Ostrich Husbandry Flashcards
describe the first step of the physical exam
observation outside the pen evaluating gait, wing carriage, posture, temperant, etc.
how do you tell a male ostrich from a female ostrch
feather coloring (males are black with white wing tips; females are predominately brown/gray)
how can you tell if an ostrich is being aggressive
look at the tail and overall posture. if the tail is down and their posture loose, they are relaxed. If their tail is up and their posture and head and neck are erect posture, they are being aggressive; this will often be accompanied by an open beaked hissing and overall lunging maneuver
signs indicating they are hot
wings extended, feathers fluffed out, mouth open; they may take dust baths
where is the safest place to be when examining an ostrich?
from side or behind
what is a popular mehtod of keeping an ostrich calm during a physical exam
hoodin; cover head with a hood
procedure of hooding
with sleeve on your dominant arm, grab the beak of the ostrich in your dominant hand; pull head down and the neck out; then pull sleeve/hood over your arm down over the head of the ostrich
whre should you listen to an ostrich’s heart
listening in the axillary region or by the thoracic inlet
describe how to take an ostrich’s temperature
cloaca
or axillary temperature
where should you listen for GI sounds?
wherever you listen you can here GI, but you want to listen to ventriculus in upper GIT, so listen for it just past the ribs on the ostrich’s left side; this firm, muscular organ contracts strongly and will actually move from side to side about once every minute
describe the unique stomach of the ostrich’s digestive system
proventriculus: the glandular or “true stomach”
ventriculus: -(aka gizzard) thick, muscular stomach with the primary function of grinding up food (grinding is aided by grit/sand/pebbles ingested by the ostrich)
name and point out the vein in which you would draw blood from an ostrich
brachial/”wing” vein
what should you if an ostrich charging you?
if they are far enough away for you to get out of the pen and close the gate, do so. Otherwise drop FLAT on the ground;
“out of sight, out of mind”
deterred from stepping on you because you are uneven
what is number one health problem of ostriches
foreign body
which side of an ostrichs neck is their esophagus
on the right
