The Wellness Examination for Birds Behavior

The Wellness Examination for Birds: Behavior

Most avian practitioners and many owners understand the importance of yearly physical examination for disease prevention and care of the physical health of the bird. More and more significance is now given to the importance of the bird’s psychologic health as well.

According to statistics from the Gabriel Foundation, a nationally recognized parrot rescue organization, birds are frequently relinquished for a variety of reasons (1). The most commonly relinquished bird is the cockatiel, and the most common reasons cited by owners for abandonment are “not enough time for the bird, and/or “change in priority.“ Other birds are primarily abandoned for so called “behavioral” reasons, in particular, blue and gold macaws and larger cockatoos (1). When owners relinquish their birds, this often represents a certain degree of disappointment for the owner, a potentially stressful disruption for the bird, and a loss of clientele and income for the avian veterinarian.

The veterinary technician or assistant should assume the duty of patient intake and the initial gathering of signalment and history. This requires specific training, especially in the area of the behavioral history. Specific behavioral query training, client education handouts, and pre-printed questionnaires can be beneficial. Suggested questions are presented in table 1. […]