Reproductive Disease in Female Psittacine Birds

Photo: Dr. Isabelle Langlois

Webinar postponed

The LafeberVet webinar “Reproductive Disease in Female Psittacine Birds” by Don Harris, DVM has been POSTPONED to due to health concerns.

New Date:  Wednesday, December 9, 2026

New Time:  2 pm EST (New York) (UTC -05:00); What time is this in my time zone?

Stay Tuned:  Registration has been paused and will reopen in late October 2026

Abstract

While reproductive disease in captive psittacine birds can take on multiple forms (sometimes all at once), the condition most encountered by the avian practitioner is dystocia or egg binding. Egg binding will be the primary focus of this webinar presentation. There are many approaches to resolving the condition of egg binding. What I will present here is not the right way or the wrong way, they are simply my ways. After 45 years in avian practice, these are methods that I have found to be both safe and effective, although no method is without limitations.

Outline

1. Clinical presentation
   1. Subjective parameters
      1. Clinical signs
         1. Bottom-dwelling
         2. Posturing
         3. Shredding
         4. Straining
      2. History
         1. Previous laying (or not)
         2. Nutrients
            1. Dietary deficiencies
            2. Ultraviolet light deficiencies
               1. Indoor
               2. Outdoor
      3. Sex
         1. Confirmed
         2. Supposed
   2. Objective parameters
      1. Sex
      2. Posture
      3. Palpation
      4. Radiology
2. Conservative management techniques
   1. Fluid therapy
   2. Calcium
   3. Warm humidity
   4. Soaking- isotonic fluids
   5. Prostaglandin E₂ (PGE2α)
      1. Time
3. Aggressive management techniques
   1. Cloacal implosion/extraction
   2. Percutaneous implosion with subsequent passage
   3. Salpingohysterectomy

About the presenter

Dr. Don Harris is the owner of Miami’s first exotics-only veterinary hospital, Avian & Exotic Animal Medical Center. Don is a graduate of Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine…In 1990, after several years in mixed animal practice, his practice became exclusively avian and exotic. The Avian & Exotic Animal Medical Center was opened in 1996. Don serves as a consulting veterinarian for the Georgia Aquarium Research Center, Miami MetroZoo and Jungle Island in Miami and he is on the Advisory Board of Abaxis Veterinary Diagnostics. Don has also served as Past-President of the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association, the Association of Avian Veterinarians, and the North American Veterinary Community, organizer of the North American Veterinary Conference, the largest veterinary conference in the world… [MORE]

RACE approval

This program is approved for 1.0 credit hour for veterinarians and veterinary technicians in jurisdictions that recognize American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) approval.