About Federal Quarantine
The 30-day quarantine period officially begins when your pet bird arrives at the quarantine facility.
Upon arrival, quarantine center staff will examine your pet bird. During this exam, your pet bird will be weighed and identifying information, such as the band number or microchip information, is documented. Cloacal swabs will also be taken and sent to the USDA laboratory to test for HPAI and Newcastle disease (NDV).
Your pet bird will then be placed into temperature controlled housing (an isolette) at the quarantine facility. Birds will be housed individually, unless an owner that has multiple birds in a single shipment requests that they be placed together in a single isolette. The request to house multiple birds together is typically granted, as long as a large enough isolette is available. Note: If aggression is noted between birds housed together, they will be separated for safety reasons. The size of the isolette and the perching provided will be customized to the type and number of birds being housed. Within the isolette there will be food, water, and perches for climbing and environmental enrichment. Owners may provide toys to be placed in your pet bird’s isolette during the quarantine, provided the toy can be easily cleaned and disinfected.
During your pet bird’s stay in quarantine, animal caretakers will feed, clean, and interact with your pet bird daily. Additionally, the quarantine facility’s staff veterinarians will monitor your pet bird during its entire 30-day stay in quarantine. Should health concerns arise, veterinary personnel will contact you to discuss your options.
If your pet has special dietary needs, you may be able to provide food for your bird (at your own cost). You need to address any dietary or medical needs your pet bird has with the quarantine facility prior to your bird’s arrival in the United States, as not all needs can be accommodated.
Your pet bird will have a second cloacal swab sample taken 7–14 days after entering quarantine to again test for HPAI and NDV. After the 30-day quarantine is finished, and provided that negative test results were received from the laboratory for the cloacal swab samples, your pet bird will be weighed a second time prior to release.
Before the scheduled date your pet bird will be released from quarantine, you must make arrangements to either pick up your bird and its belongings from the quarantine facility or have your bird and belongings transported from the quarantine facility to their final destination.
Quarantine release procedures include disinfection and packing of any items that were sent with your pet bird to the quarantine facility. Any items that cannot be disinfected or food which did not originate from the United States will be disposed of at the quarantine facility.
