I have heard all these statements within the finch community.  The fact is, just as in people, a seemingly healthy bird can carry any number of pathogens that can wipe out your entire flock!

Bringing home a new bird is an exciting time; it is also a dangerous time.  Care must be taken to insure the health of the new bird before it is introduced to your flock.  This process of keeping new birds separate  and evaluating their health before introducing them to the flock is called quarantine.

How involved your own quarantine procedures will be depends in large part on how many other birds you have in your flock.  An aviculturist with just a few birds may choose to keep his new finch in a separate cage from the flock for a few days to a few weeks and then release them in with the rest of his/her birds.

With over 300 finches, I have developed a more elaborate quarantine procedure.  I share this procedure below, not because it is the only "right" way to go, but in the hope that it will lead you to review your own quarantine methods.  It is this periodic review of our routines that helps make us all better aviculturists.

Below is my routine.  I would love to hear how others handle quarantine.

 While it is not normally a good idea to use medications prophylactally, I make an exception when I bring new birds into the flock.  I do not want to risk a bird being a carrier that infects the entire flock.

Most of the medications I use are from an Australian company (Vetafarm) and a European Company (Birdcare Co).  I have been so impressed with both these companies products that I have arranged to import and resell these products.  I have given the name of my preferred product in parenthesis in the following quarantine description. 

When I get new birds, the first thing I do is spray them with a mite spray (Avian Insect Liquidator) before I even take them out of the carrier.  This kills any external parasites which could spread quickly through the flock.  External parasites can jump on your clothing or skin and survive until you next go to service your regular flock so it is important to deal with them right away!  By spraying the birds while they are still in the carrier, I treat both the birds and the carrier all at once. The carrier is then washed in a disinfectant solution (Enviroclens) and placed out in the sunshine for 2-3 days. (sunshine will help kill the vast majority of any remaining bacteria and the sun makes sure everything is thoroughly dry before it is packed away.)  The birds are then placed in a flight in a warm secluded area, well away from my other birds.  The ideal is to have a totally separate air source.  My quarantine is in a separate building from my flock.  If outside, I use a flight 10 feet from my other flights.

The next thing I do is treat for with a wormer (Worm Out Gel) that kills any internal worms including tapeworms. You need to read  the label of any wormer product you use because many of them are NOT effective against tape worms. According to Ritchie Harrison and Harrison  (Avian Medicine, Principles and Applications), most finches are very susceptible to tape worms so it doesn't make much sense to use one of the many wormers on the market that do not treat for this parasite.  The problem with most of the wormers that treat for tapeworms is that they taste AWFUL!  This may cause the birds to not consume the treated water.  I have found a tsp. of strawberry syrup/ quart of medicated water, overcomes this problem.  It works so well, in fact, I now use the syrup whenever I offer any medication in the water.

The next thing I do is treat with an anti protozoal (Ronivet).  Many of the protozoa will effect one species of bird and have no effect on another.  A perfectly healthy bird can be carrying a protozoa  that will be lethal to other species you may have in your flights. The Ronivet helps eliminate any protozoa that may be present.

Next, I treat with a broad spectrum antibiotic (Amtyl). This eliminates any bacteria that the bird may be carrying in his gut.  Again, the bird may be asymptomatic but the bacteria may be lethal to my flock.  Be sure to follow the label directions and give the full course of antibiotic.  Cutting treatment short can result in resistant bacteria that will not respond to antibiotics.

After the antibiotic, I give a probiotic (Probotic orBioplus )for 3 days.  This helps replace the beneficial bacteria that was destroyed by the antibiotic.

This whole routine takes 2 weeks. I believe it hits most of the avian pathogens with the exception of the viruses.  If the birds are suffering from a virus, they should be showing symptoms by this time.  If the birds still appear healthy, I think it is safe to release them into the  flock.