1. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

· Are you willing to make the commitment to the bird?

· Do you have the appropriate facilities needed? E.g an appropriately sized cage, a quiet room.

· Can you keep the bird safe from your pets or neighbours pets?

· Can you care for the bird? That is, can you feed it 3-4 hourly during the day if necessary? Can you take it to work?

A FEW POINTS:

· If hand rearing an orphan, your ultimate goal is to prepare the bird for release, not to make a pet of it. Birds require food and warmth, not kissing and cuddling.

· Find out as much as you can about the bird's behaviour e.g. its foraging habits, what it eats, its social habits, its habitat etc. There is so much more to know other than “This is a magpie, it eats worms”. Information is out there. As much natural food as possible need to be found for the bird.

· When raising babies, try to group the same species together in a crèche, they are less likely to imprint on you if they are being raised in a group. Swap your babies with other members to facilitate this.

· Release of a group of birds generally shows a higher success than releasing individuals.

2. B.I.R.O. NETWORK PROCEDURE

3. FIRST AID PRIORITIES

a) Stop Bleeding

Examine the bird briefly and stop any bleeding. Bleeding can be stopped by placing some clean cloth (not towelling) over the wound and apply firm pressure for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to restrict the bird' s breathing if the wound is on the body. Carefully remove the cloth to ensure that bleeding has stopped. Do not remove any blood clots.

a) Treat for Shock

Birds that are in shock appear weak, unresponsive, fluffed up and breathe in slowly and out quickly. Place the bird in a quiet, semi -dark, warm, humid environment. Warmth is essential - as birds have a much higher body temperature than humans. A healthy bird's body temperature is around 40° – 42°. Warm the box temperature to around 30° – 32°. Place a clean cloth or some newspaper in the bottom, which is laid out flat. A hot water bottle can be filled with hot water from the tap and wrapped in a slightly damp cloth which is placed near the bird. Alternatively heat can be generated from an electric light bulb or heating pad. The bird will take 4 to 6 hours to recover from shock – if it doesn't - seek advice. While the bird is in shock, don't force it to eat or drink.

b) When the bird has recovered from shock

i) Visually examine the bird.

Stand a short distance away and examine the bird visually. Look for any deformity, unusual wing positions or lameness. Note the following:

Eyes - need to be both open and bright. Pupils need to be equal in size. Unequal pupil size may indicate head trauma. If eyes are partly closed then the bird is unwell. One eye closed may mean an injury or infection. Check to see if the bird responds to the movement of your hand.

Head - head nodding, head tilting and periods of eye can indicate severe illness or trauma.

Breathing - a healthy bird's breathing is hard to detect. Laboured breathing may mean possible respiratory infection

Feathers - missing feathers may indicate an underlying wound. Feathers fluffed out mean the bird is unwell and trying to warm itself.

Posture - birds that are weak will sit. A healthy bird will sit only to sleep leg paralysis can be caused by insecticide poisoning, trauma to the head or spine, or fractures in the back, legs or pelvis.

Wings – need to be similar in the way they hang. A drooping wing can indicate a fracture. A broken wing can be immobilised by taping the wing in its natural folded position (not too tightly so as to restrict breathing). Micropore tape or vet rap tape doesn't stick to the feathers. If the bird has obvious injuries such as a broken wing, missing foot or broken leg, then seek veterinary advice.

ii) Physically examine the bird.

Begin by examining the head and check for any sign of eye injury, abrasions, beak injury etc. Check the neck feathers for feather loss or matting which may indicate a wound. Feel the body, paying attention to the breast (keel) bone and breast (pectoral) muscles. If the breast bone is prominent and the muscles feel sunken, starvation, parasites such as worms, or a chronic illness may be indicated. Examine each wing. Gently hold the wing tip and pull it away from the body, so the bones and joints can be felt for fractures or dislocations. Examine each of the legs for fractures. The bones in the legs are easier to feel if the leg is extended.

iii) Cuts and Wounds

Cuts and wounds can be gently cleaned with a dilute solution of antiseptic such as Savlon or hydrogen Peroxide 1% or a solution of warm salt water. Don't remove any clots of blood as this can start the bleeding again. If the bird has been injured by a cat or dog, veterinary assistance needs to be obtained as to the need for antibiotics. The bacteria in cats and dogs mouths can cause severe infection, so the bird may die in a few days, if not from an actual puncture wound to one of the organs.

iv) First Aid Kit

A few things you can consider getting as a standard first aid kit:-

· 1 roll micropore tape (1 or 2 cm) or Vetwrap for taping wings.

· 1 roll sticky tape used for taping snapping beaks when examining birds. .

· 1 bottle antiseptic powder (such as Medi-Puff available at supermarkets)

· Liquid such as Savlon liquid or hydrogen peroxide 1% for use on open wounds.

Special note: Avoid the use of antiseptic cream or ointment, as they can contaminate the feathers and cause excessive preening or self mutilation.

4. FEEDING

Please contact one of your co-ordinators if you have a bird of prey (hawk, eagle, owl, etc) or a baby tawny frogmouth as these birds have special requirements.

a) Products to keep on hand for feeding

· High Protein Infant Cereal such as Heinz High Protein Cereal for infants from six months, or Farex

· High Protein Cereal for infants from six months (good for all infant seed eaters)

· Wombaroo Insectivore Raising Mixture (ideal for mixing with lean mince for insect/meat eaters) Packet dry cat food (soak in water for insect/meat eaters) Dry Lorikeet Mix (lorikeets and honeyeaters)

· Oxheart (cut into small pieces and freeze, for meat eaters)

b) What to feed your bird

Keep in mind that you need to keep to the bird's natural diet as much as possible. Birds need a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, fibre, fats, vitamins and minerals as well as clean water. Birds like variety so interchange the suggestions following:

i) Insect Eaters

Honeyeaters, frogmouths, magpies, kookaburras, dollar birds, peewees, kingfishers, crows, pheasant coucals, noisy miners, butcherbirds, plovers, friar birds, currawongs, swallows, silvereyes, pardalotes, cuckoo shrikes, koels.

Juveniles - mince mix dip in water, mealworms, insects, soaked cat biscuits, pet food mix, egg and biscuit mix.

Adults - mince mix, meal worms, insects, soaked cat biscuits, meat variety cat food, egg and biscuit mix.

ii) Carnivorous Birds

Hawks, eagles, falcons, frogmouths, kookaburras, magpies, butcherbirds.

Juveniles - soaked cat biscuits, mince mix, chopped baby mice/rats, chopped baby chickens, insects, strips of lean meat dipped in insectivore slurry, ox heart.

Adults - strips lean meat dipped in insectivore slurry, ox heart, mince mix, mice, chopped baby chickens, large insects.

iii) Nectivorous Birds

Honeyeaters, friar birds, noisy miners, lorikeets

Special note: omit mince mix for lorikeets. Most honeyeaters, friar birds, noisy miners are also insectivores.

Juveniles - nectar substitute thickened with high protein cereal to a semi-runny consistency, lorikeet dry mix, egg and biscuit mix, small amount sugar nectar, small amount soaked cat biscuits and mince mix, soft fruit, chopped greens, native blossoms.

Adults - as for juveniles.

iv) Fruit Eating Birds

Figbirds, orioles, some pigeons, koels

Juveniles - soft fruit, native fruits such as lillypilly, figs etc, figbirds, orioles and koels can be also given small amounts of soaked cat biscuits and mince mix, insects and mealworms.

Adults - as for juveniles.

v) Seed Eating Birds

Galahs, cockatoos, rosellas

Juveniles - a commercial hand raising mix, high protein cereal mix, egg and biscuit mix, chopped greens, soft fruit.

Adults - commercial seed preparations (depending on the size of the bird), fruit, chopped greens.

Special Note: Adults need to be given access to mineral sand and shell grit.

vi) Doves, Pigeons, Finches

Juveniles-a commercial hand raising mix, high protein cereal mix, egg and biscuit mix.

Adults- commercial seed preparations, grass seeds.

Special Note: Adults need to be given access to mineral sand and shell grit.

vii) Water Birds

Ducks, native hens, coots

Juveniles - chopped greens, chick/turkey starter, pigeon seed, multigrain bread, mealworms, insects, mince mix, pet food mix.

Adults - greens, wheat/pigeon seed, multigrain bread, mealworms, insects, mince mix.

Note: water birds like to have water near their food and dabble their food in it.

viii) Game Birds

Quail, scrub turkeys etc

Juveniles - insects, mealworms, chopped greens, mince mix, chick/turkey starter, seed, fruit, pet food mix, mince mix.

Adults - same as juveniles.

c) Products mentioned

· Wombaroo Insectivore Rearing Mix - usually available from produce and pet stores.

· High Protein Cereal- available from baby section in the supermarket sold as ‘Heinz High Protein Cereal for infants from six months’ or ‘Farex High Protein Cereal for infants from six months’.

· Hand Rearing Mix - available from produce and pet stores for rearing baby seed eaters.

· Egg and Biscuit Mix - available from produce and pet stores.

· Calcium powder - calcium carbonate available from produce and pet stores.

· Lorikeet Dry Mix - available from pet stores, produce stores and supermarkets.

· Diet Mixes

Mince Mix - handful lean mince, two teaspoons insectivore, pinch of calcium powder, two teaspoons ground cat biscuits. For juveniles, roll into balls appropriate to bird's size then dip into water before giving.

Nectar substitute (1) – 1 cup raw sugar, 2 raw beaten eggs few drops bird vitamins, such as Avi-Vite. Make up to four cups with water. This can be batched into daily requirements and frozen. It can be thickened with High Protein Cereal.

Nectar substitute (2) - Use any of the following and interchange regularly - High Protein Cereal, Vitabrits/Weetbix, crushed plain biscuits, rolled oats, semolina, rice flour. Just prior to feeding, mix the dry ingredients with water and a little honey to a semi-runny consistency.

Sugar Nectar - 4 heaped tablespoons brown or raw sugar to 500ml warm water. Mix till dissolved.

Egg and Biscuit Mix - mix with a little water to a crumbly consistency. For juveniles, roll into small balls appropriate to bird’s size and dip into water before giving.

Pet Food Mix - mix two parts meat variety of cat food to one part high protein cereal.

Chopped greens - finely chop spinach, silver beet, lettuce, grass, thistle, dandelion. Lettuce has little nutrition by itself and cabbage needs to be avoided.

d) Special notes

The diets mentioned are suggestions only. Remember, variety is very important.

Never squirt water down a bird's throat. This may result in the bird inhaling the liquid into the lungs. Use an eyedropper placed near the side of the bird's mouth and let the bird swallow the drops slowly.

Don't put a new bird with birds that you may already have caged - disease is easily transmitted.

If you have a sick bird, keep them isolated and clean the cage thoroughly with disinfectant after use. Always wash your hands after handling a bird and before you handle another bird.

e) Points about caring for baby birds

Precocial birds are those birds such as plovers, waterfowl and quails that are born with most of their feathers when they hatch. They can usually feed themselves straight away. As with all baby birds, they need to be kept warm. Keep water and food near them in shallow dishes.

Special note: baby water birds such as ducklings like to have their food in their water.

Altricial birds are born with no feathers and their eyes are closed. Warmth is absolutely essential for these birds. As a bird's normal body temperature is around 40° - 42° they need to be kept in a constant warm humid environment with air temperature around 35° to sustain normal body temperature. Gradually decrease the temperature as their feathers grow. Tiny babies can be fed around every two hours to start with, then gradually increasing the time over a few weeks. Don't feed a baby bird unless its crop is empty and it has passed droppings since its last meal. If it hasn't digested its last meal check the temperature, it may be too low. Clean the baby after feeding with warm water and a tissue. The amount of food fed at each feed depends on the age, size and species of bird. A general rule is to continue feeding until the crop appears well rounded and taut. Don't overfeed. Disturb the baby as little as possible between each feed. Thoroughly wash feeding utensils between feeds.

5. FOSTERING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR VET

· Never forget that the relationship with your vet is a two way street.

Keep in mind these following points:

· Your vet is very busy running a business with paying customers. Although most vets are happy to assess an injured native animal, you may have to bear the cost of any drugs etc used for the bird.

· If you have a bird that needs veterinary assessment, phone the surgery to see when they can fit you in. You may also drop the bird to the surgery in the morning and ask if the bird can be assessed some time during the day when the vet has time, and pick it up in the afternoon. Make sure you communicate with the vet via a note to tell him of your findings.

· Give the surgery some feedback on the outcome of the bird.

· Offer to take birds in from your vet that need care.

· Most vets are fairly good with birds, but may be unaware of certain behavioural differences between caged birds and native birds. e.g. Tawny Frogmouths and birds of prey rarely drink water, so there's not much point in giving a medication that has to be put into water, they will not get it.

· Encourage the veterinary staff to ask finders of the birds to leave their phone numbers.

6. DEATH

Native bird care can be an emotionally challenging thing to do. The death rate to expect is at least 50%.

Think of the events leading up to the death. Can we learn something?

If you make a mistake learn something from it. It's easy to throw your hands in the air and say I can't do this anymore. It takes a good carer to admit their mistake if only to themselves and rectify it in the future.

Consider the following scenarios:

· You get a baby bird in. Despite correct management e.g. warmth, food etc it still dies within a few days. What went wrong? What did I do wrong? Sometimes, by reasoning why this bird came into care can be helpful. In the case of the baby bird, his history is that of falling 30 feet from a tree. Internal injuries, if not obvious is the most reasonable explanation. Was there a defect in the baby to begin with? Parent birds will sometimes kick babies out of the nest if they have something wrong with them.

· A bird comes in with a history of a car hit. Despite having no apparent injuries other than shock, he dies within a few days. He may have been eating and looking reasonably happy. Again internal injuries have to be suspected. Even if this bird did have a wing or leg fracture which was treated, other reasons such as blood clots moving etc cannot be ruled out.

· A finder brings a bird to you. Its history is not known. The bird presents with heavy labouring breathing and a rattling sound in the chest. The finder tells you that they have given the bird a drink. This is alright if the finder puts a bowl of water in front of the bird and the bird drinks itself. However, some finders first reaction to finding a bird injured is to squirt copious amounts of water down their throats which can lead to the bird inhaling the liquid and contracting pneumonia or just drowning. Finders will also feed birds the wrong thing e.g. giving mince to a baby dove. The mince will just sit in the crop and cause a crop impaction or fungal infection. When talking to someone on the phone advise them not to give the bird anything to eat or drink before they get to you.

EUTHANASING

Euthanasing a bird need to be done by a vet who will give an overdose of anaesthetic by injection. Sometimes we get a bird in at times when a vet is unavailable, that is weekends, at night or public holidays. If the bird is in a lot of pain and has no future or is dying, we as carers sometimes have to do it ourselves. Our method is to gently bind the bird's wings in a crepe bandage. Place the bird in a plastic bag (the snap-lock type) or a plastic container which can be sealed airtight. A small piece of cloth or cottonwool is then soaked in ether (available at chemists or vets) and placed into the container with the bird. The container is then sealed. The bird will go to sleep before eventually dying. We find it safest to wait a few hours to make sure the bird has died and if rigamortis has set in the bird will be stiff and you can be sure it has died.

Be careful with the ether. It is a highly flammable liquid. Do not use it in unventilated situations or you may find yourself passing out. Keep the ether away from children’s reach.

7. ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

CAUSE	LOOK FOR:

Trauma -	Shock
	Broken bones
	Bleeding
Car Hits	Feather Matting
Building Hits	Obvious deformity
Window Hits	Inability to fly
Animal and Bird	Attacks Inability to stand
	Lameness in 1 or both legs
	Tenderness over any part of body
	One or both eyes closed
	Head nodding
	Uncoordinated movement due to brain injury
	Pupils not contracting and dilating to light and dark
	Rattling in air sac areas
	Bubbles of air under skin
	Wounds
	Obvious feather loss, damage
	Fits
	Blood coming from ears, mouth, nose, vent, blood in faeces

Sickness	Shock
	Bird fluffed out, eyes dull
Poisoning	Paralysis
Disease	Inability to fly, stand
Old Age	Laboured breathing
	Lesions in mouth
	Vent soiling
	Fits
	Shock
	Sneezing, nasal discharge
	Eye discharge
	Unusual droppings
	Listlessness

This is not a complete guide. It will just give you some things to look for

8. Disease and Disorder

a) Fungal Infections

Candida, a yeast, is one of the most common forms of fungal infection. It can be caused as a result of a direct injury, non hygienic methods of feeding babies, or as a result of illness in the bird. It may occur in the respiratory tract, the skin, but mostly occurs in the digestive tract. i.e. the mouth, throat, proventriculus, crop, gizzard, intestines etc.

In the mouth, it can appear as tiny yellow or white spots which spread and form a “plaque”. These “plaques” can be scraped to reveal a red raw area which may bleed.

Antibiotics do not treat fungal infections and actually can make them worse. Anti-fungal medications are available and your vet can do a microscopic slide and advise of the best medication.

b) Trichomoniasis (Canker )

Canker is the result of an over abundance of a protozoa (a microscopic animal). There are several different types of canker, some causing minor problems while others cause death very quickly. It can cause white spots and ulcers in the mouths of birds. The spots can vary from tiny white spots to large, firm cheese-like masses. The parasite can also cause other deposits which we can't see in the crop and lower oesophagus. Pigeons, finches and raptors are the most commonly affected. Birds with canker may appear listless, have poor body condition, may regurgitate frequently or lose their appetite. Your vet can do a microscopic slide to determine if the area is infected with canker.

c) Coccidiosis

Coccidiosis is a common parasitic infection of many species of birds, especially in ground feeders. Birds become infected after eating the parasite egg which has been passed out in another infected bird's droppings. Young birds are more susceptible and it is thought that older birds develop some immunity. Overcrowding and poor hygiene which results in stress can contribute.

Some birds mildly infected show no signs of illness. Birds severely infected show weight loss, dehydration, listlessness, diarrhoea, blood in droppings. A vet can do a smear for coccidiosis to determine the presence of the parasite. Drugs used to treat coccidiosis include amprolium and sulphonamides. Good hygiene and proper quarantine practice can reduce the chances of severe infections.

d) External Parasites

There are many types of external parasites that can infect birds, lice, mites, ticks, flies and mosquitoes. Infection is usually started by close contact with an infected bird. Infected birds can show no signs, or scratching and excessive preening, tatty feathers, abnormal moulting and even anaemia in severe ongoing infestations. These groups of parasites usually live by sucking blood, tissue fluid and cells. Some can cause internal infections. Parasites are a part of a bird's life and small numbers usually don't present major problems. Usually when a bird's immunity is down through illness and stress they become a problem and overcome the bird. There are many commercial insecticides for dusting birds with external parasites, but we use just a simple low irritant fly killer that contains pyrethrum/piperonyl butoxide which is effective against lice and flies. Lightly spray the bird including under the wings, taking care to keep the eyes covered. The spray can be sprayed onto a cloth and wiped over the head area. Leave it on for a couple of minutes and then wipe the bird down with a damp cloth to remove excess spray or give it a quick bath taking care to keep the bird warm while drying.

e) Avian Pox

Avian pox is a viral disease which can affect numerous types of bird species. Each species of bird is affected by a different virus. Therefore the strain of virus that affects magpies is not the same virus which causes it in pigeons. The virus is spread by either direct contact with an infected bird or mosquito bites. Different species show different signs of the disease. In early stages it may occur as blisters that appear on the bare parts of the bird's body, that is the legs and eye area. Lumps can also be present in the respiratory tract and in the mouth. Affected birds may have no appetite, discharge around the eyes, pus filled lesions, crusty lesions and breathing may be affected. Some infected birds may appear bright and happy. There is no specific treatment that is effective. Lesions may disappear with local treatment and good husbandry but these birds are still carrying this virus in their body. If these birds are released they face a recurrence of symptoms within a short time and they are spreading this virus to others of their species. Euthanasia is probably the kindest option in the long term.

f) GAPEWORM (Spiruroid Worms)

Gapeworm (Spiruroid worm) is a worm parasite that infests the throat, pharynx and oral cavity. We see it mostly in young ground feeding insectivores such as magpies and peewees. Gapeworm (Spiruroid worm) infestation leads to difficulty in breathing, coughing and weight loss (often severe in advanced cases). Some birds badly infected may gasp for air through open beaks which is why some call it gapeworm. Death is usually caused by starvation because the bird cannot swallow. You can see the small light coloured worms at the back of the throat. You may also see little round white coloured balls in the mouth area. Avitrol Plu