How to Prevent Psittacosis

By eHow Health Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Clean the cages of pet birds often so that their feces do not accumulate, dry up and become airborne.
Step 2:
Avoid handling new or sick birds. Birds can remain infected for life even after treatment and continue to shed bacteria when stressed.
Step 3:
Purchase birds in the United States from a reliable source that follows federal recommendations for psittacosis control. Keep imported birds of the parrot in a bird quarantine station before selling them.
Step 4:
Feed quarantined birds with food containing tetracycline. This will reduce the risk of infection but the quarantine period of 45 days is generally too short to completely treat the birds. Federal health authorities recommend that breeders and importers provide the tetracycline feed to all birds for 45 continuous days to prevent the spread of psittacosis.
Step 5:
Report cases of this infection to health authorities as required by most states. Prompt diagnosis and reporting may make identification of the source of infection easier and help control the spread of this disease. This is can be challenging, however, as infected birds rarely have symptoms.

Resources

Learn more about preventing psittacosis.

More Puppy Pages

How to Care for a Parrot

Parrots can make wonderful pets if they are cared for properly. Caring for a parrot can be easy and enjoyable.

Keeping pets healthy at a pet store takes advanced preparation. Because pets are living animals, they require constant care. Many states have laws in place to insure the health of any pet at a pet store. Some of these laws are very strict but, others are...

Avian flu, or bird flu, is a global health concern. Bird flu is a virus that infects domesticated and wild birds causing illness and death. Infected birds can pass the illness to humans through contact with bird excretions or infected surfaces. Bird flu...

How to Learn About Diseases That Affect Emus

Once you've established your emu farm, keeping your birds healthy is of utmost importance. Learning about the diseases that affect emus and the early warning signs of these diseases can help you eliminate or greatly reduce the risk factor involved. As...

How to Protect Baby Chicks Against Fowl Typhoid

Fowl typhoid is a disease of poultry that is caused by the salmonella gallinarum bacteria. Fowl typhoid is highly contagious. In older birds, symptoms of the disease include lethargy, wing droop, poor feathering, decreased egg production and sometimes...