Boarding | birdhealth

PET BIRDS

Pet Bird Boarding

Pre-Boarding Health Check with Dr Marshall

Our boarding policy requires that all pet birds staying at the clinic undergo a health check with Dr Marshall. This is necessary to ensure that we are familiar with the overall health of your bird prior to boarding at the clinic and ensures we are aware of any potential problems that may arise during the boarding period.

As part of your bird's health check, a Psittacosis test will be performed to ensure your bird is free of this disease. Psittacosis is contagious and can be spread between birds and also from bird to human. Some birds may carry the Psittacosis germ in a latent state and have no visible symptoms.

When your bird is carrying a latent disease (no visible symptoms), the stress associated with a change in environment may precipitate an outbreak. As such, it is critically important that we ensure all birds admitted to our boarding area are free from any disease and in particular, Psittacosis.

Please discuss any health concerns you may have for your pet bird with Dr Marshall during your pre-boarding health check.

The Boarding Forms

At Carlingford Animal Hospital we are committed to providing the ultimate level of care for companion birds while their owners are away. We take this responsibility very seriously as we know how important feathered family members are. Your pet bird will be assigned a nurse (Casey or Tailai) who will be in charge of the boarding services for your bird. Casey/Tailai will fill out the Bird Boarding Pass at the commencement of the boarding period. Please have your contact details available such as email address and relevant phone numbers while you are away.

A cage safety check will also be conducted at this time.

The Bird Boarding Pass will remain at the clinic and a Bird Boarding Daily Checklist will be commenced. The Daily Checklist will be updated at intervals throughout the day to monitor the health and happiness of your bird while in our care.

Click here to view our Bird Boarding Daily Checklist.

Our nurses, Casey and Tailai will be observing the eating habits of your bird, its droppings and physical appearance as well as social interactions.

This information will be reported to Dr Marshall each day.

Casey and Tailai may be contacted by phone during business hours at the clinic on 02 98716036 or via email for clients heading overseas. Our email is robmarshall@birdhealth.com.au.

Cage cover - If your bird's cage is routinely covered at night it is important to bring the cover along for the boarding period. Some birds can become stressed if the cage is covered in a different manner to what they are used to so please detail this information on arrival at the clinic for commencement of the boarding period.

If your bird requires a night light please also advise us of this.

We would like to keep boarding birds in a routine that as closely as possible mimics what happens at home. Please provide us with a general daily routine and interaction schedule for your pet bird.

Carlingford Animal Hospital Feeding Routine

For Budgerigars and Cockatiels:

Dry climate parrots such as budgerigars and cockatiels are provided with fresh seed and the vitamin health programme made fresh daily.

For Fruit Eating Parrots:

Our feeding routine for fruit eating parrots (e.g. Eclectus, Asiatics, Conures, Macaws etc.)

We recommend a high quality, seed mix for fruit eating parrots, complemented by fresh fruits and vegetables and the ongoing health programme to provide a balanced diet. Fruit eating pet birds boarding at the clinic are offered seasonal fresh fruits and veg twice daily. Breakfast is provided in the morning for 1-2 hrs and then removed from the cage.

After removing fresh food from the cage the culture tested seed mix (low sunflower seed) is provided for foraging opportunity and to encourage beak exercise.

At 4pm a second delicious combination of seasonal fruits and veg is provided. This evening meal is left in the cage for 1-2 hrs.

This feeding plan reflects birds' eating pattern in nature- For example, the regularly observed morning flocking and interaction at breakfast time of our native lorikeets and flocking again in the evening for dinner before communal roosting. This is also how most pet birds are cared for in the home. Owners have a shared breakfast with their pet bird and then most likely go out to work. Upon their return in the evening, a shared meal is repeated. Even birds such as budgerigars and cockatiels can be observed to eat routinely at the same time as their human counterparts - heading straight to the seed bowl at dinner time.

We encourage our boarding clients to implement this feeding strategy at home prior to boarding at the clinic. Removing fruits and veg after 2 hours is a safe practise as it eliminates food contamination problems during the day.

For Fruit eating parrots- please supply 3 days of your parrots most relished fruit/veg so that our nurses can prepare a morning and evening meal that is similar to what is served at home.

Boarding costs are as follows:

Small birds (Budgerigar, canary, cockatiel etc.) - $25 per bird per day.
Parrots (Eclectus, cockatoos, galahs, lorikeets, conures etc.) - $30 per bird per day.