# Quick quarantine query



## Ashgor (11 mo ago)

Hey there, I very recently purchased my little guy and was curious about introducing him a mate, As he doesn't seem overly interactive with toys and recently starting took to biting the cage which is painted and obviously I'm aware paint can contain zinc and be super harmful so I'm attempting to nip that, But ultimately I think it comes down to boredom, While all his needs are being met and I'm changing toys out even if he isn't particularly bothered by them, I'm ultimately losing my control on being able to entertain my little guy and while we do get trained etc it's whenever I go back to doing something else he bites the cage out of boredom. A way of keeping him entertained is with budgie sounds/ Videos but I obviously can't just really have it playing all day as much as I wish I could I just don't have facility for that for him and feel a companion would boast both that singing back to him and a play mate, With in mind that they are more of a flock bird than a standalone

Anyway, The query was like I've had him within the last couple of months (believe like 5 weeks maybe 6 weeks?) if I went back to the same pet shop which possibly could still have all of his old friends would I be able/ Would it even be wise to forgo the quarantine within the thinking of the are probably the same little guys there, (That is something I could also ask and check if they are the same or if new ones have come in) but providing they are the same what would the opinions be? Cause I'm a complete amateur and I have read and do understand the importance of quarantine, but if he was good free from disease and mites his old friends providing nobody new was introduced would have a high possibility of also being fine? Or is that complete wrong thinking and I should just assume they have introduced new and prepare to have them quarantined from the get go? 

I mean perhaps I'm totally wrong in this whole thinking but that's why I'm here theory crafting with those with an idea. Before dangerously or perhaps not dangerously risking my existing little guy which I obviously would hate to do. Thanks for your help.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

You should not forgo the quarantine, you don't have any way of knowing the health condition of the other birds and it is just too risky. Even if a bird looks healthy that is no guarantee that there is not something dormant that might just surface with the stress of being moved from the shop to your home.


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## Ashgor (11 mo ago)

Okay thanks for that so even though they could still be the same guys, There's still the same risk as any other place and should just always safety quarantine is the basic idea?


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

If you were to have purchased them at the same time or within a few days of one another and you were sure that no other birds had been added to the space they came from, then it would be a different story but too much time has passed now.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*
*Locating an Avian Veterinarian*

*Is the bird's cage painted or is it powder-coated? 
Is this a new or used cage?
Are there any rusted or corroded spots on the cage?

In the weeks since you got your budgie, you have no way of knowing if other birds have been introduced into that environment.
You definitely need to quarantine if you are thinking of getting your budgie a friend.
Additionally, you should only get a budgie of the same gender -- not the opposite gender as you do not want to have to discourage breeding.
You must also be aware of veterinary expense -- are you willing and able to pay for any necessary medical care two budgies may need in the future?
Are you willing and able to house the two birds separately on a permanent basis if something happens and they do not get along?

Budgie owners should always have a spare cage on hand for use as a hospital/quarantine/travel cage.*

*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*
*Quality Seed Mix*
*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*
*Safe Foods for Budgies*
*The Truth about GRIT*

*Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.*

*SITE GUIDELINES*
*Posting on the Forums*
*Let's Talk Budgies!*
*FAQ*
*Articles*
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*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*
*Cage sizes.*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*
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*Resource Directory*


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## Ashgor (11 mo ago)

Perfect yeah that was really the answer I was looking for cause ultimately as the pet shop holds other birds within the same big room any of them could also be carrying anything that also could get air borne and even if they was in perfect health could potentially not be after.

Erm to be perfectly honestly I don't know if it's painted or powder coated would one not contain zinc by chance? At a guess I'd probably say painted rather than powder coated as he has managed to chip it a little bit but I've since now applied a toy to the wound so to say, Basically put a toy in the one place he keeps biting at there's no other spots so far just that one and hopefully by placing something there will deter him from doing it, Like it has been today which is probably best regardless right? To not have him bite the cage and not to risk whether the paint would contain zinc or not. Like I'm rather a shut in so I'm with him 9/10 of the time so I see when he does it etc and so far he's begun playing with the strands of the toy it's like a ropey type toy with plenty of parts to chew/bite at which I thought would be very well suited to stop and deter him from the cage.

But absolutely no rusted spots just that little chip he managed and i found the chip that came off and removed that instantly too changed the bowl etc that was near just so no tiny particles in there etc.

But yeah you needed worry faerybee I made sure to do ample and ample of research on health care for budgies etc before the original purchase, Which is why I knew about the paint and the actual act of quarantine etc. But I will however also read the links you sent too, It was just this query of whether that would of been less risk etc and just a double check I was figuring I would still have to quarantine but just wanted to make sure, As I'd love to of have them introduced right away without a risk but I'm definitely not taking that risk, They can wait to meet for sure. 
To be fair I wasn't even sure such a thing as a dedicated budgie forum existed til I found this, So I'll 100% take the time to dive deeper into the information available.

I mean the money side isn't too much of an issue I'm pretty well off if I'm honest not to attempt to brag or be big headed just to clarify that yes I did consider it but my bank account isn't hurting for sure.
Also yes I did consider that they would probably need to be same sex as in all honesty as I said I am amateur and no amount of reading will change that, From what I did read though with many posts I did read from you specifically it's alot of hassle having opposite sex when it comes to mating separation after and all that so I'd really not have to worry about all that right now and just enjoy having my little guy/ soon to be guys?
Maybe a future comes when a female appears but it's not written on the cards for now for sure.

Sorry my paragraphs are kinda hideously large but thanks for taking the time to respond and help and advise me, Greatly appreciated I'm very sure extra information provided will help me with my little guy.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*If the cage is painted and has chips of any sort, then I strongly suggest you replace it with an appropriately sized new cage.

The very minimum size cage for one (maximum two) budgies would be 76cm x 46 cm x 46 cm.
BIGGER is better. Budgies fly laterally so length is more important than height.
Ensure the spacing between the bars is no more than 1.27 cm

There are some very nice cages which are quite a bit larger than the minimum which I would recommend for your new little friend. 
What is his name?
Do you have any pictures of him you'd like to share?
*
*How to upload images to posts*


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## Ashgor (11 mo ago)

Yeah I have another cage arrived for him, I went and got my new budgie today too, And I need to ask they are reputable etc but they told me they have already quarantined all their birds before allowing them to be purchased, Do I trust this or just keep to the quarantine. Cause I did tell them I had another cage all set up for the new budgie's quarantine and they insisted they 100% quarantine before sale. 

Like so far the little guy is setup in quarantine but that did throw me through a loop like do I trust in their they have quarantined all their birds or just keep my new little guy locked up like he has the plague lol.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You need to quarantine as previously advised in this thread. *


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## Ashgor (11 mo ago)

Yeah As I said in the edit the new one is already in quarantine but yeah, Wasn't sure if that's something that's often said? Again figured it was best to ask even with them already being in quarantine, On the bright side they can most definitely hear each other and are already happily talking away from completely different parts of the house. 
I'll get round to getting pictures of both soon enough my blue guy is super super camera shy though soon as a phone comes near him he's just not a happy camper, Obviously I'm not using flash or flashlight either as I know that would be very disorienting and blinding for the little guys. Not sure why he doesn't like the phone though maybe my phone itself is too shiny or just something about it he doesn't like, So I haven't really tried to get a proper photo of him since realising he hates it.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Be sure you quarantine for the full period of time.

I'm closing this thread.
If you wish to make an ongoing picture thread in the Budgie Pictures section of the forum for your two boys, please feel free to do so.*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Many pet stores say they "quarantine" their birds but most of them do not know how to determine illnesses in budgies or take them to an avian vet for a proper check up. I would only trust this if you knew for a fact that a qualified avian vet looked at every single bird that was living together. Since this is almost never the case, you should ALWAYS quarantine. 

I look forward to hearing more about your boys


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