Looking For Avian Vet In Chiang Mai

[princealbert]

Hi all

Hoping someone can help me find a bird specialist to clip my cockatoos wings and get jabs

[p1p]

There is an avian vet at the small animal hospital on Irrigation Canal Road on every Wednesday. Apart from that, I know of none in Chiang Mai.

I have always clipped wings myself. (Just be careful not to touch any pin or blood feathers and you should be okay.) Also, if your bird is young and recently weaned, you would do best by allowing it to learn to fly first, before you clip.

The best way to clip is to use dog or cat claw trimmers and to remove the end five to seven or so primaries on each wing, Cut at the base where the feathering stops and it becomes a bare quill. Do not clip the coverts and do not touch any secondary feathers.

I normally start by clipping five feathers and see how the bird fares. It should still be able to glide and land safely. If it is still too strong at flying, clip an extra one, and again until you have the desired result.

[princealbert]

There is an avian vet at the small animal hospital on Irrigation Canal Road on every Wednesday. Apart from that, I know of none in Chiang Mai.

I have always clipped wings myself. (Just be careful not to touch any pin or blood feathers and you should be okay.) Also, if your bird is young and recently weaned, you would do best by allowing it to learn to fly first, before you clip.

The best way to clip is to use dog or cat claw trimmers and to remove the end five to seven or so primaries on each wing, Cut at the base where the feathering stops and it becomes a bare quill. Do not clip the coverts and do not touch any secondary feathers.

I normally start by clipping five feathers and see how the bird fares. It should still be able to glide and land safely. If it is still too strong at flying, clip an extra one, and again until you have the desired result.

Thanks for that p1p

Have kept love birds/parakeets etc in the past but this is my first large bird

so not confident about doing this the first time , perhaps after watching the vet perform i can do this myself next time.

Got him as a 10-12 month old a week ago so dont want to be the baddy that clipped his wings just yet so will take him to the animal hospital wed morning.

Is it appointments only or just turn up and wait ?

[p1p]

Just turn up and wait.

Try to make sure the vet clips as I describe above. Some like to cut across all primaries, removing 1/2 to 2/3rds of the feather length. This works fine but can cause quite severe psychological stress to the bird as it finds a series of "broken" feathers when it preens. Some birds will spend hours trying to repair the damage and some aviculturalists believe it can even lead to feather plucking and worse in particularly sensitive individuals.

[Crow Boy]

Got him as a 10-12 month old a week ago so dont want to be the baddy that clipped his wings just yet so will take him to the animal hospital wed morning.

Is it appointments only or just turn up and wait ?

that is a sulphur crested cockatoo - where in Chiang Mai did you get him?

CB

[princealbert]

Got him as a 10-12 month old a week ago so dont want to be the baddy that clipped his wings just yet so will take him to the animal hospital wed morning.

Is it appointments only or just turn up and wait ?

that is a sulphur crested cockatoo - where in Chiang Mai did you get him?

CB

He is a sulphur crested was told he is about 10-12 months old but going to get this verified when i take him to small animal hospital next wed for check up.

Got him from a shop behind lotus at the top of the garden centre (the shop that is nearly always closed)

[Crow Boy]

Got him as a 10-12 month old a week ago so dont want to be the baddy that clipped his wings just yet so will take him to the animal hospital wed morning.

Is it appointments only or just turn up and wait ?

that is a sulphur crested cockatoo - where in Chiang Mai did you get him?

CB

He is a sulphur crested was told he is about 10-12 months old but going to get this verified when i take him to small animal hospital next wed for check up.

Got him from a shop behind lotus at the top of the garden centre (the shop that is nearly always closed)

The Lotus on the Ring Road or the one heading out to Hang Don? I would like to check the place out for similar birds. Sulphur Crested cockatoos are great pets, very smart, but they also have a very long (80plus) age limit so are a long term proposition. There was a guy in Samuii who had one that used to fly above him as he rode his bike around town. He took it into my bar all the time and it would steal a sip of beer out of unguarded glasses. I know (p1p will send me a "you should never do this PM ) but sometimes the guys would give cocky a shot glass of beer. He would flip onto his back and lie on the bar top waiting for some one to pass him the glass and then knock it back. He came from the Sunday Pet Market at Bangkok.

CB

CB

[princealbert]

The Lotus on the Ring Road or the one heading out to Hang Don? I would like to check the place out for similar birds. Sulphur Crested cockatoos are great pets, very smart, but they also have a very long (80plus) age limit so are a long term proposition. There was a guy in Samuii who had one that used to fly above him as he rode his bike around town. He took it into my bar all the time and it would steal a sip of beer out of unguarded glasses. I know (p1p will send me a "you should never do this PM ) but sometimes the guys would give cocky a shot glass of beer. He would flip onto his back and lie on the bar top waiting for some one to pass him the glass and then knock it back. He came from the Sunday Pet Market at Bangkok.

CB

The one on the ring road.

The shop he came from only opens i think weekends but there is another on the next soi next to a dog clipper. In there he has 2 cockatoos in there right now and about 6 different macaws and a selection of other parrots but his prices are really inflated he also has a rosetta cockatoo that is very very friendly i would have considered buying but 40k was OTT in my opinion.

My bird sings and dances and stands to attention crest forward and wings out everytime thai national anthem is played speaks a little thai and english too loves just sitting on my shoulder while i walk around the house. Looking forward to growing old with him

[Crow Boy]

The shop he came from only opens i think weekends but there is another on the next soi next to a dog clipper. In there he has 2 cockatoos in there right now and about 6 different macaws and a selection of other parrots but his prices are really inflated he also has a rosetta cockatoo that is very very friendly i would have considered buying but 40k was OTT in my opinion.

A rosetta or rosella? If it is a rosella then I would really be interested - beautiful bird.

My bird sings and dances and stands to attention crest forward and wings out everytime thai national anthem is played speaks a little thai and english too loves just sitting on my shoulder while i walk around the house. Looking forward to growing old with him

Sounds like a description of my wife

CB

[WaiWai]

Not suggesting anything about the particular pet shop, but be aware of the following :

"Parrots as vulnerable or endangered species

The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has made trade, import and export of all wild caught parrot and cockatoo species illegal; highly endangered species are protected on the CITES appendix 1 list, and all the other species are protected on the CITES appendix 2 list of vulnerable species. Habitat loss, enviromental changes and illegal trapping remain risks to wild populations."

(wikipedia)

[princealbert]

The shop he came from only opens i think weekends but there is another on the next soi next to a dog clipper. In there he has 2 cockatoos in there right now and about 6 different macaws and a selection of other parrots but his prices are really inflated he also has a rosetta cockatoo that is very very friendly i would have considered buying but 40k was OTT in my opinion.

A rosetta or rosella? If it is a rosella then I would really be interested - beautiful bird.

My bird sings and dances and stands to attention crest forward and wings out everytime thai national anthem is played speaks a little thai and english too loves just sitting on my shoulder while i walk around the house. Looking forward to growing old with him

Sounds like a description of my wife

CB

Just looked at many different sites and would say it is a roseate cockatoo/rose breasted cockatoo or galah as it seems to be also called.

If you speak with the man there he has a photo album of many many other birds he has for sale but not in the shop

[Crow Boy]

Not suggesting anything about the particular pet shop, but be aware of the following :

"Parrots as vulnerable or endangered species

The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has made trade, import and export of all wild caught parrot and cockatoo species illegal; highly endangered species are protected on the CITES appendix 1 list, and all the other species are protected on the CITES appendix 2 list of vulnerable species. Habitat loss, enviromental changes and illegal trapping remain risks to wild populations."

(wikipedia)

I am fully aware of this because it is illegal to export, trade, or attempt to remove any native Australian species of flora and/or flora from Australian territory without specific licenced permission.

I am also aware that there are bred in captivity birds available in Thailand that have not been smuggled out of Australia or indeed from many other parts of the world.

CITES is a toothless beaurocratic organisation of zealots and has little relevance in the real world of animal smuggling. It does not control, aprehend, or prevent smuggling and has limited impact on habitat change.

CB

[WaiWai]

Just suggesting it might be good to check the source.

Especially if he has a catalogue of birds that are not in the shop !

[princealbert]

Not suggesting anything about the particular pet shop, but be aware of the following :

"Parrots as vulnerable or endangered species

The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has made trade, import and export of all wild caught parrot and cockatoo species illegal; highly endangered species are protected on the CITES appendix 1 list, and all the other species are protected on the CITES appendix 2 list of vulnerable species. Habitat loss, enviromental changes and illegal trapping remain risks to wild populations."

(wikipedia)

I am fully aware of this because it is illegal to export, trade, or attempt to remove any native Australian species of flora and/or flora from Australian territory without specific licenced permission.

I am also aware that there are bred in captivity birds available in Thailand that have not been smuggled out of Australia or indeed from many other parts of the world.

CITES is a toothless beaurocratic organisation of zealots and has little relevance in the real world of animal smuggling. It does not control, aprehend, or prevent smuggling and has limited impact on habitat change.

CB

Touche CB

Many of these birds at this particular shop are friendly, easily handled birds obviously captive bred and hand reared.

[WaiWai]

Good to hear that, PriceAlbert. Sounds like you love birds.

I believe some of the Rosellas are endangered, so felt a little concern was not unjustified.

Enjoy your pets.

BTW, Had no idea the cockies could live for 80 years ... "stone the crows!" .

[Crow Boy]

Good to hear that, PriceAlbert. Sounds like you love birds.

I believe some of the Rosellas are endangered, so felt a little concern was not unjustified.

Enjoy your pets.

BTW, Had no idea the cockies could live for 80 years ... "stone the crows!" .

My grandfather had a Major Mitchel cockatoo, they are similar to the Sulphur crested but have pink crest and under wings. His father took the chick from a nest when grandfather was born. My grandfather died in his mid 70s and the bird is now nearly 100 years old and lives with my cousin.

Cockatoos in captivity if well cared for commonly live to the their 90s and a few are over a 100. The old ones commonly die when their companion human passes away, it is believed they pine away for the person.

Some Rosellas are endanged in Australia becuase of habitat change, I come from South Australia and we used to get Southern and Eastern Rosellas. They are a smaller red parrot with touches of green and yellow. At home we had about 80 of them in averies and they are a lovely pet. Don't have the noisy screech and destructivre tendencies of Sulphurs and the other larger parrots.

Galahs which I think are breing referred to here as Resettas) are a good pet but can be very noisy

My other favourites are 28s which are well known in Western Australia - beautiful parrots. From New Guinea there are some paradise parrots which are magnificent but must be kept in pairs or they go loopy.

Finally I really must opologise for coming out so harsh against CITES and Wai Wai- it was not intended as a personal flame but reading it this morning it was too much. I don't like CITES for a number of reasons but Wai Wai was correct in his genuine concern for animal smuggling. However I know that Australain Customs and Federal Police have investigated the markets at Bangkok and Lampun plus many others around Thailand and have concluded that the birds NOW being sold are bred in captivity and not smuggled out of Australia as was common in the late 70s.

I really hope you have many years of happy companionship with your parrot and suggest you keep in contact with p1p - he is much more knowledgable about parrots than most people and certainly more than me.

regards

CB

[WaiWai]

No worries, CrowBoy .

I know that Australain Customs and Federal Police have investigated the markets at Bangkok and Lampun plus many others around Thailand and have concluded that the birds NOW being sold are bred in captivity and not smuggled out of Australia as was common in the late 70s.

That's reassuring. Let's hope they're bred in a caring manner.

I am enjoying these stories.

Edited April 19, 2007 by WaiWai

[p1p]

Regarding the age of parrots. The Moluccan, Sultan, I grew up with was left to me in the will of an old friend of the family who passed away in his mid nineties. It was imported to the UK by his parents when he was a child. I received it when I was about 6 or 7 and it was my best friend in the UK until it died of cancer when I was in my early twenties, at which time it had been documented to have been in the UK for well over 100 years.

Sultan never stayed in a cage. He had perches in the kitchen, living room, the garden and elsewhere. He used to fly between them following companionship. He used to accompany me when I went for bicycle and later, motorcycle rides, flying above me and occasionally coming down and landing on my shoulder. On one occasion, when it started raining, he landed and walked down my arm, across the tank and burrowed inside my jacket to keep warm and dry.

Sultan was a dangerously good talker. Anything said in his presence was likely to be repeated, sometimes days or weeks later, (an ability that once got me into severe trouble.) He could also imitate favourite pieces of music.

Since Sultan passed away, I became involved with various breeding programmes of, primarily C. Moluccensis, in the UK, working with the Royal Zoological Society and Cambridge University. (I held a trading licence for CITES1 animals for 20 or so years.)

When we moved here permanently, I had 6 breeding pairs of Moluccans and 8 chicks at the breeding centre. Unfortunately they were all stolen about 4 months after we moved, while I was trying to arrange the proper paperwork to import them here. The thieves stole the chicks and killed all chipped adults.

I am now hand rearing a baby, in the hope of starting another breeding centre here. However this one, now named Santana, is exhibiting many symptoms of genetic abnormality. The Thais have a vile habit of breeding closely related stock, not only in Avi/ Psittaculture, but with dogs, cats and almost every area. Hence the huge number of dogs, cats and other animals with chronic health problems.

The avian vet at the Small Animal Hospital seems to be semi competent for standard treatments. If you have an emergency or require something beyond worming or wing clipping, the only place in Thailand with the knowledge to help is Mahidol University.

Santana, our new baby.

[WaiWai]

R.I.P. Sultan. Thanks for sharing the stories of him.

Long live Sultana.

Sultan was a dangerously good talker. Anything said in his presence was likely to be repeated, sometimes days or weeks later, (an ability that once got me into severe trouble.)

P1P, you're a tease.