds (pet stores, bird shows, the home of someone who has birds), and wash your hands and change clothes after being around places where other birds are present, before having contact with your bird. Proper vet care by a certified avian vet is crucial if your bird begins to display any of the symptoms mentioned below, or if they just don't seem right to you.

Aspergillosis - a fungal disease known to attack the respiratory system, resulting in difficulty breathing.

Candida - caused by yeast (Candida albicans). Symptoms may include cheese-like growths in the mouth and throat of the bird, regurgitation, loss of appetite or slow crop, however many adults show no signs at all. Birds are more susceptible when lacking in vitamin A.

Giardia - a parasitic protozoan spread through contaminated food and water. Symptoms include diarrhea, weight loss, loss of appetite, depression and feather picking.

Papillomas - a virus which causes benign tumors to erupt randomly on the birds body.

Polyoma virus - also known as french moult. This fatal disease affects the ability to properly develop wings and tail feathers, and can be spread rather quickly through feather dust, droppings, fecal dust and contact with infected birds. Symptoms include weakness, diarrhea, regurgitation, paralyzation and enlarged abdomens, though adult birds may show no signs at all. No cure is presently known, although a controversial vaccine is available. Talk to your vet about this vaccine.

Proventricular Dilation Syndrome - also known as macaw wasting disease. This fatal disease attacks the birds digestive system, thus affecting the ability to digest food. Symptoms include diarrhea, weight loss, regurgitation, and undigested food in the droppings. No cure is yet known.

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Syndrome - PBFDS is a virus which causes a pinched or clubbed appearance to the feathers. Symptoms also include fracturing of the beak, and mouth ulcers. This disease is highly contagious, and is spread through contact with infected birds, mostly affecting young birds under 3 years of age. There is no known cure for this fatal disease.

Psittacosis - also known as chlamydiosis or parrot fever. Infected birds may exhibit nasal discharge, weight loss, depression, loss of appetite, sudden death and lime-green droppings. Many older birds will not show any symptoms at all, or symptoms may not be noticeable for several years. This fatal disease is spread through contact with infected birds, and in rare cases has been known to be transmittable to humans (humans may suffer flu-like symptoms and should seek treatment from their doctor). This disease is treatable in most cases, with tetracycline-laces pellets.