Association of Avian Veterinarians

Repair and Care of Psittacine EggsAuthor(s): Rick JordanSource: Journal of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Spring, 1989), p. 14Published by: Association of Avian VeterinariansStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30133246 .

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In My Experience shape in order to support the baby's body weight, while allowing the legs to extend down in a normal standing posture. The pad should be thick enough to allow the legs to hang in a semi-flexed position. In some in- stances the pad must be cut in the area of the bird's vent to ensure nor- mal elimination. For birds with

severely splayed legs, additional pad- ding should be used to hold the legs down into their normal position. We have found the pad approach to be greatly superior to any other treament incuding hobbles or bandages because the bird's weight is removed from the damaged legs, allowing them to heal. The pad has proven sucessful in birds from canaries to macaws, Button quail to swans. Best results are, of course, obtained when treatment is initiated early. - Jeff Jenkins, San Diego, California

Repair and Care of Psittacine Eggs

Many cracked eggs or those with indented smash marks can be

repaired if the membrane has not been affected. We apply white glue with a Q-tip for a minimum of 3 coats. I've noticed through weighing eggs that a single coat of glue will not stop the transpiration through the crack. If there is a small puncture hole in the egg with an intact mem- brane, I clean the egg with a small amount of Nolvasan water, then app- ly individual layers of glue and single thicknesses of sterile gauze, which are built up like a cast. The primary pro- blem in Florida is that fungal spores can get into the crack before the repair is complete. One can then see large black areas surrounding the repair during candling. The glue and gauze cast may interfere with hat- ching if the repair is close to the air cell; I remove it when draw-down time begins.

I treat all my eggs like chicks, so I never fumigate eggs because I would never fumigate chicks. If we had a devastating problem, I would pro- bably would do it, but 99% of our chicks hatch out sterile. I do

14 JAAV

fumigate the incubator twice a year and clean it frequently.

I also avoid spraying or soaking the shells with water. If the embryo is losing too much weight, I incubate it for the rest of the time period inside a Zip-Loc bag so it can't transpire any more weight. If it continues to lose weight too fast, I will place a sterile wet gauze in the opposite cor- ner of the bag to increase the humidity in the bag. In effect, one is creating a separate incubator within the larger incubator. A pin hole may be made in an egg that is not losing enough weight. I set the incubator at 99.2 "F and I go in whenever I want - I will take them out and have them in an air-conditioned room for

weighing and candling and I don't worry about any temperature change. - Rick Jordan, Avicultural and Breeding Research Center, Loxahat- chee, Florida (Ed. note: For questions on incuba- tion, Rick Jordan may be reached at (407) 793-5135 or (407) 747-7699.)

Aviculture Medical Alerts When dispensing worming

medications for Australian parakeet species, be sure to warn the clients of

the possibility of post-worming reac- tions and deaths. This is especially true if these birds have not had regular wormings. Roundworm buildup is common in these species. Acute deaths can bring about accusa- tions of wormer overdosage, etc., especially if adequate warnings have not been given. These species should have frequent fecal exams.

Be sure cockatiel breeders are aware of the Giardia and Hexamita pro- blems these birds have, especially on the west coast. Trichrome or fresh wet mount stains are necessary for diagnosis (not regular fecal tests). Ipropran is the drug of choice for flock treatment.

Emphasize to avicultural clients that necropsies are absolutely necesary to monitor disease. Infectious disease can be quickly diagnosed and other conditions such as worm loads that may have a bearing on the flock as a whole can be observed.

Novice avicultural clients should be warned to quarantine all new arrivals. This is obvious, but many still make this mistake and pay the price.

Novice clients need to be warned about the unscrupulous practice of "flock dumping." For example, polyomavirus may be diagnosed in a flock of budgies and the owner may sell the whole flock to an unsuspec- ting new owner. The new owner may think subsequent breeding failures are due to his inexperience. Beware if large groups of "proven breeders" are being sold. Experienced breeders do not usually sell proven breeding stock so easily. - Walter J. Rosskopf, Jr., DVM, Hawthorne, California

Aviculture Practice We have developed a program for

serious aviculturists that takes advan- tage of their commercial status and provides for emergency medical atten- tion they may need. For the dispens- ing of medications, the laws in California require that veterinarians maintain a hands-on, direct contact relationship with each patient every six months. On the other hand, our

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