How often should birds see the vet? Annual vs as-needed?

My vet says annual checkups are essential even if the bird seems healthy. But my Senegal parrot HATES traveling and the stress of the visit seems counterproductive for a healthy bird. Do you do annual wellness exams or only go when something's wrong?

Great question! So in my experience with sun conure, this usually comes down to a few things. First, spending at minimum 2 hours of supervised out-of-cage time daily. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to stress from loud noises like construction because that was a huge factor for my Jade. Hope that helps!

This happened to us last winter. I think the shorter days and dry heated air were the cause for my bird.