Cost of Campylobacter and Cochlosoma (C&C) test

[ac12]

This is what I was quoted at one pet hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area to test 2 pairs of societies for Campylobacter and Cochlosoma (C&C). Note that this is 2 separate pairs, not 4 birds together. One pair could be infected and the other could be clean.

The cost to do the test for Campylobacter and Cochlosoma (C&C) is:
$200-210 for the first pair,
$190-200 for the 2nd and following pairs.
So to test 2 pairs of societies for C&C will cost about $400.

Details of the cost is:
- Office visit to check the birds and take the culture
- - $60-65 first bird
- - $50-55 each bird after the first bird
- - total for office visit for 2 pairs (4 birds) = $210-230
- $90 for the culture. one culture per fostering pair. 2 pairs = $180

The advantage of doing the test is speed and certainty.
You do not have to wait for a chick (which can be and was a long wait for a small breeder like me), then wait for them to raise the chick to see if it survives or not.

The disadvantage is obviously the significant cost of the test.

[Ria]

Yikes! it is pretty expensive when you're dealing with multiple birds! would be nice if they offered a better discount.

Gary, is it only gould babies that are affected by these diseases? would a zebra chick be able to 'test' a society pair? someday, I would like gouldians, don't know if I would ever breed them, but it's good to have the info beforehand; lol, it might hasten the decision process

[DanteD716]

One word, DA*N

[ac12]

Ria,

Actually the pet hospital did a discount. Rather than charge cultures for each bird, they would culture the birds as pairs. I guess they would put the culture for both birds in a pair onto the same culture medium. At $90 per culture, that is some savings.

I do not know what other species are affected by C&C. I just know that gouldians are vulnerable to it.

I actually had my society hens foster a zebra specifically because it is easier to breed zebras than gouldians.

But then the discussion a while back concluded that was that while zebras are also an Australia dry land bird, they are not as vulnerable to C&C as gouldians. So testing with a zebra is not a reliable indicator that the societies are clean of C&C.