Birds can carry potentially fatal, infectious diseases for extended periods of time without ever showing the first symptom of being ill, especially to the untrained eye. In order to protect existing birds from possible infection, it is imperative to enforce a minimum of four, preferably six, week quarantine when purchasing a new bird. Since many illnesses are spread in the feather dust, even through central heating and air conditioning systems, it is ideal to quarantine the bird in a totally seperate facility. I realize that this is sometimes impossible, in which case, this strict quarantine must still be enforced until the new birds first vet exam, upon any symptom of illness, and longer if advised professionally. A bird that appears healthy should still see a veterinarian upon purchase and annually, in order to maintain its good health.
Birds have an inherent instinct to hide their symptoms and illnesses.
This is part of their survival instinct in the wild, but is actually to their detriment in captivity. Because your bird will attempt to hide any outward signs of illness, it is very important that you do your best to routinely check for subtle health changes. One of the best things you can do is monitor your birds droppings. Quakers on a pellet based diet should have semi-soft brownish colored feces surrounded by creamy white waste from the kidneys, called urates. High seed diets usually produce a dark geen or black looking feces.