Oh my.... This is so bad.... I feel so bad for anyone who has bought a bird from them... that is such a horrible disease and so very contagious.
If you are not familiar with this disease check out this site. Sue went through it with her Cockatoo Manau

http://www.manauspbfdiseasesite.com/

She has a lot of good info on her site...

Thanks for that link, Denise. I just read the info and facts section. I have read before that PBFD is more common among cockatoos and I can't tell you how paranoid I can be about it at times.

One fact I found on her site that I found interesting is that it is extemely rare for it to be contracted through birds over the age of 2. Very interesting.

I've seen PBFD once and I never ever want to see it again.

I need to find another place to get vet wrap now. That's where I got Bella's the last time but I avoid the bird section all together there nor do I buy toys for her there. I checked once and I was not thrilled with some of the toys they had there and questioned the safeness of most of them especially with the metal toys. Lots of rough edges and no telling if things are SS or not.

Try a tack shop. That's where I get mine.

Amazon sells it heh. I'll order some more next time I need to order something off them.

Heh, I still have an unused $25 PetCo giftcard someone gave me. I have no intentions on going there either due to poor care for their birds. Now her little flaked beak from having her one too many falls from her toys gives me something to worry over.

Well, just for my own peace of mind, I just got off the phone with my local Petsmart. I talked to Kim who is in charge of the birds, and also loves Pita to death, and vise versa....lol

She said they did recieve an e mail about the situation in Calif., and have checked and sanatized all of thier bird habitates, and are very carefull about new birds coming in. Basically they are on top of it.

I mainly called her because Pita loves to go there and visit with Kim. Kim also owns a bird herself, and said when she gets home from work, she doesn't go near her bird with work clothes on, and showers before handling him.

Anyway, I let her know that it has hit some of the bird forums and people are concerned, and that I was as well, because Pita and her would hate to not be able to visit anymore. I also looked up PBFD on google, and one site says it is fast reaching epidemic levels. This is a really good Petsmart, as far the birds go. Very clean, always have fruit & vegies, lots of toys, and the birds come in flighted, and all seem happy. They only carry Finches, Budgies, Canary's & on occasion Doves. They stopped selling the bigger parrots a while ago, because that particular store didn't feel they were staffed to care for them as they needed to be.

She is going to talk to some people in upper management about the problem, so that they have a heads up on it as well. So far she said they haven't heard of any Petsmarts in Colorado affected.

She does sound like a very responsible person Gayla... Let us know if she hears anything..

I am fortunate, the place where I get most of my bird stuff, does not carry birds. So I can go in and get what I need & no temptation of coming home with a bird, I did not have on my list...LOL

I would be interested in any info you find out about this. I know that in some places it is an epidemic.

All PBFD-positive birds do not show symptoms. All birds with long beaks and scraggly feathers are not necessarily PBFD-positive, yet a bird in perfect feather may be an asymptomatic carrier.

A bird with a positive test result is not automatically doomed to develop a full-blown case of PBFD. [That's what's saddest about all those birds being euthanized.] Extended studies have begun to indicate that birds can cycle out of a positive state. If it's possible to keep the positive bird quarantined where it's not a risk to other birds, two follow-up tests at 45-day intervals are recommended. This may ultimately produce a negative result.

I'm sorry that PetSmart didn't designate those birds for one of the several studies on PBFD that are now taking place. In fact, favorable progress on a vaccine against PBFD was recently announced by Ritchie's team at U of GA.

PBFD is caused by a virus, not a bacteria, so antibiotics are totally ineffective (unless there's a secondary infection.)

A virus is not alive so it cannot be killed - but it can be destroyed by an agent (like sodium/calcium hypochlorite: household bleach) which breaks its DNA, rendering it unable to replicate itself. Nature's disinfectant - direct sunlight (meaning *not* filtered through window glass) - accomplishes the same thing.

If PetSmart fails to completely disinfect its holding facility, the virus will remain present and viable indefinitely... It's not air-borne, but it's easily transmitted by touching or walking on a contaminated surface.

I follow the same procedure any time I go into a pet store, bird fair, or any other place where I may encounter birds or bird owners. Everything I wear or carry is fully washable, including fanny-pack and jogging shoes. They all go directly into the washer, and I hit the shower (also shampooing my hair) as soon as I'm home. Birdie snuggles and hello kisses come afterwards...

It's kinda like taking your child into a toy store. Casual contact with another child (who may be actively incubating rubella or chicken pox) doesn't guarantee your child will develop the same. But it certainly raises the possibility.

Regards,

Kathy
Houston TX

Petco or Petsmart?

Petsmart is the store