Key Facts: Parrot Consultation

 Overview:
A psittacine behaviour consultation with our senior behaviourist, Zoe Demery.  The initial consultation lasts 2 hours and is conducted within your home or online. An online follow-up session is booked within 8 weeks. A written behaviour plan, weekly check-ins, remote text/email support and vet liaison are included within the 8-week package.

When:  a date agreed in advance with you

Where:  at your home or via online video link if you are outside our normal service area

What you need to do to prepare:

□          Get your vet to complete the referral form through our web site, or ask them to post, email or fax it to us (please ask your avian vet);

□          Complete and return the questionnaire at least a week before your appointment;

□          Without putting your pet under any further stress and while ensuring your own and others’ safety, take a video recording, or any other form of recording (e.g. diary) of the behaviour;

□          Read the safety precautions below.

What we will do:

• The senior behaviourist visits you at your home (or sees you virtually if you are outside our normal service area). The initial visit generally lasts 2 hours and ideally, everyone in the household should be present.  To work out what’s going on, we take a full and detailed case history.
• Together we work out a treatment plan that is realistic and tailored to you and your pet’s needs.
• You receive relevant information sheets where necessary, which tie in with the behaviour modification plan (BMP) for your pet.
• Soon after the consultation, a report is sent to you, which is later copied to your vet. This report outlines the reasons behind the problem, a risk and welfare assessment, prognosis and the key steps of the BMP. If the prognosis is poor, then be aware that, sadly, we may suggest rehoming or euthanasia.
• Your vet is kept informed of how your pet progresses through the BMP.
• We schedule one 1-hour follow-up session about a month later, which is conducted via an online video link. If you would like more frequent practical support in-person, or on a weekly or fortnightly basis, then this can be arranged – just ask us for further information.
• BMPs are updated with new material for you to work on as needed.
• The senior behaviourist is available for optional weekly check-ins for 8 weeks after your initial consultation. Each week you can book a 15-minute call through our online calendar, or send us an email or Whatsapp text message. Please note that this is subject to availability and our fair use policy. If we feel that you are contacting us too frequently (e.g. more than three times a week) or correspondence takes longer than 30 minutes, then we may suggest another face-to-face follow-up session, or we may have to charge for our time. Our normal office hours are Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Please bear in mind that support across our current caseload will be prioritised according to the relative risks and animal welfare factors involved in each case, rather than when different correspondence was received, so you may need to wait for longer than five working days to receive a response. We reserve the right to block your telephone number or email address if you disregard these terms. Alternatively, you can book an extra telephone call with a behaviourist by contacting the office. If urgent advice is required, please contact your normal vet practice immediately.
• If during the development of the case, some additional expertise of a Veterinary Behaviourist (VB) is required, then you can opt for a VB Case Review, which incurs an additional fee at an hourly rate. The VB will review and discuss the case with your referring vet. All communications with the VB are handled directly by us.
• Please note we will not extend the service period unless there is a valid clinical reason as determined by your primary behaviourist, such as the introduction of new medication, or to facilitate a Veterinary Behaviourist Case Review.

Recording and students:  With your permission, the consultation may be recorded for training purposes.  Also, pet behaviour students may quietly sit in on the session, either in person or through an online video link, such as Zoom.  All students have signed strict confidentiality agreements.

Safety for you and your pet:

Please note that if the following precautions are not followed, we reserve the right to not enter the premises/leave the meeting place and either cancel the appointment and retain the fees for the consultation or change the appointment to an online consultation.

• Shut your pets in another room prior to our arrival for our own personal safety. You can then bring your pet in once we are settled.
• Any information regarding the pet’s health and/or existing medical conditions/treatment must be disclosed prior to any consultation, or training, or supply of equipment. Where relevant any health issues regarding you, the handler, should also be disclosed to avoid injury and other issues pertaining to the services/equipment supplied.
• Any information regarding behaviour issues in relation to your pet MUST be freely disclosed, for example, fear, aggression, pet’s previous behaviour history etc. Failure to do so could cause serious harm to your pet, you the owner, your behaviourist, or other members of the public.
• If your pet is showing signs of ill health (such as vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing), please advise your behaviourist as soon as possible in order to rearrange your appointment. This also applies to post-operative recovery periods. Your cancellation clause arrangement will of course apply in this case.
• All pets must be free from disease and up-to-date with worming, flea and tick treatment prior to consultation.
• Children, friends and family members are welcome to join in with consultations – this is at your own discretion. All involved must also comply with the Health and Safety recommendations advised herein and to take proper reasonable care during and after the consultation. We accept no liability for the health and safety of those you choose to involve.
• Children must always be supervised when around animals and you should take proper care to ensure that they do NOT attempt to replicate any training, or behavioural modification recommendations on your pet without proper, adult supervision. This applies in all cases, even if the children have been actively involved with behavioural consultations or training sessions with Second Nature Behaviour.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that your pet does not harm in the future. You may wish to consider taking out third-party insurance for your pet.
• Second Nature Behaviour does not endorse the use of physical punitive correction. For more information, please see our Animal Welfare Policy at www.secondnature.bio/animal-welfare-policy.pdf
• In emergency situations for your animal, please call your normal vet straightaway.

How to get the best results:
It is important for you to follow the behaviour modification plan (BMP) if any improvement is to be seen. However, the BMP is not always successful, and success cannot be measured by results. The BMP may be modified as the animal’s behaviour develops. Each animal is different, and it may take a long time, depending upon the individual needs of the animal and your own circumstances. Behaviour problems are usually complex and can be hard to eliminate completely. Your animal may need additional ongoing support. Therefore, whilst we will do our very best to assess the animal’s behaviour and make recommendations, success is not guaranteed, and we cannot be held responsible if the animal’s behaviour does not improve or change.

Cost and payment terms:

All fees quoted include VAT.

The parrot consultation fee is £240. This type of booking is secured by a full payment in advance, which can be paid over the phone or online.

Paying in instalments: There is an option to pay for your initial consultation in instalments via ClearPay or Klarna, which you can request upon booking. Note that your terms of payment agreement is with this third party and so any questions should be directed to them.

Travel costs: There may be additional travel costs, which will be added to the invoiced fees. Travel costs are calculated using the fastest route suggested by Google Maps (maps.google.com) between your post code and one of our office hubs’ post codes (B2 4AY or CV1 2NT), whichever is nearest. If you are outside our normal travel zone (up to 20 miles from one of our office hubs), then £2 is charged per mile return journey in addition to our normal service fees. Mileage calculations are rounded up to the nearest mile. The travel costs will be added to your invoice, payable in advance of the session.

Additional appointments: Any additional follow-up appointments are £60/hour and these will be invoiced and payment taken in advance upon booking the appointment. If additional Veterinary Behaviourist Case Review support is required, it will be charged to you at the hourly rate of £240/hour. You will be invoiced for this, and payment is due within 14 days of the invoice date.

Other costs:  You may need to incur expenses which are related to your pet’s behaviour treatment plan, but not due to Second Nature Behaviour Ltd, such as to your vet or other animal care professionals, or in terms of equipment that may be helpful, such as enrichment items. Second Nature Behaviour Ltd do not receive any benefits or commission by recommending particular equipment or professionals providing related services.

Refunds and cancellations:
Regrettably, we only provide refunds in exceptional circumstances, which unfortunately excludes an animal no longer being in your possession or having passed away.  The full fee of a parrot consultation is due even if you choose not to go ahead with all aspects of the service or disagree with our advice.

If you cancel at least one week before the first appointment, then £100 is retained to cover administration costs, or you can reschedule your appointment (no more than two times). Any cancellations received within less than 7 days of the appointment will result in the retention of all of the consultation fee. Follow-up session cancellations with less than 7 days to the appointment will result in the retention of the full fee for the follow-up session. Follow-up sessions can be rescheduled a maximum of two times.