Handfeeding Parrots pt. 3 - Weaning and First Flight

Hi all

Almost as quickly as it started to feel like handfeeding Yoshi was going to be a full time job, the little fellow surprised us by maturing at an alarming rate and has made our job as nurturing parents a lot easier since. Yoshi, who used to take as many as 30 feedings a day is down to an average of 18 - 25 feedings. Being naturally inquisitive and having that inquisitiveness encouraged by leaving a lot of edible "toys" lying around his enclosure has quickly taught him to take his own food and although I was worried that he was nibbling and spitting, more than actual eating, a close monitering of changes in his daily stool and elimination routine - or "poopology" has confirmed that some of the stuff he nibbles is certainly going down. I've tried feeling for the characteristic bulge in his crop in between feedings to ensure that he is eating but I can't seem to get the hang of it now that it has been completely fluffed over with his first coat of feathers. Anyway, Yoshi seems to be picking at his food more and more often which gives me great confidence that he is on his way to be well and weaned. In addition to the increased eating independence, Yoshi has also started growing more confident during his flying lessons. As might be expected, he has also started to refuse more feedings and is somewhat losing the necessary weight so that he can take wing. I have read that this is a critical stage for young birds and shall have to monitor his weight and eating habits accordingly.

Our flight training sessions usually consists of us both on the floor with Yoshi placed on a low stand. The "come" command, which I have already familiarized him with is repeated and he is encouraged to flutter a short distance off of his stand and on to my outstretched hands. Gradually, as he begins to achieve distance and altitude, the distance of my hand from the perch as well as the height of the perch are increased. I believe this exercise not only creates a nurturing and fostering environment for a young bird to build confidence in his own abilities and feel secure that the prime caregiver is there to offer support, but also to prepare him for later in life as a free-flighted bird.

Post by Cyren Asteraceya.

Handfeeding Parrots pt. 1

Hey ya'll

I recently came into possession of a very young parakeet that is probably between 3 weeks to a month old. It is a very fragile looking thing, still mostly covered in fluffy grey down with pin feathers erupting from its flesh here and there, but with a very scrappy and robust personality. Having spent almost a full year with the Semai people of Peninsular Malaysia (you can read more about that here) I've managed to learn a trick or two about hand raising young birds, often for rehabilitation purposes, out of necessity while living in the jungle. Most of the birds that I had successfully raised and released into the wild, however, were of the Starling (sturnidae) and old world fly-catcher (muscicapidae) family respectively. Only once was I forced to raise a young parrot and in all honesty the abandoned bird was already old enough to eat mashed up bananas and other soft foods from the tip of my finger. Nevertheless, those experiences, and the knowledge that came with it, made me believe that I was more than capable of handling a young parrot as well. After all, a baby bird is a baby bird, how different could it be? Barely 3 days into my raising this bird I can say that arguably, there IS not much difference between the hand rearing of parrots and other bird species. The general care is pretty much the same with regards to temperature and cleanliness with the chief (and most challenging) difference being triggering the appropriate feeding responses from the hatchlings. 

Our latest baby! We aren't able to sex it because GCs do not display sexual dimorphism but based on a hunch we have decided to name "him" Yoshi.

Parrots, you see, possess a special organ at the base of their throat known as a crop. The crop is a pouch like bulge that can expand for the bird to store its food for digestive purposes. Birds like starlings and fly catchers do not possess crops (or at least I don't think they do) and so when they beg for food often raise their heads skywards, with their mouths open wide, thus facilitating the passage of food from beak to gut. Baby parrots, however, receive their meals in a more direct manner with the parent bird often regurgitating half-digested food into the baby's throat. The passage of food from mouth to gut must first bypass the crop and to ensure that the food is stored within it, the baby parrot assists the motor reflexes of its esophagus by making a vigorous pumping motion with its head. Feeding is therefore not quite as simple as placing a syringe into the chick's gaping maw and pumping its contents straight down the throat. The shape of the parrot's bill (which is hooked) makes it also somewhat difficult as they do not beg in quite the same way as other birds. I gradually learnt that unless I took a more direct approach to it, feeding was always going to be a messy business (messier than it generally is with baby birds, which is to say, fairly messy!). By gently holding it from behind I was able to support Yoshi's head with my thumb and index finger and thus able to keep pumping in the formula with my other hand all the while adjusting to the pumping motion of his head.

The baby parrot is also a very inquisitive little fellow and often gets distracted easily by other animals, or by objects lying around at the time of its feeding such as cardboard rolls or pieces of tissue paper. I usually stop between feedings if Yoshi goes off to explore something as I think this helps encourage foraging behavior later in life.

As might be expected, Yoshi didn't take to being hand-fed by a new "mommy" fron the start but with patience and a lot of coaxing (I "talk" or make soothing noises to my birds as I feed them as I imagine that they are as much vocal as they are visual animals), he has finally started to warm up to me and feedings normally take 30 minutes or less per session, including the little breaks we take in between when he finds a piece of tissue paper or the food bowl to his fancy.

I have been receiving some conflicting information regarding how often I have to feed Yoshi, and how much. With my starlings and robins, feeding was generally done at 8am each morning and then once at every 2 hour interval with the frequency gradually decreased as the bird grows larger and becomes more and more independent. With Yoshi however, I find that this is where the parrot's crop has an added advantage to function as an indicator of when to start and stop feeding. The breeder I got him from only fed him two times a day, 10 tubes of formula per session, but told me that I could adjust his feeding accordingly as they were busy tending to so many animals during the course of one day. I learnt very quickly on to adjust Yoshi's feeding based on the size of his crop. When he has had a particularly large feeding (10 full tubes of formula, as instructed by the breeder) his crop becomes slightly distended and has the consistency of a squishy grape. Other times, when for whatever reason he may not feel like eating so much, the size of the crop can vary quite significantly. On average it takes Yoshi's crop 4 hours to empty out which is an indicator for me to begin feeding again. Based on the amount of tubes he takes per feeding (averaging between 5 and 8, almost never 10), I spread out his feedings at 3-4 times a day at every 4 hour interval, or whenever his crop has been emptied out. In this way, Yoshi has never had to beg for food and (aside from day 1 when he came home with an empty crop) has never screamed his little lungs out demanding a feeding. 

I've also started keeping a record of Yoshi's feedings such as the time daily, as well as how many tubes of formula he consumes every feeding. Right now he has consumed 26 tubes daily (6 more tubes than he was given at his breeder's place) spaced out at 4 hour intervals 3-4 times daily. The size of his crop gives me an indication of when a feeding is required and how much of it. 

I will begin to post updates about Yoshi's growth and development has time goes by. I plan to buy a weighing scale and start measuring his weight on a weekly basis as well. Weaning is something that I anxiously anticipate but I think I should have less difficulty than my starlings and robins, particularly because his naturally curious disposition has already led him to start nibbling at objects in his environment. 

Blessed be.
)O(

Geckos and Toads.

Hey ya'll 

It's been awhile since I last checked back here! Work has been pilling up and so have the butterflies on the spreading board. Unfortunately, until I can find the perfect shadow box to display them in (I'm looking for something large, that will accommodate all of Khalid's donations, and some of my own besides) they will just have to wait. Last week one of the specimens fell apart though, a beautiful arhopala sp. that had striking purple colored wings. As you can imagine I was simply crushed! Perhaps as crushed as the disintegrated body of a beautiful butterfly gone to waste! Such is the problem when spreading specimens dating several years back! You never know what sort of pests (psocids in this case!) have gotten to them! Oh well, Khalid assures me that he has more spares and maybe the next time I go visit he will be kind enough to donate another one (fingers crossed!) 

In the meantime, I've been getting my amphibian love on! I received, for my birthday, a pair of very beautiful Oriental Fire-Belly toads (bombina orientalis)! The toads, which are really a kind of frog, are green and black on the top and striking red, orange, yellow and black on the bottom! their markings, in fact, are very reminiscent of the markings of Japanese firebelly newts and Paddletail newts but I assure you the species are in no way related. As you might imagine, the brilliant coloring of the toad's underbellies signal to predators that the toad are poisonous, and when attacked, the toads can secrete a milky poison from their legs. When threatened, they have a very interesting behavior of flipping on to their backs to display their brightly colored bellies! They seem to be saying "eat me, and you just might croak!"  (ps. I do NOT lick them! They're NOT that kind of toad!) I initially started out with two toads, but have since gone and gotten a third. Their names are Kermit, Redtumbles, and Greentumbles (you can "credit" Ray for the last two names!) and although they are all male, seem to thoroughly enjoy mounting each other on a fairly regular basis! Kermit would often object to such an intrusion of his privacy with bark-like croaks but have since been fairly compliant. 

The boys

Planted terrarium with a makeshift "pond" that is their current habitat. More plants have been added since taking this photo. 

Aside from the toads we also have one relatively new addition to our family. Another leopard gecko, that was ALSO presented to me on my birthday! She came to us rather small and dull in color (I suspect it might have been the shock of being boxed...) but have since blossomed and grown in leaps and bounds! She's not as friendly as our previous gecko, Evil Keneevil, but she has a certain charm that is unique in her own way. We have named her Penelope Petite (credits also go to Ray). 

With all the new animals joining our household, though, I feel it is my duty to remind the average reader that pets do NOT really make good presents! An animal is a living creature with unique wants, needs, and requirements and purchasing one should never, ever, be taken lightly! These pets were gotten for me not on a whim but with the knowledge that I in fact already possessed the necessary equipment, knowledge, and skills to care for them. So please, obtain pets responsibly, and let's all do our best for our animal friends.

Cheers,
Cyren.

Babysitting Turtles

Hey y'all

I've been back in KL several weeks now and I'm still adjusting to not being on holiday. Meanwhile, we have a house guest on extended stay. Ray's turtle, Shelldon, will be living with us until he gets back from Sarawak sometime in December after The Chinese New Year. Which is good news for me because I really miss taking care of turtles! Oh how I love them! He's truly living the lap of luxury here with basking lamps, reptile supplements and even, occasionally, a slice of apple or other sweet fruit for a treat. Oh how I'm going to miss him when I give him back. Who knows, maybe it's time for me to let another reptilian friend back into my life.

Cheers,
Cyren.

Out of the Flying Plane, into the PhD Program.

Hey ya'll

I guess I just came here to say that I am back, in my home sweet home in KL, and that things are starting to go back to normal again. There is always the sense of holiday withdrawal syndrome, but since Ray has been putting up in my room for the past few days, I say that it really could be worse. He really does give me strength, and I am very thankful for every moment we spend together. Meanwhile, I've really started to get hooked onto this "blogging with the phone" thing. Sure I can't adjust the position of my pictures... But everything else seems so easy somehow!

But going back to the point, not everything will be going back to the way it was following my return to KL as this return also signifies the commencement of my enrollment into the Monash University PhD program. That's right... I have finally heard from both the Australian campus (regarding my admission) and the Malaysian one (regarding my full scholarship and stipend).

To be honest I must say I am simply quite terrified of the prospect at the moment! Nothing like a bunch of people reminding you that your future (for the next three years at least) is set in stone huh? Good job guys! Keep up the pressure. Only... It isn't really set in stone is it? And I always face the pressure of potentially screwing this up... But worse, disappointing or failing the community I intend to research. Oh Goddess give me the strength and foresight to see this through, and to never lose track of my goals! I will begin in March.

In the meantime, I guess I can still take a moment or two to put everything in order, and to enjoy myself (while I can!), starting of course with my dearest animal friends, and my insect collection. Cookie, at least, seems genuinely happy about having me home though, I am not sure if be is just happy about the resume of the constant flow of treats, or if he truly enjoys my company.

Until I have more then,
Cheers.
Cyren.

Goodbye, my Honey Bee.

Hi all

I had the same dream again this morning. It was a little different. This time it ended with Honey and I holding each other, she nuzzled against my chin, me stroking her hair. She looked at me, gave me a kiss on the cheek and said once again in a mix of English and Chinese; "It's okay daddy. Baby pu yao." I got a call about 15 minutes later. It was Dr. Jenny. Honey had just taken her last breath. Surprisingly, I am holding up rather well. I suppose it was the uncertainty of her situation and the possibility of inadvertently prolonging her suffering that really got to me. I don't know if you are superstitious people, or if you believe that animals even have souls. But I know what I believe, and that is I have always had a very strong connection with my animal friends, what more a friend like Honey whose lived with me and done so many things with me. I really do believe that this recurring dream is a message of sorts. And through that I have found my closure.

My dearest Honey bee, I wish I could tell you again how much I love you. Or that I could stroke your head and tickle your ears just one more time. But I guess it is time for you to go to the Goddess. We may never meet again, but I will feel you now everywhere; in the air that fills my lungs, in the soft wind that ruffles my hair, in every blade of grass that cushions my step, in every flower that brightens my sight. I love you, my sweet little honey bee. Goodbye.

The Hardest Decision to Make

Hey ya'll 

I am writing this because I need to "talk" about it. Honey's condition has taken a turn for the worst. She was up all night, crying from pain and irritation and when I checked up on her, was quite astonished to find that the scab on her leg had fallen off. In its place: a gaping wound resembling nothing more than a black, sticky hole. I didn't have to be a veterinarian to know that this was bad news and so I snapped a picture, and sent an urgent email to our Doctor, Jenny. Within the next few hours I had gotten a reply. I had to come in with Honey and the news just gets worse.

From what I understand, based on my limited knowledge on veterinary terminology, Honey has a genetic condition which causes the muscles to deteriorate under the skin. The problem, when it starts, is often unnoticeable and may present itself in signs such as very minor looking wounds, redness, or loss of hair (symptoms which are, incidentally, more commonly recognized as that caused by overgrooming). Indeed, due to the sensation of discomfort under the skin, the glider would indeed exhibit signs of overgrooming or self mutilation such as excessive scratching and biting. Over time, contaminants such as bacteria from the glider's saliva get into the wound and accumulate there exacerbating the process, causing the surrounding tissue to become necrotic. By the time the scab falls off and the owner finds out how serious the condition actually is. Well... In Honey's case, the problem started on her left hip causing weakness in the attached limbs which may also explain how she came to dislocate her ankle in the first place.

According to Doctor Jenny, the problem probably resulted due to an illegal shipment of gliders from Indonesia that were carriers of the rogue gene. The problem itself is quite a recent development and the affected gliders are all likely to be progeny of interbreeding between the Indonesian glider stock, and the local gliders thus contaminating the DNA. I have given consent for Honey's tissue samples to be sent to a lab so that research can be done to prevent, and hopefully event cure the problem. As of this moment, the condition still looks grim and I am told to "be prepared". To be honest, I don't think I can ever "be prepared" for a moment like this. 

Road to Recovery 2

Hey ya'll 

had to wake up EXTRA early this morning to settle Honey's feeding and medication because I will be obliged to go for the Ghost Festival later in the morning. (FYI the Ghost Festival, according to local belief, is the one day of the year that the dead may return to the mortal plane. Think, the original concept of Halloween, except more of a "break" from being purged of their bad karma in "hell" as part of the (unnecessarily) complicated process of Buddhist Reincarnation). Anyway, I really don't have much time as I will have to be leaving soon so do allow me to get straight to the point. 

• Honey's condition appears to be improving quite rapidly in terms of the wound on her leg. The redness and blood had gone down drastically this morning and I think it may have something to do in part with how I got up in the middle of the night to re-apply her lotions. Dr. Jenny mentioned that the site is aggravated by dryness so it stands to reason the recovery process can only be aided by keeping it constantly moist but clean.
  
• In terms of her injured leg, however, I do not see any improvement yet though, in all fairness, it has only been a couple of days since her visit to the doctor. She drags the appendage behind her and does not use it at all, which in itself may be good for recovery, but what worries me is the position in which she drags it and her propensity for minute bouts of hyperactivity (which may inadvertently make things worse!). As it stands, I try to divert these hyperactive moments by keeping her otherwise occupied. Usually by stroking her, or playing a little "stationary" game with my fingers where I wave them in front of her and she sits still and tries to grab at them using only her front paws. Again, I shudder to think what might happen next week when I go off to work.
  
• Honey ate her medication with no hassle at all this morning (GOOD GIRL!) and also drank approximately 2.5ml of Ensure, which is a formula dietary food that is high in calcium which is supposed to help her bones heal faster and promote health all round. 

Comparison of wound from yesterday shows encouraging improvement! 

Back to sleep after a quick nibble. Not sure if its the medication that's causing the drowsiness or if she's just more lethargic generally these days. Either way less activity = less chances of self injury. I'd much rather she limited playtime to when she saw me so I've taken to covering the cage when I'm away to remove any external stimuli. So far so good! 

Ps. I really hope she gets better before me and Ray's weekend trip to Perhentian. Otherwise I may have to start planning alternatives. Perhaps a call to Dr. Jenny is in order (she did mention that she has boarded some Gliders before). But that is more than a month away, and I sincerely hope she will be walking and healed by then! 

Cheers,
Cyren

Road to Recovery 1

Hey ya'll 

just going to post up random updates on Honey's condition. I don't expect this to be a day-to-day thing but I do expect it to be rather regular as I document her road to recovery. I realize, despite overwhelming concern on your part that not everyone may wish to follow a day-to-day mini post on the healing process but I'm really doing this for me as much as anyone else because writing about it helps me cope and "feel" that there is some progress. I can only hope that in time, reality will match my expectations. SO, let us begin. Day one of the healing process. 

• Woke up at 7.00am today to feed Honey her meds. Turns out there was less fuss about it than last night as she drank the relaxed anti-inflammatory pills and antibiotic without any hassle. Perhaps it is the early morning hours, but I'm inclined to think that she is beginning to understand the correlation between the "icky stuff" I've been feeding her and the relief she must be feeling about the pain and itching in her back and legs.
• On a less favorable note, it appears that Honey's constant scratching has reopened the wounds on her back. The spot was sticky with dried blood this morning and it caused me some alarm. I did take comfort in the fact, however, that her brutal "ministrations" were only concentrated on one side of the hind-quarters this time and that the other portions of her back look significantly less red/inflamed. Upon cleaning the wound I found that a scab had formed over the affected location. Also quite encouraging was the fact that she did not squirm, cry or try to claw and bite at the afflicted area even after I placed the lotion on it. 
• I am actually more worried about her skin condition now, than I am about the leg. While she still drags the limb behind her from time to time as she is walking about, it does not seem to hurt or inconvenience her unduly any longer as she uses it from time to time. Hope we can see some visible improvement as the week progresses. 

A trip to Dr. Jenny's

Hey ya'll

so sorry for the lack of posting, but I came home to quite an emergency last night when I found Honey (our female glider) not in her usual sleeping spot next to Cookie (our male) in the pouch, but curled up on the floor. I dismissed this at first as I thought she had come down to eat but then I noticed a strange abrasion running down her back. I picked her up, to get a close look at the wound, when I noticed that something was not right at all! Her left leg, which was tucked under her body, seemed to be held at an awkward angle, and when not in use, dragged behind her as if it was broken! Naturally I was quite alarmed and started to panic! My baby... my poor baby! What do I do? Who do I call? Are there still any exotic vets in Kuala Lumpur? Thoughts flashed instantly to the sad fate of our two baby budgies, Cumulus and Nimbus who did not manage to receive treatment fast enough, which was when I resolved to do WHATEVER IT TOOK to get my Honey the necessary treatment she needed! Once again, I am indebted to the (sometimes) remarkable wisdom of the online community who directed me to Dr. Jenny of Hands "N" Paws that could treat serious condition in gliders! 

I emailed her first thing that night and was quite shocked to get a reply in less than half an hour later! Please note that this was already quite late into the night and I was only expecting a reply earliest by the following day! Without hesitation I told her, "I'll bring her tomorrow (meaning today, in present time!)" and an appointment was made to see Dr. Jenny the first thing she gets into clinic at 12.00pm.  

The trip to the vet was quite uneventful, save for the cries Honey made from time to time (no doubt due to the pain she must have been going through) which honestly tore into my heart each time it happened, but we finally made it and Honey got a chance to curl up and sleep a bit while I registered her and we waited for Dr. Jenny to arrive. As it turned out, we didn't have long to wait and, considering we were the first and only ones there, managed to see the doctor in under 20 minutes. 

Dr. Jenny performed a rather through inspection of Honey, and when she was done declared that we were really dealing with two separate but correlated problems here. 

1. First of which was her leg. It appears that, very likely due to some play time accident, that Honey's ankle had been completely dislocated with a possibility of a fracture. To treat this Dr. Jenny did some massaging of the afflicted limb to help move the bones back into their correct place but told me that Honey's housing arrangements had to be changed. A splint, she explained, was quite impossible for Honey because of her remarkably small size, so the best method of promoting a quick and proper recovery would be to house her in a climb-free environment such as a terrarium. Bedding such as pieces of towels and sleeping pouches were also discouraged as they may entangle the limb and cause further damage.
2. The second issue was regarding Honey's skin condition which had worsened dramatically in a relatively short span of time (several hours, by count of how long it takes that I'm out at work and then back home). As it turns out, the leg injury (which obviously put her in pain) caused her to lick the afflicted and surrounding area obsessively causing some sort of over abrasion of the dermis resulting in swelling and redness. This, we would treat with topical lotions and creams. Dr. Jenny has shaved her too (there was some struggle when this was done, and I had to steel myself to her cries) in the lower region and this is to prevent saliva buildup (from her licking) that may cause the skin to be further inflamed. 

In addition to that, Honey was discharged with a series of anti-inflammatory pills to be taken, as well as antibiotics. I never knew, before this, how challenging it could be to feed a small animal medicine (especially when it tastes foul!) but I will persevere! We've also gotten a tub of ensure (calcium rich food formula) to feed her as it will promote bone growth and recovery. The whole thing, all expenses included, only cost me RM43. Which is not just reasonable, but extremely cheap in my opinion and a LOT less than I was originally ready/willing to pay to get my baby back into tip top shape.

Honey in her make-shift sickbay. Rest is very important now I think. 

Cookie, was also brought to the vet, and I was told that he was a glowing example of good health save for a rather full anal gland (which is used to ward of predators and mark his territory) which I was told by Dr. Jenny is not really anything to worry about because he probably just had no reason to use it. He also got his annual deworming treatment and was very compliant about it. GOOD BOY COOKIE!!!! Anyway here's to a speedy recovery for Honey. Cookie misses her a lot, but I dare not let them play together for fear she gets over excited and injures herself. For now he is content with sitting next to her terrarium sick bay and watching over her as they eat their meals on separate sides of the "glass".

ps. Thanks for all of your wishes and prayers everyone. I (and I'm sure Honey) appreciate them all very very much. 

cheers,
Cyren

Love at First Sight

Hey ya'll 

we're celebrating a rather momentous occasion today as two of our most darling animal friends finally got acquainted and appear to be enjoying each other's company very much! I first got Honey as a companion for Cookie several months (almost three, I think) ago when I noticed him pining for attention and companionship! Of course as his "best friend" I was only more than happy to provide him with it and we used to enjoy hours of each other's company, him sitting on my shoulder and playing with whatever else I happened to have on my person while I go about my work. But after awhile I began to realize that my companionship can never be a full substitute to the sort of companionship a strapping young glider needs. And that's when Honey came into the picture. Of course I did not introduce them together right away (she was small and needed to adjust to her new home first) but I did make sure that their cages were placed side by side. Still, there never had been any interaction between the two. Until today that is, when I allowed them take their meals side by side. 

Dinner was quite uneventful with the two of them fastidiously keeping to their own feeding bowls, but once they had polished up all they could eat, curiosity got the better of them and it was straight off to the "getting to know yous".  Well I must say that they hit it right off from the start! It was like love, or at least friendship, at first sight, and Honey proved to be quite the forward little girl as she started rubbing her nose all over Cookie's chest the instant they met! Cookie himself was quite the gentleman and did not try "anything funny" if you know what I mean! Instead, he consented to allowing her to cling on his back while he made his way up my shoulder. 

When playtime was finally over, I was about to separate them for bed when Cookie went into his "room" and made a little noise that caused Honey to come in right after. I waited for them to settle down before I peered inside to make sure that everything was okay and true enough they were cuddled up and fast asleep, Honey clinging tightly to Cookie's back. The light from my nosiness disturbed them somewhat and Honey woke up and made a noise which prompted Cookie to crawl out of bed, give me what I imagine was an apologetic look, before he pulled the blankets (really an old handkerchief) from my hand to cover her with it.  I suppose its rather safe to say that this marks the beginning of a very beautiful relationship.

Cheers,
Cyren

Honey, Honey~ Pet World Expo @ Mid Valley

Hey ya'll

School is finally out for the semester and that means that my time at work is also (about) finally over!!! Of course, I end the first semester of my stint as a sessional tutor at Monash University with a somewhat heavy heart (the students have certainly been an amazing bunch), but the other part of me just can't wait to enjoy my three weeks of rest and recuperation. Of course, part of that "resting period" will involve a lot of me getting back in touch with my delightful animal friends! And speaking of animal friends, the holidays could not have come at a more opportune time.  It all started today when I decided to bring Cookie along on an excursion to the 2012 Pet World exhibition at the Mid Valley Megamall convention hall. I had taken Cookie for a "ride" on my shoulder yesterday, and he behaved most admirably by not straying from my person at all times. As such, I felt reasonably confident about bringing him out today though (excusably), in the security of my waist pouch, and indeed he was so well-behaved it really exceeded my expectations. Not one moment of crabbing or a single "escape" attempt the entire outing!!! *ps. I think my gliders really do prefer to ride in waist pouches as opposed to the traditional bonding pouches when they get older. Something to do with more space to stretch out in, I suppose. Cookie has utterly rejected being placed into the bonding pouch. In fact, he objects to that particular arrangement with a passion!* 

Waking up for tea-time/treats

Somewhere in the middle of our little excursion, we also managed to procure a new addition to our little family. A beautiful baby female sugar glider that was going on offer for a price that could not be matched. That, and the fact that I have been contemplating getting Cookie a companion for some time now, eventually sold the idea to me and before I knew it, I was cradling my new darling Honey gently in my cupped palms. Cookie reacted to this arrangement most agreeably, which I take as a good sign but as a precaution I will not be introducing them until they are roughly the same size (so those of you who wish to request for babies... WAIT! I'm not running one of those deplorable suggie mills here...). Honey, unlike her namesake, has a pretty crabby disposition though and by that I don't simply mean that she can get crabby at times. Now, I've heard of moody gliders, but she is actually the first who pounces and takes little bite out off my hand (even when I'm feeding her in a seemingly calm fashion). Oh well, nothing that good old-fashioned love and patience can't overcome I'm sure!!! Oh, and I nearly forgot...

Honey! Named after my favorite organic sweet-treat!

Cheers,
Cyren.

The OTHER Ugly Side of Dog Breeding

Hey ya'll 

I write this post today in response to this article on The Ugly Side of Dog Breeding that I read as a post on an acquaintance's wall on Facebook. As I perused the article and nodded in acknowledgement of all the points, I could not help but think about the OTHER ugly side of dog breeding. Breeding itself. Or rather, to be more specific, the prevalent method of breeding that resulted in the myriad of contemporary dog breeds we know today: Selective breeding. Before I go further into this I would like to apologize beforehand if my article offends anyone. I realize that there are many people who are dog lovers out there, and that people who love their pets can become very defensive about what is being said against them (heck! I, of all people should know this!!!). But what I would just like to say is that (while I may be more partial to other animals) I am a dog owner myself and that I write mainly in concern of my two companions, and the future prospect of other dogs of their "breed". But first, let us take a look at this picture...

Background

This is a Pomeranian. And it is CUTE! Isn't it? Well, I suppose undeniably it is!!! Pomeranians today are known as small, vivacious and affectionate dogs that make some of the most wonderful animal companions for the animal owner who needs to be more discriminate about space. But what if I were to tell you that there is in fact nothing natural about this dog's appearance, indeed, about its behavior. In fact, everything about this dog that has made it so desirable to humans (its size, disposition, coloration, snout length, bodily dimensions, and fur quality) was "manufactured", so to speak, through years and years of selective breeding.

If you look at one of the charts in your vet's office, the one with all the dog breeds on them, you will notice that each animal is not categorized as an individual species but rather lumped together as a whole. They are called Canis lupus familiaris. And why would this be so? Quite simply put, because all of these contemporary dog breeds (which look quite different from each other that you might think them to be different animals) have all in fact originated from a (theoretical) single species of dog. In other words, all of these dogs probably (and very likely, based no current scientific evidence) had a common ancestor. Due to the breeding of specific individuals for very particular traits (both physical and personality), they then began to diversify into the vast number of recognizable breeds we know of today. Now while you may think that this process took place over a long span of time, the truth is that many of these breeds only came to "exist" as we know them during the past 200 years or so. The Pomeranian therefore, which we now desire for its small size, used to look something like this...

YES! That large white dog is the Pomeranian. This canvas dates back to only 1785.  

This is the earliest dated image I could find of a miniaturized Pomeranian. This picture dates back to only 1915. 

The difference in appearance between both dogs, and both dogs to the one at the start of the post is rather drastic and therefore, quite telling of the sorts of physical (and possibly behavioral) differences that have occured in each animal. Assuming then, that these two pictures constitutes a rough frame of measurement, I suppose we can deduce that the species only came to be what it is today in only 130 years!!! That is an extremely short time in terms of such drastic change!!!  But "get to the point already!!!" you might be telling me, and indeed I shall!!! Clearly by now some of you might be trying hard to see what the big deal of all of this really is. After all, so what if these animals were bred for specific and desirable physical traits? So what if some of these traits are impractical for its survival should it live in the wild? These animals are bred to be companion animals anyway! And you are most certainly right!!! For the better part of the story, none of this would really matter... but if only that were the only conundrum to take into consideration.

The Problem

The crux of the problem falls down to the notion of "pedigree" that is to say the tracing of the animal's geneology for things like "pureness" in terms of bloodline and quality. This in turn involves the foregrounding of certain physical traits (like length of legs, body size, fur etc.). However, when breeders choose to breed dogs for very specific physical traits they also inadvertently end up foregrounding the genetic material that determines this which in turn results in the inexplicable sidelining of other genes that may in fact be beneficial to the animal's overall well-being and health. The domestic dog is descended from canis lupus or the gray wolf. A comparison between the wolf and just about any dog breed you can think of in today's day and age will show you how much selective breeding has done in terms of altering the animal's physiology. The wolf, if its life is not cut short by predation or disease, can have a lifespan of up to 25 years. The domestic dog on the other hand, may live up to an average of 15 years in some toy breeds, about 6 or 7 years in others. Other, more specific genetic problems can also be linked to the accentuating of certain physical features of the animal. Flat-nosed breeds for example, because of the shapes of their faces, have frequent breathing problems because of their shortened air passages. Certain breeds, like Shih Tzus have become prone to hip dysplasia, and some dogs (like the Bulldog, because of the shape of their body which starts of broad at the head and becomes narrower at the back makes birthing a very difficult and potentially dangerous process for the animal without proper attention. And what do you think happens to animals that don't quite make the "pedigree" cut?

The Solution

I think that it is about time more awareness is raised regarding this issue. New "genetic material" must be added to otherwise "pureblood" lines to increase the variation of genes involved therefore reducing again the probability of puppies inheriting recessive-negative genes. Pedigree breeding, while necessary for show competitions aren't entirely fundamental in the decision to raise a dog as a companion. Indeed, any number of dog owners out there can probably tell you that their dog has been an awesome companion to them, and these dogs possibly span almost all known contemporary dog breeds. Furthermore show-dog associations can be petitioned to adjust their guidelines and judging criteria accordingly. The relatively short and recent life-history of contemporary dog breeds proves, if not anything else, how arbitrary these criterion are anyway. If you are a dog lover, I firmly believe that the health, longevity, and physical wellbeing of the animal and its offspring, should matter more to you than how specifically short its legs are, or how distinguishably flat is face can get.


ps. for a more comprehensive list of selective-breeding related genetic disorders in canines, please click on the following links.

Dogs that Changed the World: Selective Breeding Problems

Identifying Genetic Disorders in Dogs

Cheers,
Cyren

Jungle Gym

Hey ya'll 

Those of you who know me, or who have been following this blog for some time now, will probably also know that when it comes to my animals, nothing can be too much!!! I absolutely love spending time (and sometimes money >.< ) on then, lavishing them with nothing but the most balanced of diets and the best habitats I can possibly set up for you see, while I firmly do believe that animals can make wonderful companions for human beings, I also stay true to my principals that animals ARE unique from human beings and therefore have very different wants and needs. These wants and needs should then be acknowledged, and fulfilled by their human companions wherever possible. For the last few months that Cookie has been with me, he lived in a fairly large cage that I used to house my birds in, but as he began to settle down and fall back into his natural exploring instincts, I could tell that the cage (though large enough to house a pair of small parakeets) was not adequate for my dear Cookie. It just did not have enough space and angles for me to hang the hammocks and swings and artificial foliage upon which Cookie can jump and climb. No, a new habitat was needed and I knew just the place to find one. One week of research (I thought of making one on my own) later, and several trips to sugar glider and exotic animals forums, I eventually found someone who was willing to part with a flexarium for a fairly reasonable price!!! Unhesitatingly, I agreed! A flexarium would be exactly what I needed to construct an adequate habitat for Cookie and that is precisely what I spent my entire day on.

The "flexarium" which is really just some really strong nylon netting pulled across a PVC frame was surprisingly light for its size and equally easy to set up. I could see, despite it being a pre-loved object, that it was in a very good condition with no tears or runs in the netting at all (I was afraid that I might have had to replace this!). Decorating was a bit of a challenge because unlike a conventional cage, a flexarium does not have bars upon which I can hang stuff and one needs to be careful with clips in case they leave runs/tears in the fabric. I finally managed this by using fine safety pins (on the outside of the cage so that Cookie doesn't accidentally hurt himself on one!) and hung all manner of things in such a way that gave him both the freedom and space to jump and climb to his heart's content.

Cookie just woke up, and is exploring the cage! I tried taking him out but he seems quite eager to get back in and just climb every inch of it!!! I think he loves this new environment a lot better!!! 

Cheers,
Cyren

Greetings from Cookie and Me

Hey ya'll!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts and/or updates recently but I've just been so caught up with work!!! Final assignments are due soon, and so are the class tests/exam period so you can just imagine how hectic things are right now! Indeed, I seem to have come upon the misfortune of falling sick!!! And right at the start of the weekend too!!! How bleak is that! I even had to cancel my forest hiking trip with Joanne (you remember her, from the Light Trapping experiment?) on account of this recurrent fever that just won't seem to leave me be! Go away virus!!! You're so not wanted!!! In the meantime I've had to minimize my contact with Cookie significantly (I don't want to risk sneezing on him or accidentally "transferring" something to him and my poor boy has been pining for his daddy. He will constantly come up to the bars of his cage and call for me when I come home only to be told in as soothing a voice I can muster with half a blocked nose "no baby~ maybe next week, when daddy's better." I think in some small way he knows that I'm not feeling well because he does try so hard to not be in my way. Speaking of which, we have been getting along really well these past few weeks and I think he's beginning to adapt to the idea that I'd be in work most of the day (so he now spends it sleeping) and only back to play after it gets dark. He's gotten so cooperative that I no longer get crabbed at (even when I scoop him out of his bedroom when he's half asleep) nor bitten at all. In fact, we just had our first nail trimming session earlier this week with not so much as a squabble or a peep from him. 

Anyway aside from that things are going pretty well. Cookie is pretty happy, because his nails no longer snag on my clothes when he wants to watch the world from one of my shoulders and so am I because now he won't tear runs in my shirts (AND SKIN!!!!) when he does so. Also, one of the spiders molted recently (I won't say which just yet so that I can blog about them all in one post) and so did Archimedes, our resident mystery (leopard) gecko! He's grown quite significantly in terms of size since them and I think is starting to show some of the beautiful markings he will no doubt possess when he matures to full size. It is on that note that I shall leave you to convalesce. 

Cheers
Cyren

Cookie Monster

Hey ya'll!!! 

I would like to introduce you to my little bundle of joy!!! I know it is not uncommon these days, for people to speak of their companion animals as if they were their children, but Cookie really has become something like a son to me... if only because of his dependency and attachment to me as his primary caregiver!!! But let's not allow me to get ahead of myself and let me begin first by introducing the latest addition to our growing family (and this one actually feels and behaves like a family member, opposed to the Tarantulas which kind of just sit there looking beautiful)... Cookie!!! 

Cookie in his pouchey! 

Now, I'm sure many of you do not need an introduction to what sort of animal Cookie is (they are becoming ever so popular in the exotic pet trade) but for the benefit of those of you that don't, he is a sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps).

Though small and rodent-like in appearance, sugar gliders (or Suggies, as they are colloquially called) are really marsupials which means that they are closer related to possums, and even kangarros, than squirrels and/or rats and can thus be distinguished from the latter by the possession of a marsupium (or pouch) in female members of the species!!! Furthermore, unlike placental mammals (a majority of mammals fall into this category) which incubate their developing young within an internal womb until they are fully developed and ready for birth, Sugar gliders and their marsupial relatives give birth to under-developed fetuses that develop externally, which is to say within its mother's pouch.

As their common name suggests, sugar gliders have a natural disposition towards sweet food stuffs (they feed on a variety of fruits, nectar, tree sap and insects in the Australian wild) and are able to glide through the air for quite an impressive amount of distance for such a small animal using a pair of patagium (the extra folds of skin that is stretched between the animal's wrists and hind legs on either side). Though similar in terms of locomotion to flying squirrels, the two animals are in fact non-related and only came to be so through a process known as convergent evolution (where two distinct and unrelated species, evolve similar traits). But enough with the animal trivia lesson!!! 

Cookie's stay-at-home living arrangements. Note: an exercise wheel and a soft-toy have been recently added.

I got Cookie through chance, more than anything, and the short version of it is basically that he was rejected from his previous family for his unpredictable, and sometimes violent mood swings. This I knew, through instinct more than anything else, was possibly nothing more than a cry for a little bit of love and attention. True enough, after suffering from several bites during the initial stage, I can safely say that I have bonded quite well with Cookie and have not been bitten since though... I do get crabbed at sometimes when he is feeling cranky, particularly when he is woken up accidentally from his slumber. But what can I say eh? Boy's will be boys...  Speaking of which... he is also surprisingly intelligent and was able to learn to operate the mechanism of the zipper, his cage lock, and the lock on all my other invertebrate cages within a week of his living with me!!! I've had to be extra secure lately just in case Cookie decides one day to make a meal out of my mantids or spiderlings!!!

In all seriousness though, sugar gliders (as rewarding and amazing as they may be) are not a "for everyone's" pet. They are not like hamsters or guinea pigs that may be bought and left in a cage at home for lengthy periods of time while its owner is busy. Incidentally I would much rather recommend that someone get a tarantula or a leopard gecko (they seem MUCH MORE EASIER TO CARE FOR). Being highly social animals, they constantly crave attention and will enjoy spending lengthy periods of time with their owners, even if it is only to ride around their owner's neck while they sleep in one of those bonding pouches. Cookie, for instance, follows me around almost everywhere. I take him with me when I know I am not going to have too strenuous a day and will pack lunch for him (several pellets and a slice of apple) and sometimes some treats (various other fruits and vegetables and fruit flavored yogurt drops). Cookie's breakfast and dinner consists of a mix of dried pellet food and live insects (gut loaded meal worms) which are essential to keep him on a diet as close to his natural one as possible (many glider owners make the mistake of feeding them nothing but fruits and the dried stuff... which can be quite detrimental to their health). 

As you can perhaps tell, I have grown attached to the little biter as much as he has grown attached to me, and though he does not always get along well with other animals... and humans (Ray included, for now), I still love him to bits!!!

When we go out together, with you in my pouch... I feel like a Papa Seahorse, or a Mama Kangaroo!!!

Cheers,
Cyren.

Meet Archimedes!!!

Hey ya'll

Owning a reptile as a pet has always been one of the things that I've always wanted! Since I was a young boy I have asked my parents for various scaly animals I could keep as pets with varying results. I asked, for instance, when I was seven or eight, for a pair of red eared sliders from our local aquarium shop. These were readily given to me by my father who was no doubt reminiscing about his own childhood catching these things in the rivers and lakes in our hometown. When I was twelve it was the Indian Star Tortoise (these were not protected back then so we could get them fairly easily and for really low prices) which was later given to me as a Christmas present. Then, when I was thirteen I asked for an iguana and was refused on the grounds that it was too 'exotic' and I was too young to handle the responsibility of an animal with such diverse needs (I didn't see it then but I see the wisdom of my parent's decision now). And these animals just got wilder and wilder with each year I grew! At fifteen it was a snake (refused), at sixteen I asked for a pair of frilled lizards and a chameleon (refused again on the same grounds as the iguana from four years back), and finally when I was seventeen I tried my luck again for the iguana and quite nearly got one until my mother learnt from the shop assistant that the iguana could eventually grow to several feet long (six feet, was her precise guess) and this was probably a good decision too considering how I cannot even see how we could ever have the space to house a six foot long reptile and continue to fulfill all of its giant-sized needs!!! It began to be clear that perhaps reptiles weren't meant for me after all!!! Or so I thought until... 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Such a little cutie isn't he!!! I wonder who has lost their pet? Or whose pet has escaped and started reproducing in the wild (though I shudder to think of the environmental implications of this, it is perhaps fortunate that they do not thrive in exceedingly humid environment like the tropical rainforests of Malaysia). Well, whatever it is, he lives with me now and has been christened Archimedes, because of the contemplative look he has when he rests on his log (actually I think he's just being drowsy or sleepy). 

As you may have surmised, Archimedes is my first gecko so any help or tips that you may wish to contribute would be awesome! Right now he lives in a medium sized glass tank in my room (with the screen top and the swinging door from Exoterra), gets access to a heat source on one end of the terrarium (moonlight night heat lamp and thermometer to moniter the temperature from Exoterra also) and is fed daily with water, calcium supplements and mealworms (which are all placed in bowls in a corner of the tank for him to munch at his leisure. I hope I've not left anything important out but if I have, as usual... feel free to send me a shoutout!!! 

Cheers, 

Cyren 

Meet the Newtons

Hey ya'll

I took a trip down memory lane today when I was walking around in Sunway Pyramid and stopped by the pet-fish stall to find these tiny little amphibians in small plastic containers. I could hardly believe my eyes! They were Chinese fire-belly newts, a species I had often raised as a child, and such wonderfully cute specimens at that!

I recall a time when these newts were sold pretty much everywhere. I got my first newt from a rather run down and dirty aquarium shop (RESCUED IT, more like) for less than 10 ringgit. That one I raised for several years though, it was already an adult when I bought it and so did pretty much nothing other than eat and clamber about. Not too long later though, these newts were everywhere!!! Pets Wonderland was carrying them, and so was that department store that replaced IKEA in the old wing of One Utama shopping mall for a period (they sold them for 15 ringgit here). After a spell though, it seems the popularity for newt pets died down somewhat and resurfaced only momentarily with the opening of the exotic pets section at Pet Safari @ Ikano/The Curve but those specimens were horribly overpriced and I don't think anybody ever bought any of them. That was the last time I saw fire-bellies on sale (my first newt had died after living with me for 4 years or so due to an accident where it escaped only to crawl off the top stair and fall two stories down.) Anyway as you might have imagined, I couldn't simply pass off on an opportunity to raise these delightful creatures once again and so ended purchasing one for myself (again for the low, low price of 10 ringgit... oh the sweet memories!!!) 

Chinese Fire-belly Newt (Cynops orientalis)

As their name implies the fire-belly newt possess a rather brilliantly colored underbelly that can range anywhere from red to orange with dark spots. This, of course, is a form of aposematism whereby the colors are used to warn predators of the newt's toxicity. All newts of the genus cynops are capable of producing a mild neurotoxin that can be harmful to humans if consumed in great quantities. However, considering the fact that I do not intend to handle these animals very often (it is generally a bad idea to handle amphibians unless you can't absolutely help it on account of their porous skin) I really don't think this would be much concern to me. Besides, skin excretions alone are not enough to pose a health risk to human beings. What is of my interest, however, is the beautiful markings they possess on their bellies. 

They are named Isaac and Olivia, respectively, after the two most famous Newtons that could come to my mind. 

Stay tuned for updates. 

Cheers,
Cyren