Cage bird management Flashcards
The orders of birds
- Psittaciformes:
○ The parrots (from budgie to macaw) - Passeriformes:
○ The ‘perching/song birds’
○ Includes canaries and finches - Raptors, Columbidae, Anatidae, Galliforms, Ratites
African grey parrot
- Best talkers
- Most intelligent
- Primate-like intelligence
- Bond 1:1
- Easily stressed
Amazon parrots
- Over 20 species
- Carnivore-type intelligence
- Not great talkers
- Cope better with captivity than greys
- Love noise
Cockatoos
- Obsessed with sexual behaviour for 6 months of the year
- Affectionate or aggressive in turn
- Bond to one person
- Voices designed to carry 2km
Macaws
- Slow maturing
- Bond to one person
- Some become good talkers
Normal behaviour of parrots
Live in family groups until sexual maturity
At maturity they form a close bond with one individual, all larger species bond for life
Handling caged birds
Avoid surprise when handling them
Support their bodies and wings - use a towel
Control the head and feet
Be aware of the individuals nature and behaviour - they often learn fast!
Remember in raptors the feet and parrots the beak
Beaks of caged birds
Too long:
- mal-formed (genetic or trauma)
- or nutritional problem
Each species has a particular shape, must know before trying to restore
Claws of caged birds
Should be about a quarter of a circle long which looks quite long
Remember certain species need sharp claws, e.g. Raptors
Claw and beak trimming
Conventional clippers or dremal
Sliver nitrate/potassium permanganate
Wing clipping
Does not help training/taming
- In a previously flighted bird just produces fear/panic
Tends to predispose to feather chewing/picking
- Especially in Greys and young birds <1 yr. old
Can be used if bird is dangerous to itself, e.g. Flies into things
Should not be used just because they can fly
Microchipping birds
Place in breast muscle
close with skin suture or glue
possibly use GA or sedation and give pain relief
Signs of pain in birds
Mild or nagging pain
- Picking over the site of pain
- Trying to rest the affected area
- Reduced activity/shifting balance
- Changes in vocalisation or unwillingness to interact
Severe pain
- Reduced appetite
- Inactivity
- Hunched and fluffed
Signs of illness in birds
○ Birds try to hide signs of weakness - prey species, by and large
○ Weight loss/decreased appetite/vomiting/change in faeces
○ Reduced vocalisation/reduced willingness to interact
○ Being ‘fluffed up’
○ Tail bobbing/change in respiratory rate
○ Change in behaviour, increased aggression
Working up a case:
