Emergency Bird Care When You Are Ill
Question: Emergency Bird Care When You Are Ill
A relative of mine got very sick recently and was hospitalized for an extended period of time -- almost 4 weeks total! The illness came out of the blue and took a great toll even though he seemed perfectly healthy beforehand. The whole situation has made me wonder what I should do in case I get sick or hurt in an accident. I own 4 pet parrots who depend on me for their daily care.
How can bird owners make sure that their pets will be okay if they become incapacitated for any length of time? I'm single, so I can't depend on a significant other to care for them.
Answer:
Kudos for being a responsible bird owner and thinking of your pets' well being. As exotic pets, birds need specialized care that not just anyone can give -- so it is important to formulate a plan as to how you will make sure they are taken care of in case you are ever unable to care for them yourself. Keeping a bird healthy involves more than just making sure he or she has food and water; birds are very complex and have a high volume of special needs that many people, even animal lovers, are not accustomed to providing. The very first thing you will need to do to build an emergency care plan for your birds is to designate someone that you trust to be their caregiver in your absence.
Think about any friends or family members that you may have who have met your birds before. Did it seem like they were afraid of the birds, or were they comfortable with your feathered friends?
Did the feeling seem mutual? Once you have a person in mind, have a talk with them to see how they would feel about becoming part of your emergency bird care plan. If they are willing to take on the job (and hopefully they won't ever have to) then you will need to spend some time educating them on your birds' routine, schedule, and the things that you do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to ensure their good health. Show them how to clean bird cages properly and give them a crash course in bird nutrition to make sure that your pets' diets won't suffer while you're out of commission. Introduce your designated caretaker to your bird first aid kit and show them how to use the tools found within it in case your bird needs medical help.
At this point, you might also want to consider introducing your caretaker to your avian veterinarian -- in fact, it's a great idea to have them tag along next time your birds have a check up. That way, he or she can meet the doctor and get a taste for how vet visits go, in case your bird should need to be seen while in the caretaker's care. Doing all these things in preparation will help put both you and your designee's mind at ease in the unfortunate event that he or she should have to actually care for your birds during an emergency.
If you can't find a suitable person to designate as your birds' caretaker, then you may want to ask your avian vet for advice. He or she may offer bird boarding, or know of a reputable person or place that does. While paying to board your birds could potentially be very expensive, you can at least be comforted by the fact that your feathered friends are receiving excellent care from qualified and knowledgeable people.
You never know when an illness or accident may strike, so it is important to start working on your emergency bird care plan right away. That way, in case you do experience a problem, you can easily set your plan in action if the need should arise.
A relative of mine got very sick recently and was hospitalized for an extended period of time -- almost 4 weeks total! The illness came out of the blue and took a great toll even though he seemed perfectly healthy beforehand. The whole situation has made me wonder what I should do in case I get sick or hurt in an accident. I own 4 pet parrots who depend on me for their daily care.
How can bird owners make sure that their pets will be okay if they become incapacitated for any length of time? I'm single, so I can't depend on a significant other to care for them.
Answer:
Kudos for being a responsible bird owner and thinking of your pets' well being. As exotic pets, birds need specialized care that not just anyone can give -- so it is important to formulate a plan as to how you will make sure they are taken care of in case you are ever unable to care for them yourself. Keeping a bird healthy involves more than just making sure he or she has food and water; birds are very complex and have a high volume of special needs that many people, even animal lovers, are not accustomed to providing. The very first thing you will need to do to build an emergency care plan for your birds is to designate someone that you trust to be their caregiver in your absence.
Think about any friends or family members that you may have who have met your birds before. Did it seem like they were afraid of the birds, or were they comfortable with your feathered friends?
Did the feeling seem mutual? Once you have a person in mind, have a talk with them to see how they would feel about becoming part of your emergency bird care plan. If they are willing to take on the job (and hopefully they won't ever have to) then you will need to spend some time educating them on your birds' routine, schedule, and the things that you do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to ensure their good health. Show them how to clean bird cages properly and give them a crash course in bird nutrition to make sure that your pets' diets won't suffer while you're out of commission. Introduce your designated caretaker to your bird first aid kit and show them how to use the tools found within it in case your bird needs medical help.
At this point, you might also want to consider introducing your caretaker to your avian veterinarian -- in fact, it's a great idea to have them tag along next time your birds have a check up. That way, he or she can meet the doctor and get a taste for how vet visits go, in case your bird should need to be seen while in the caretaker's care. Doing all these things in preparation will help put both you and your designee's mind at ease in the unfortunate event that he or she should have to actually care for your birds during an emergency.
If you can't find a suitable person to designate as your birds' caretaker, then you may want to ask your avian vet for advice. He or she may offer bird boarding, or know of a reputable person or place that does. While paying to board your birds could potentially be very expensive, you can at least be comforted by the fact that your feathered friends are receiving excellent care from qualified and knowledgeable people.
You never know when an illness or accident may strike, so it is important to start working on your emergency bird care plan right away. That way, in case you do experience a problem, you can easily set your plan in action if the need should arise.