Hello eveyone...
I am back once more...
"Typically in the Northern Rivers the most common species affected by Beak and Feather disease are
Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets. In most cases they are young birds, which still have dark beaks, but are missing tail feathers and the longer flight feathers on their wings. Without those important flight feathers, the birds are unable to fly and are commonly referred to as ‘runners’. Often these birds are brought into care as seemingly ‘tame’ lorikeets or as babies that haven’t yet learnt to fly."
So last Friday a wild yellow scaly lorikeet was brought into the Sanctuary where I work and
it had no tail feathers or primaries and couldnt fly, it was a young adult (still had a pinky purple beak) and its poos were ewe (i have no good descripion for it, but they were not like Shrekies) anyway-- litterally two days before I had bought an AustralianBirdKeeper magazine back issue, and an avian bet who does articles for the magazine had written about Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Virus... One topic he covered was symptoms in different species, including lorikeets and lories, and this birds sympoms matched what he had written they would be exactly.
Basically what he had written was 'It is not uncommon for the species of lorikeet to get this disease, however they have great immune systems so often, they recover and it wont kill them.'
and then to quote a website will link below "Interestingly, some birds have shown they can survive the initial infection and regrow their feathers again."
So I went home and spent the next two hours reasearching it online, and apparently lorikeets all over QLD are dropping from the sky with the disease-- it dosent kill them, but they are then carriers for the rest of there lives and will affect any bird who comes in contact with them or there feces, feathers ect. And as you guys know it i can be much more harmful to other parrot species rather than an out of season molt. " Unfortunately, whilst the infected bird recovers it becomes a carrier of the disease and goes on to chronically shed the virus and infect other birds throughout the population."
I am really uncomfortable and sad with the desicion I made, I just dont know if it was the right one... I tecnically death scentenced this lorikeet. with my Mum and Dad agreeing that the owners had to know, I told them about the disease that the little yellow scaly had as well as printing out som fact sheets, and to prevent any spread of disease with their lorikeets and thousand other different parrots that live at the Sanctuary, they got it euthanized. I was offered to take it home first, and I was so close to saying yes, but I just couldnt risk Tilly and Shrek like that. I hope I made the right decision.
And to anyone in Australia-- if you find a lorikeet or lory displaying these symptoms and have birds yourself, please please please know what you are risking if you take the bird into you home.
heres the link i quoted-- http://www.wildlifecarers.com/disease-s ... lorikeets/