Thursday, March 30, 2006

WANT A BITE?

Meet Be 06-11. He came to Bird TLC last week from the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward. He was found not flying but no obvious injuries. He was very depressed for some reason we don't know. It could be from old age, death of a mate, lost a fight (no injuries though) or just about anything.

Don't be concerned over the cloudy eyes in the picture. It's that nictitating membrane again

So until he cheers up he gets a clean mew everyday, fresh water and salmon everyday, a vitamin shot once a week, a foot scrub every Sunday and a first class show of our volunteers scurring around because they are so busy right now.

6 comments:

John B. said...

Maybe he just needs some Zoloft. :-)

Dave Dorsey said...

He might need both but he's getting plenty of attention and tlc.

Welcome aboard Britt.

robin andrea said...

You make me wonder how you discern the approximate age of an eagle.

Hope this one comes out of his funk.

Anonymous said...

Maybe a silly question, but what's the footscrub for?

Dave Dorsey said...

Never a silly question. Since these large birds have limited movement while under rehabilitation, they are very vulnerable to bumble foot or pododermatitis. This is especially true in birds with leg or foot injuries. A good foot scrub (we use a tooth brush) helps to massage the foot preventing these inflamatory or degenerative conditions. Also we inspect for any other cuts and sores.

So, good clean feet, a well balanced diet and astro turf on their perches help us keep them healthier.

Thanks for asking Lynne.

Dave Dorsey said...

Hey rd. The color of their eye's, the color of their beak and feet, the condition their in and the way they react. And then we guess. DNA testing will tell us sex. We can't afford that for all of the birds. Large eagles we call she and small ones we call he. When I get caught up with myself, I'll do a post on the different stages.