1. Provide heat !
many birds and reptiles, in particular, need to be kept warmly to remain healthy. Birds ( specially larger parrots ) can by and large tolerate temperatures vitamin a abject as the 50s, but once the thermometer drops below that, they may get fluffed up ( expending all of their energy trying to trap warm vent between their feathers and their bodies to keep ardent ) and stop eating. Pets burn supernumerary calories trying to stay warmly, so it is essential that they keep eating. Reptiles are “ cold ; ” their body temperatures are determined by their environmental temperatures. If their environments get very cold, their body temperatures drop in act. Their immune systems do not function well at suboptimal temperatures, and their digestive systems and metamorphosis besides slows down – typically what occurs during hibernation or brumation. Reptiles can safely tolerate know at less-than-ideal temperatures for a few days, but over time, hibernating reptiles can get vomit. other exotic pets may suffer in the cold, excessively. Hedgehogs, for exemplar, can go into a state of languor or torpor and stop eat when the temperature falls. frankincense, if you own an exotic pet, and your base is cold because you have lost electric office, you should do all that you can to keep your pet affectionate by wrapping his or her cage with a across-the-board or towel to minimize air travel stream, moving the cage near a sunlit window ( arsenic long as there are no drafts blowing through it ), and placing formative bottles, bags, or even rubber gloves filled with warm water ( if you have access to warm water ) wrapped in towels directly underneath the reptile ( or under the cage, if you have a bird or minor mammal such as a rabbit or rodent that might chew on the fictile or condom ).
2. offer water !
In regretful storms, if you lose electric ability or if your pipes freeze, you may besides lose your urine supply. Given the fact that many exotic pets have very senior high school water requirements due to their small sizes and fast metabolism, these pets can become dehydrate promptly. therefore, if you are trying to keep your bird or early alien darling healthy during a blackout or severe cold break down, be indisputable to provide fresh water system daily, and monitor his or her water consumption carefully. Stressed exotic pets may pant and may lose moisture through their mouths as a consequence, plus they may not eat or drink normally and are consequently at high hazard of dehydration. Dehydrated pets quickly become vomit pets, so ensuring exotic pets drink water system during cold weather is identical crucial to try to prevent illness.
3. Prevent injury !
many birds and non-nocturnal alien pets are not accustomed to being in the iniquity for prolong periods and may become nervous and stressed if they are without unhorse during a office outage. Birds may flail around in their cages, potentially hurting themselves, breaking feathers or injuring their wings. Worse, they may escape their cages into colored rooms where, if they are able to fly, they can smash into objects or fly out doors. small mammals such as rabbits, guinea fowl pigs, and chinchillas may get scared, curl up, and hide in rigorous spaces, making them very hard to find in the dark. If you are trying to keep your alien positron emission tomography calm in the dark, keep a little flashlight near your favored ’ s cage so that he or she can see you and familiar surroundings ; this may keep him or her calm and less probable to get injured.
4. Avoid exhaust !
When faced with exponent outages, cold, and farseeing periods of dark, many of us are tempted to burn candles or to keep a propane stave running. however, if you have a bird or other exotic pet and are going to light candles or turn on the stove, you must take extra precautions. several exotic species ( birds in finical ) are finely medium to any kind of fumes, so if you burn candles that emit fume ( or worse, have lead in the wick, which many do ), you must keep these far away from these animals, or they are at risk of inhaling potentially toxic fumes and dying. The same is true for propane and other gases ; if you can smell it, your pets could inhale it and crash. so, don ’ t take chances ; move your birds and exotics far away ( ideally in a branch board ) from the reservoir of any potential fumes. 5. tip ! feed ! feed !
anxious birds and other exotic pets, like stressed people, may have a decreased appetite or may not want to eat at all. This is particularly a problem when these pets are in cold temperatures, expending lots of supernumerary calories trying to stay warm and alarm and potentially sleeping less than normal. In these situations, small exotic pets with normally high metabolisms actually need extra calories to stay healthy. frankincense, when alien pets are exposed to the cold, it ’ randomness specially important to monitor their appetites to ensure that they are eating. Tempt your bird or other alien pet to eat during inclement weather by offering his or her darling foods frequently in small quantities. alien pets that eat less may need to be hand-fed or encouraged to eat, even through syringe-fed special formulas intend for especial species if necessary. It ’ s bang-up to have these formulas on pass ahead of clock time in case of emergency. Ask your veterinarian to provide these items to you so you ’ ll have them ready in a crimp in case you need them.
Living through a hurricane or a elongated exponent outage, as many of us in the Northeast have recently, is never easy. But, if you follow these tips and monitor your exotic pets closely, they will be more likely to come out of it barely all right. If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian – they are your best resource to ensure the health and wellbeing of your pets.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.