Parrot Play Dates

[lwis]

I would like to get another bird sometime, and would like to socialize my bird with other birds in the meantime. Even if we don't get another bird, I still would like him to interact with other birds sometimes.
I want to bring him to the store I volunteer at, but with all the warnings about hard core quarantining with birds I don't know if it is safe. It seems birds can get sick by contact with nearly everything! I don't want my bird to live in an sterile bubble, but I don't want to put him in obvious danger either.
What are your opinions about socializing birds??

[GlassOnion]

Don't take your bird to a store with live animals. There are SO many different sources for potential disease, can you just think of where all those animals came from with what history?

I'd look out for family members,friends, maybe look around for some individual bird owners in the area.

[lwis]

Fair enough. But I know several of the birds that have been there for a while and none of them seem ill and none are dropping dead....
Your points are valid, and I agree with them to an extent (if I didn't have some concern with the spread off illness I wouldn't have asked the question), but I am just offering another argument.
I don't know much about a bird's immune system, but is it possible to over protect your bird from everything to the point where it results in them being more susceptible to illness and less hearty?? Like all the kids now who have allergies and colds all the time, because they use antibacterial everything and never ate peanut butter?
I don't know...with regards to getting sick, are all parrots as fragile as they are often made out to be??

[Cage Cleaner]

Gl

[GlassOnion]

Diseases like PDD, PFBD, Pssistacosis(sp error) are very fatal and birds often drop dead from it. PFBD isn't even curable and can be dormant for years in a bird's body. Consequently vet costs will be very expensive. I don't like tha fact that there is a constant turnover of animals/people at stores. Everyday is a new risk and viruses are likely to hang around especially since it's a closed atmosphere with little air circulation.