Picture Shags (Cormorants) of bird For iden/ficaon and species info refer to: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz Introduc3on Ecology and life history Shags, also known as cormorants, are Normal adult weight range: Normal adult weight varies between species. diving birds and therefore do not The LiKle shag is the smallest species with weights ranging from 0.4-0.8kg, have external nostrils. Instead they while the larger species can get up to 2.5kg. Due to variaon between breath through gaps in the corner of species the doses used for feeding, fluid and medicaon should be their bills. They have four front- calculated based on the individual bird's weight. facing toes that are webbed. There Moult: Shags moult their feathers gradually over 5-10 months are 13 species found in New Zealand, Breeding: Breeding season varies between species. Most breed during the 7 of which are endemic to specific spring and summer months while other species are able to breed at islands and 1 species endemic to the any/me although in general they would only rear one clutch every 12 South Island. Shags in general do not months. The New Zealand King shag is unique in that it breeds during the migrate and remain resident in the winter months. area of their breeding site year- Diet: Mainly fish, but some species may also consume crustaceans, round. shellfish, insects and frogs. Personal protecve equipment (PPE): Appropriate PPE must be worn when capturing and handling oiled wildlife to prevent exposure to oil (disposable nitrile gloves, safety glasses/goggles, protec/on for clothing e.g. Tyvec suit). Old towels or blue incon/nence pads are useful to handle oiled birds as they can be discarded once soiled. Eye-protec3on is essen3al during capture and handling because they have a very quick neck reflex and will lunge at the eyes in defense. Capture Handling Consider the safety of both humans and Always wear eye-protec3on when handling shags. Wear normal birds. examinaon gloves if not oiled to prevent feather damage. Restrain Oiled birds may s/ll have the ability to fly in a towel to prevent flapping and damaging of wings. Cover the depending on the amount and locaon of oil head with the towel to reduce stress. on the body. Long-handled fishing nets are Shags do not have nostrils and useful for capture. If the bird is on land and breath through their mouth so it is unable to fly then towels are useful for vitally important not to hold their capture by throwing it over the bird then mouth closed. Instead, their head gathering it up ensuring the wings are can be restrained with fingers restrained in the towel and the head is under the lower jaw and thumb covered. If the bird is on land then ensure gripping on top of the head that someone is standing between the bird (not the upper bill) or by holding the back of the head in the palm and the water to prevent them from entering and gripping the corners of the jaw with the fingers on one side and it. Most birds will defecate aer being caught. thumb on the other. Transport to WARNING – NEVER place your eyes close to holes in transport boxes. facility Herons, gannets & shags will lunge at eyes causing serious injury or blindness. Transport box: made of plas/c, NOT wood or cardboard, as oil contaminaon can be cleaned and box reused. Best op/on is a Corflute box. Available from A&E Karsten LTD (ph +64 9 266 2781, [email protected]) Size of the box should suit the size of the bird. Alternave op/on is a plas/c PetPak. Only ONE bird per box. Flooring: Correct flooring in the transport box is important. It should (i) be soZ and non-abrasive in order to prevent development of bumblefoot during transport, (ii) be non-slip so that the bird can steady itself and (iii) prevent build up of faecal maer that can cause urate burns. Blue-tube rubber mang covered with blue incon/nence pads or a suspended neng floor are the best op/ons. Folded newspaper is inappropriate as it becomes too slippery when contaminated by faeces. Shredded paper, straw, hay and seagrass should be avoided as it increases the risk of Aspergillosis Vehicle transport: van or ute, with canopy and a separate air space from people to prevent inhalaon of oil fumes. Ideally temperature controlled (heang on cold days, cooling on hot days). Shags (cormorants) HUSBANDRY REQUIREMENTS Housing Keep indoors and temperature controlled at 25-27°C because oiled animals cannot thermoregulate. pre-cleaning Enclosure: (oiled) • Shags need enough room to stretch their wings. • Keep in temperature controlled rooms. If room is very large then build temporary aviaries with a roof. Ensure walls of temporary enclosure are made of materials that can easily be cleaned of oil such as plas/c or metal, not wood. Examples of suitable walls include temporary metal fencing with walls and roof lined with shade cloth to prevent damage to feathers. Ensure metal fencing is not galvanised with zinc or lead as this could lead to heavy metal poisoning if the birds chew on the fence. • Mul/ple shags of different species can be kept in a single enclosure, but ensure that it is not overcrowded. Allow for 1.5m2 per bird. • Reduce visibility of humans and noise to minimise stress. Flooring: • Best op/on is fine (0.5cm) non-knoKed coKon neng using PVC pipe as a frame and suspended at least 15cm above floor. • Alternavely blue tube mang can be used (available at hardware stores) • Correct flooring is very important to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup which can cause feather damage and bumblefoot. • Avoid oil coming into contact with a concrete floor as it is very difficult to clean. Line floor with heavy duty plas/c sheets (e.g. pond liner or large garbage bags) then place neng or tube mang on top. Housing Enclosure post-cleaning Outdoor aviary with shade cloth covering the roof and walls. Large enough to allow them to stretch (no oil) their wings. Flooring Blue tube mang on floor to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup and bumblefoot. NOTE: grey tube flooring is harder than the blue version which increases risk of bumblefoot. Gregarious species Mul/ple shags of different species can be housed together in an aviary, but ensure that 2 it is not overcrowded and watch for bullying. Allow for 1.5m per bird. Perches Shags require perches. Long logs or tree stumps on the floor are suitable. Provide perches made of PVC tubing covered in blue tube mang suspended above the pool (pictured) or a floang ra. Diameter of piping should be appropriate for the size of their feet. Clean perches daily. Pool Seabirds in the rehabilitaon phase need access to water in their enclosure to aid waterproofing. • Suitable in-aviary pool types: built-in, large plas/c containers or children’s swimming pool or shell. • Non-slip ramps to allow easy access and exit of water. • Minimum water depth for shags is 50cm. • Preferably use seawater, but freshwater can be used. If using freshwater then provide birds with a salt supplement in order to maintain salt glands (see “Supplements” sec/on). • No need to heat pool water. • Con/nuous flow of water is required to prevent buildup of fish oil and faeces on the surface of the water which inhibits the waterproofing process. This is most easily achieved by placing a hose above the pool allowing the running water to break the surface of the pool water and leng it overflow. Good drainage around the pool is required. • Surface skimmer is useful for removing oil, food and faeces floang on the surface. Transport As per handling instruc/ons. Wear safety glasses. within facility If bird is oiled then appropriate PPE must be worn to prevent oil exposure. Use large towels for restraint and dispose if contaminated with oil. Iden/ficaon Leg band (temporary iden/ficaon to be removed before release) Shags (cormorants) NUTRITION, SUPPLEMENTS and FLUIDS At admission Triage assessment: physical examinaon by trained personnel (preferably a veterinarian) Record cloacal temperature. Give fluids at ini#al stabilisa#on rates below. Dosing If large numbers of birds require dosing then calculate dose based on the weight of the heaviest bird. Group animals into similar age and/or size class for dosing calculaons. Fluid rate Ini/al stabilisaon: 75-80ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Once hydrated: 50-60ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Fluid type For long term maintenance use either isotonic saline (0.9%) or Vytrate®/Lectade® Amount Feed 10% of body weight (BW) TWICE a day. (i.e. 20% of body weight total each day) Food type If weak, emaciated and dehydrated: Give oral electrolyte fluids at ‘ini/al stabilisaon’ rate listed above for 24 hours to rehydrate gut. Use either: (i) Equal parts (50:50) Hartmann’s solu/on and 2.5% dextrose in 0.45% saline, (ii) 5% dextrose in 0.9% saline OR (iii) Vytrate®/Lectade®. Once gut is hydrated, then start with small amounts of fish slurry. If able to take solids: human grade small whole salmon or large salmon cut into pieces. Food Fish slurry with insec/vore mix: Place human grade salmon in heavy duty blender and blend. Add preparaon just enough isotonic (0.9% NaCl) fluid to blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Sieve slurry using a metal sieve to remove any chunks that may clog the feeding tube.