3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Advanced Topics in the Care of Small Mustelids Weasels and Mink NWRA Symposium February 2020 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 There are several handouts 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 What are the challenges? ‐ Easily Stressed ‐ That high metabolism ‐ An “uncanny ability to escape” ‐ Requires appropriate pre‐release conditioning 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Orphan Calls ‐ Mink and weasels nest in dens: if an infant is found outside the den with no parent in sight, it needs help. ASAP ‐ If a juvenile is found without a parent nearby, it needs help. ASAP ‐ Mustelids are clear exceptions to the “watch and wait” rule. They need help, ASAP. 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 These two were first seen on a bike trail; I received them about 18 hrs later but one was dead on arrival. 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 A mink without a waterproof coat is too young to be on its own. It needs help, ASAP. (It’s also too young to swim.) 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Weasels and mink are both rabies vector species –always take appropriate precautions. 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Mink have particularly strong jaws and a tendency to retain their grip, with the potential to cause considerable pain and tissue damage. 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Figure out what you have • Assess the body condition • Consider poisoning • Consider environmental toxins 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Assess evidence of disease • Assume starvation/emaciation • Capture myopathy concerns 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Figure out what you have • Assess the body condition • Consider poisoning • Consider environmental toxins 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Family: Mustelidae Subfamily: Mustelinae (weasels, mink, badgers, wolverines); [Subfamily Lutrinae (otters)] Genus: Mustela Genus: Neovison Weasels (Mustela) Mustela (Putorius) nigripes Black footed ferret Neovison vison (Was M. (Lutreola) vison) Mustela frenata Mustela nivalis [rixosa] Mustela erminea American Mink Least Weasel Short‐tailed weasel Long‐tailed weasel “ermine” and “stoat” 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Marten Fisher 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Stone or Beech Martin The beech marten (Martes foina), also known as the stone marten, house marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America and is present in Wisconsin, particularly near the urban centers surrounding Milwaukee. It is also present in several wooded, upland areas in the Kettle Moraine State Forest, and in nearby woodlands of Walworth, Racine, Waukesha and probably Jefferson Counties. North American beech martens are likely descended from feral animals that escaped a private fur farm in Burlington during the 1940s They have also been listed as being released or having escaped in 1972. 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Wild vs Domestic American Mink ‐ Size: Domestic mink are often larger, with the males 3 kg(vs wild 1 kg) and the females 1.7 kg (vs 0.7‐0.8 kg) ‐ Appetite control may be off, leading to obesity 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Wild vs Domestic American Mink ‐ Domestic often have a larger, more broad head with smaller ears 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Wild vs Domestic American Mink Color ‐ Wild mink are chocolate brown ‐ Domestic are bred for various colors and some even have spots 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Wild vs Domestic Mink ‐ Wild mink have long guard hairs, giving an unkempt look ‐ Domestic have short, plush, very even coats, and may have extra skin flaps 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Domestic mink should not be “rehabbed and released” ‐ After a hundred generations of selective breeding and captivity they are no longer equipped to survive in the wild ‐ They are detrimental to the wild mink population 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 If you have an escaped farm/ranch mink, it must be kept in strict isolation from other mustelids until tested for ADV (Aleutian Mink Disease Virus) What is Aleutian Mink Disease Virus? Aleutian Mink Disease Virus, or ADV, is a parvo virus that infects mink, ferrets, raccoons, skunks, and possibly other Mustilidae. Currently, there is no evidence that it can infect other mammals outside the Mustilidae family. Because it is a parvovirus, it is very hardy and can live outside the body of a host for a long time. To kill the virus, you must use a parvocide or a 10% bleach solution. Because it is a virus, ADV can mutate. Currently it is known that there are at least five strains of ADV that can infect mink. It is believed that there are also multiple strains of ADV that can affect ferrets. Like different strains of the flu in humans, some strains of ADV may be more contagious and more deadly. ‐ the American Ferret Association, https://www.ferret.org/read/aleutianarticle.html 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 So if you have a domestic mink who ya gonna call? The Mink International Rescue and Recovery Team 1‐888‐723‐4409 [email protected] minkinternationalrescueandrecovery.com 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Figure out what you have • Assess the body condition • Consider poisoning • Consider environmental toxins 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 5 of 6 died within 8 hrs of admission Healthy Healthy Very thin Thin OK for a soft release juv 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Figure out what you have • Assess the body condition • Consider poisoning • Consider environmental toxins 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Exposure to rodent poison ‐ • Primary, by eating the whole prey, including stomach contents • Secondary, by eating the poisoned rodent (mouse, vole, rat, muskrat) • Tertiary, by eating another animal poisoned by a poisoned rodent 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Figure out what you have • Assess the body condition • Consider poisoning • Consider environmental toxins 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 • Heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, methyl mercury) • Lead from both land and aquatic prey • Cadmium and mercury, usually from aquatic prey • Methyl mercury most toxic • Bioaccumulation in small rodents • PCBs –jaw lesions, swollen gums, loose teeth. Mink are both particularly sensitive to PCB exposure and exposed through consumption of aquatic prey. 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Evidence of disease • Assume starvation/emaciation • Capture myopathy concerns 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 • Canine distemper • Toxoplasmosis • Leptospirosis • Canine heartworm • Canine parvovirus • Pneumonia, other respiratory • Tick‐borne • ADV (Aleutian disease virus) 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 See the handouts 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Evidence of disease • Assume starvation/emaciation • High risk of hypoglycemia • Use caution with IV or sub‐q fluids • Do not tube or force feed • Capture myopathy concerns 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 A Note On Mustelid Metabolism • It is very fast! • Maintenance Energy Requirement (MER), kcal/day: 70 x body wt (kg)0.75 x 4 for mustelids; weasel MER is much higher than other mustelids (up to x8 for LW) due to their long & slender body shape. • Smaller animals have a higher metabolism rate than larger ones • GI Transit time is less than 3 hours 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Critical Care Initial offerings should be well diluted, to a cream soup consistency 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Assume they are very hungry and also probably hangry 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Upon Admission • Evidence of disease • Assume starvation/emaciation • Capture myopathy concerns • Consider transporting with a “worry toy” and/or a blanket. • Cover the carrier. 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Signs of Stress • “Poofing” • Vocalization • Fear behaviors 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Signs of Stress • “Poofing” • Vocalization • Squeaks • Screams • Shrill cries • “Lost calling” • Fear behaviors 3/8/2020 Peggy Popp │ [email protected] or 608‐620‐8754 Singles, Snuggle Pets, and Heartbeats Snuggle Puppies and heartbeats are excellent for stress Heartbeats: $10 management of orphans, especially eyes closed orphans.