Your pet bird should visit the vet on a regular basis. While you might think any doctor can best treat your bird, it is better to consult with someone who specializes in these creatures.
Such a person is called an avian veterinarian. When you go around looking for one, it is best that this person belongs to the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV).
Specialists who are members of this organization have 6 or more years of experience dealing with birds. In fact, there are only 100 certified avian veterinarians worldwide and you are lucky to have one who happens to be residing near where you live.
But what if you are not able to find a doctor who is certified by the AAV? When this happens, you have to consult with a veterinarian based on the recommendations of other bird owners or through word of mouth.
If you dont have friends who own birds, try talking to bird breeders and organizations which are into owning and caring for birds just like you. Your other options will be to look through the phone directory or online and then set an appointment.
When you visit their clinic, discuss what you expect from them and pay attention to the answers they give you. It will be nice to know how long they have been working on birds, what equipment or training do they have and how your bird is behaving with them.
It will also be very important to know if they can be contacted or consulted whenever there is an emergency. If they are not available, someone they know and trust should be able to give you and your bird the same amount of attention.
One other thing you should check before or after talking to a potential avian doctor is to see if the place is clean and if the people who work there are friendly. Naturally, you dont want your bird to stay overnight for observation if the place is unsanitary as a disease from another bird could infect your own.
Once you have finished interviewing a list of potential candidates, it will be easy to choose which one will be the doctor for your pet bird.
A good bird doctor will not only talk to you whenever your pet has a problem but also offer tips so you can handle minor problems on your own. You might be taught how to sense if something is wrong and what to do until you are able to bring the bird over.
Part of that includes having the right avian first aid supply at home. This includes having a carrier large enough to carry the bird since the cage may not always fit in the car. Some cotton swabs, gauze tape, tubing, betadine and a host of other things are also needed so make sure you have a sufficient supply of these items at all times.
The veterinarian is your best friend whenever there is something wrong with your pet bird. Given that they know more about this creature, you just have to trust them and hope that everything works out for the best. While there are a lot of veterinarians around, you have to know how to choose the right one for your pet bird.
