Category: Rehabilitation Articles
Feather Conditioning And Damage
Feathers and flight are the primary facets of bird rehabilitation that make it uniquely more difficult than mammal rehabilitation. Feather condition is as critical during the course of release for birds as is the ability to fly. Any type of damage to the feather structure will impede a bird’s ability to fly, waterproof, and thermoregulate. … Continue Reading
Sutures
Suture materials The purpose of a suture to hold a wound together in good apposition until such time as the natural healing process is sufficiently well established to make the support from the suture material unnecessary and redundant. Choice of a suture will depend on: Properties of suture material
Common Bird Nematode/Protozoa Infections
Ascaridia spp. (large roundworm of birds) Nematode From earthworms, eggs in avian feces or in contaminated water Size varies by species, females 20-120 mm, males 16-76 mm Small intestine Most serious in birds 1-3 months old Heavy infestations can cause partial or complete obstruction of the intestinal lumen resulting in reduced gastrointestinal motility or stasis; … Continue Reading
The Rehabber’s Notebook
These links will eventually be incorporated into the Rehab Resources section: Avian Baseline hematology values Avian Blood Cell Morphology Longevity Records Ornithology Lecture Notes Habits and Management Index Avian Anatomy Anatomy Slide Show (127 images) Anatomy Slide Show Individual Index Air Sacs Diagram Avian Respiration Inhaled Anethesia for Birds Bent Life History Series ONLINE! Chicken … Continue Reading
Aviary Plans
This basic aviary plan is the cummulative effort of our members. Rehabilitators have a variety of preferences for the design and all the variables have been included to help you design an aviary that best fits your needs. Aviary considerations are included. As an additional option to streamline construction, you can purchase kits to help … Continue Reading
Research Resources
After years of rountinely visiting site after site researching wildlife-related data, we’ve created a one-stop research link page for the best research sites on the internet. Whether you’re looking up life history information that includes descriptions, behaviors and habitat or want to review diseases/illnesses, related procedures and/or nutritional requirements, these searches will help you find … Continue Reading
Culturing House Fly Larvae (Maggots)
We go to great effort and expense in attempting to provide the appropriate diet to the variety of species in our care. Yet we actually have a self-renewing resource readily available to us. After extensive research by the medical community regarding the use of larvae in human wound management, the culturing of house fly larvae … Continue Reading
Beak Function
The beak of a bird is considered a lightweight, bony elongation of its skull. The structure of the beak is covered with keratin, the same material found in human fingernails and hair. On many birds, the keratin dries to form hard, glossy, outer covering. The keratin renews on the tip and edges of the beak … Continue Reading
Wing Fractures
The ability to identify and address wing fractures is a necessity for all avian rehabilitators. Even if you are fortunate enough to have a veterinarian readily available to treat all your birds, you should still be familiar with wing wraps in order to stabilize fractures prior to treatment. An understanding of avian anatomy is critical. … Continue Reading