Sugarbunnie Loft

Shopping List:
Spectralyte   *   Foy's Pro-Bios   *   SCATT   *   Bird Lice Spray   *   Wormout   *   Spartrix, Ridzole, Metronidizole
Appertex, Coccivet   *   Furaltadone   *   Medpet 4-in-1

All new birds arriving at Sugarbunnie undergo the same strict quarantine procedure before they are permitted to join our precious flock. We adhere to a 45-60 day quarantine, with no exceptions. Quarantined pigeons live secluded in the house and undergo the following to ensure they are squeaky clean inside and out by the end of the process:

*Note: Any visible ailments are treated first, the following regimen is for birds exhibiting no visible symptoms. Always keep an eye out for upper respiratory infections in shipped birds or those purchased at shows and treat accordingly. We like a Tyln/Terramycin cocktail for at least 10 days to treat this (remove grit during treatment). The schedule described below is easily adjustable to suit your needs. Treat for visible sickness first, and if more than one ailment is present, we often employ the use of MedPet 4-in-1 for the first 7 days, the Furaltadone/Ronidazole combination is a full dose in easily administered pill form, and highly effective in treating paratyphoid, canker, coccidiosis and e.Coli all at once. In case of serious illness, always bring your bird to a board certified Avian Veterinarian.

Day 1:
-Set up in quarantine cage in the Quarantine Room in the house. The Quarantine Room birds are always serviced last, after the loft. We do not enter the loft afterwards without a good handwashing and clothing/shoe change. 
-Spectralyte is offered in the water to replace electrolytes lost during travel.
Day 2:
-Probiotics offered in the water to build beneficial bacteria in the gut prior to treatment
-Bath offered w/bath salts
-External Parasite check & treatment: we use a drop of SCATT on the base of the neck, then spray wings, breast, tail, & rump with a Pyrethrin insecticide. Repeat pesticide spray (we like Purge or any pet shop brand Bird Lice Spray) every 5 days until no lice are visible after carefully examining primary feathers in the light, rump feathers, under wings, breast feathers. Continue to offer bath salt baths every few days as this helps the bird rid itself of pests as well.
Day 3:
-If birds appear in good form, they are Vaccinated at this time with PMV-1, Salbac, and for e.Coli and Pox
Day 5:
-If birds appear in good form, they are de-wormed with a Wormout tablet. Contains Prazaquantel & Oxfendazole and treats all intestinal worms. They will be de-wormed again in 10 days.
Day 6-7:
-Multi-vitamins on feed and Probiotics are offered in the water
Day 8:
-If birds appear in good form, they are treated for Canker with Spartrix (carnidazole) on an empty stomach. 2 hours later food is given, and two hours after that water is put back in the cage. Alternate treatments: Ridzol for 7 days or Metronidazole for 5 days. For young birds, we prefer Ridzole as it has a higher safety margin. It is wise to alternate treatments for Canker to prevent resistant strains.
Day 14 (approx), 5-7 days of rest are given:
-Probiotics in the water for the first 2 days, then every other day thereafter
-Multivitamins on the feed every other day
-Weight and droppings are observed closely
-De-worming is repeated on Day 15, usually with Wormout or Ivomec (orally)
Day 20:
-If birds appear in good form, they are treated for Coccidia: we like Coccivet (amprolium) in the water for 5 days or 1 pill of Appertex (Calzuril). It is wise to alternate treatments for Coccidia to prevent resistant strains.
-Allow 5 days of rest after Coccidia treatment as described on Day 14 to rebuild good flora in the gut.
Day 30:
-If birds appear in good form, they are treated for e.Coli (of they have not been vaccinated against it) with Furaltadone for 5 days, 5 days of rest are given, and the birds are treated again for another 5 days as e.Coli and Salmonella can be aggressive bacteria. 
Day 40-60:
-If birds appear in good form, treatment is considered over and birds are simply monitored closely, lice treatments may be repeated, droppings may be sent out for fecal exam to ensure a healthy bird.
-Probiotics are given in the water once weekly
-Multi-vitamins on the feed
-Naturaline, Herbal Tea, and Elixir are offered once weekly in the water each
The last 3 days before moving into the loft:
-Vanasept in the water
-Final external parasite checks
New birds are moved into the loft clean, healthy, and ready to make new friends - without bringing along any of their own... ;)

You could say we like to be prepared... Here is the complete list of medications, supplements, and supplies we always keep on hand. It can take time (and a lot of money!) to build your supplies up, so be sure and take a look at our "Ultimate Mini List" for the bare bones basics that can help anybody starting out be prepared for the usual suspects. 

Filling the medicine cabinet with everything at Jedds, Foy's, and the other supply houses can get pricey. It takes time to get everything you want, so here is our short-list. Basically, the minimum you should have on hand to prep new arrivals and be ready in case of illness. We also offer the Med-Pak on our Available page, should you have an emergency or really need to just have meds for one bird ASAP. We always ship same or next day, and offer expedited shipping upon request.