I love my vet.  Really, I do.  I’m very lucky to have her here.  She’s a rare find.

Dr Fiskett is one of a limited number of veterinarians world wide specially certified in avian medicine by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.

What does that mean?

According to Birds N Ways:

ABVP Certified Avian Veterinarians

An "avian veterinarian" is someone who is willing to treat birds; any veterinarian can call him/herself an avian veterinarian. A "certified avian veterinarian" is one who has obtained certification from the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) as described below.

The following list, effective July 2004, represents all of the Board-Certified Avian Practice Specialists (American Board of Veterinary Practitioners). As of this date there are 102 certified avian veterinarians worldwide. Certification is given by the ABVP and includes documentation of six years of significant avian practice experience or a formal residency plus scientific papers, plus a rigorous series of examinations.

There are certainly quite a number of competent/excellent avian veterinarians in North America and elsewhere who are not yet certified. Many of these veterinarians belong to the Association of Avian Veterinarians. The Association of Avian Veterinarians is approaching a membership of 3000 worldwide. While a veterinarian who is interested in birds may be a member of the AAV, AAV membership only infers that an individual paid annual dues.

To see if there is a Veterinarian who meets this criteria near you try either of these links:

http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm

http://www.abvp.com

That being said, I do feel empathetic for my birds when we go.

My vet takes the little buddy in her hands and plays with them while we are talking about the past year or so.  She weighs them, looks at their stool samples (Yes do make sure you have a clean paper in your carrier for this.)

Then my vet gets down to business.  She opens the wings, looks at the feet, the beak, feather structure, coloring and physical characteristics.  Then, she and my buddy go into the “back room.”  She does this to make sure that the buddy understands who is being “mean” to them when the needle goes in.  It is a necessary evil, but I don’t like it!

All in all, we get “Well Bird Bloodwork”, “Fecal Smear” and a whole host of other tests done annually.  These tests are very important as is the overall visit.  Get to know your vet!  It can save your buddy's life.

I just had a visitor ask about a female lovebird that just laid eggs (unfertilized.)  "What to do?"

Well it's pretty simple, but you need to be careful!

The little lady is doing what nature programmed her to do.  Do NOT take away the eggs.  You can endanger you little girl doing that.

If you take the eggs away, she'll simply lay more.  While that doesn't sound bad at first, it really is.  She is depleting her body of calcium for each egg.  If she continues to lay eggs that deficiency could lead to multiple health problems and even death!

You have a few choices here.  You can try to switch the eggs with large marbles, boil the eggs and return them, you can purchase the little plastic eggs to fool her with or just leave the eggs she's laid alone until she abandons them.

It takes about 28 days, but she will abandon them eventually.

Just let nature run its course.

Remember that your little girl won't be the sweet natured bird you are used to either - those hormones and that mothering instinct get in the way.  Just be patient, talk to her and do what she'll allow you to do with her until she gives up on the eggs.

Take care!

That is what Parrots do, right? 

If you want a lovebird so that it can learn to talk - Don't bother!

Yes, lovebirds can learn to mimic human speech.  When they do it is difficult to distinguish.  They have particular difficulty with "f" and "s" sounds.  These little guys are much more the whistle and chirp variety of bird.

The nice thing about lovebird noises is that they are not screamers.  They can get noisy, but it is not as unpleasant as the larger birds.

If you are looking for a bird that will learn to speak well, try an African Gray or Cockatoo.  Do remember that these larger birds need a lot more of your time and attention!

Okay, so how do I know that my baby cinnamon is a girl - Genetics?

Daddy is what is called a "Split Australian Cinnamon" In his case it means that while he shows none of the physical aspects of a cinnamon, he can pass on these genetic traits.  Because mamma does not also share this cinnamon trait, Daddy can only pass it onto the girls.

So, what to do when you don't have the genetics to rely on?

DNA testing.  Yep, that is it.

Prior to DNA testing you had two choices.  Wait until you saw eggs or babies (not all eggs bear chicks) or you had a very expensive and dangerous surgery performed on the little buddies.

Today it’s much easier.  There are two means of DNA testing - breast or blood feathers and a blood sample from toe nail trimming.

There are several labs out there to perform the service.  The service is fairly inexpensive at about $25 a test.

The difficult part is wanting a specific sex.  I had to pay for three different DNA tests to get my little Creamino girl. 

There are no refunds if the little lovies is not of the correct gender - the test is the test.

Hey a little knowledge in advance helps keep the sticker shock down.

Have a good one.