In the end, not much was resolved (she has a plucking issue not related to parasites or illness) so I just didn't see much point in continuing. She is a healthy bird, but it's ridiculous to just keep going and treating something that is obviously not going away because it's behavioral. That was my conclusion in the end, but I gave it a shot so at least I tried. My avian vet was actually quite nice and did not hurry. He explained everything he was doing and all, but the prices :scare: 
:budge:I'm not going to tell you are wrong...just that I think I know what you are asking - that for your money, you require a satisfied consultation - not to be hurried along, but to have your bird thought of as something important and not as a commodity, to be charged 'over the top prices' for...if, this is the case I would be far from happy, too...it's not a question of the charges, we as animal/pet/companion owners will and do anything for their well being.
Last year, I had to take one of my cockatiels to the avian vet we have in my area. Each time I went, it cost a few hundred dollars. After a few months, I has accumulated to about $900.
Unfortunately, that is normal for avian vets...
One way to help with the finances is for you to become skilled in some of the simple things vet and staff do for your bird or other animal. We always groom our animals even the long haired ones. We clip nails and beaks and I have even reshaped a beak that was off balance from an injury using a triangle file like carpenters and even labs use. We give our birds mini wellness exams and check for lumps, parasites, each area of the birds body and end with a foot massage with a drop of Vet Rx to sooth itchy skin and as a preventative for scaley mites. There are lots of vet professional books on Amazon. My vet recommended one recently and we already have it so I feel like we are on the right track. There are many things we can do and actually should be able to do to handle common home emergencies. So I urge each person to ask your vet to show you things like CPR and other simple skills that could save your birds life.
One of the most important skills is to know how to capture and handle your bird in an emergency. You will not loose your bond if you are clear with your bird and yourself that giving meds and other necessary care will happen. Being afraid of your bird for any reason gives control to the bird. Remember you are the flock leader. We usually had catch, but when needed we use a light weight butterfly net- a dollar at the local dollar store. We also have gloves , and wrap our birds in a cloth or paper towel to better control them. for things like removing a feather from an eye. We use medical instruments and sterilize them. These are things learned over a lifetime of experience. You as a companion animal parent can and should know how to give injections and a lot more things that fear causes us to ask a vet to do. So yes avian vets are expensive, but you can use your life skills and learn new ones to handle many things your vet or the vet staff can do.
Many breeders have learned these skills over time because it costs too much to take the flock to the vet for simple stuff as many breeders need to try to make a profit from breeding their birds. We do not make a profit because that is not our goal in working with budgies, but being paid for your skills is a good exchange. A laborer is worth his hire. Purchase a couple of vet professional books from Amazon and learn some of what they must master and then join a vet staff to get the years of experience it takes to care for our Animal friends.
I use to think my college texts were expensive. Many vet texts cost several hundred dollars. Feel free to explore and gain some of the skills we pay our avian vets so dearly for. It truly gives one a more balanced perspective. You can not and should not receive pay for licensed vet skills for other peoples animals but if you are reasonably intelligent you can use these skills to care for your animals and birds where laws permit. You will be more likely able to be effective in an emergency. Face your fears and learn. My avian vet is always willing to show me how to do things. We have come to a place of mutual respect.
Blessings, Jo Ann
Like i said, even my skin care products costs WAY more. I'm talking about 200+ per product. Its not the price that bothers me, but if its going to last for 5 minutes, i dont see the point in paying 96 dollars. And bloods feathers should not be costings 50 dollars. Thats half the price of a general checkup... This sort of thing is what bothers me
