Are you Christmas holiday ready? Do you know where your nearest avian vet is? Do you know what to do in an avian emergency? If your answer to these questions is no then we’re here to help.

Avian Vets

Most, if not all, vets will stay open over the holidays but at reduced hours for routine appointments and 24/7 for emergencies. Familiarise yourself with your vet's opening hours and contact details.

                                                                                                                                                                                          If you’d like to find an avian vet? Take a look at all the vets that we know to have a ZooMed* qualification here.

*means they have undergone an additional qualification to become a specialist in exotic medicine.

Please note: Vets without a ZooMed qualification may still be able to see / help your bird; they just don’t have this extra accreditation.

First Aid

If an emergency does occur when your vet is closed what should you do?

Firstly, don’t panic, call your local vet who may be able to assist over the phone.

Dr Tariq Abou-Zahr wrote a useful blog about first aid at home. Read it here to learn some useful first aid skills.

Food and Drink

It’s a good time to remind ourselves about many foods and drinks your Parrot should avoid eating that us humans might enjoy this Christmas. See the full list here.

Christmas Hours

Over the festive period many stores will be closed for an extended period of time, plus couriers will be busier than usual. We do recommend checking that you have enough food, supplements and other essential items, to ensure you won’t run out.

You can view our holiday opening hours and last delivery dates here.

People Visiting

If you’re likely to have more people at your home over the holidays, relatives, friends, neighbours or colleagues, then take a few moments to read Barbara Heidenreich’s article on Introducing Parrots To New People

Alternatively, it may be worth planning now and getting your Parrot accustomed to a different part of your home, that won’t be as busy.

Travelling

If you’re planning to travel with your Parrot this holiday, take time now and check over their travel cage, is it in a safe and usable condition? If not then see available options here.

So if your travel cage / accommodation is new to them, we’d advise taking time now to let them get use to it. Take small trips locally, so when you return home your Parrot learns that nothing bad is going to happen. Many birds usually learn to associate travel carriers / cages with visit to the vets, which can be stressful.

If someone is ‘pet sitting’ whilst your away, then have a quick read of this article by Lafeber.

Fireworks

You’ll find some useful tips on helping your feathered friend(s) cope better with fireworks and other loud sudden noises – here

How are you getting Christmas holiday ready? Let us know in the comments below.