I want to thank all those who made it to the meeting. A lot of new people who were not at the first meeting, which was nice to see, but we hope those who came to the first one come back again. We had lovely weather and Jerry et al at J&M were gracious hosts.
Unfortunately the planned guest speakers fell through, so I pulled out the one topic I know I can present on short notice: Disaster Preparedness.
I think a lot of information was shared and the main point (that we all MUST be prepared) was taken in by all, which for me as a disaster management worker with humans and animals, was the most important thing.
So the people who were not able to attend don't miss out on the good information, I have posted the Parrot Disaster Kit I developed with Code 3 Associates below. If you have any questions about this or other disaster or preparedness related issues please get a hold of me via either the austinparrotsociety@gmail.com or my personal email (luchaschoice@gmail.com) and I would be happy to address them.
The organizations I mentioned during the talk were Code 3 Associates and United Animal Nations
I would also recommend the following sites for disaster preparedness and planning information:
Ready.gov
Stormpulse.com
Storm Prediction Center
Firewise.org
The next meeting will be Sunday April 19th (we'll be meeting the third Sunday of every month), starting around 12pm and ending around 2pm at J&M Aviary.
I am working on a guest speaker again, and hopefully it will go smoother this time! However, if there are any members who feel they have something to contribute to the group, please feel free to contact me about being a speaker one month.
I look forward to seeing you all there at the meeting... look for the evite a couple of weeks before!
Jamie
Avian Disaster Kit
By being prepared and able to react quickly in the face of approaching disaster you are able to keep you, your family and your animals out of danger.
If it is not safe for you or your children it is not safe for your animals to stay behind during an evacuation. Take your animals with you and be prepared to do so. Each animal in your family should have a disaster kit. The following is a list of things to build an Avian Disaster kit.
Food and Water
Food; two weeks supply – pelleted diets, seeds, dried fruits/veggies and nuts – in airtight container, rotated every 3 months
Small tubs of fruit salad in own juice is great as they provide fresh fruit and fluids but keep a long time.
Certain Baby foods are also good as they are mushy which is a comfort food for birds. Be careful as to vitamin and mineral supplementation which may be too high for a bird
Your birds favorite teats – rotated every 3 mo
Water; two week supply – estimate 1 to 2 quarts per day for drinking, bathing and cleaning
Food and water dishes – have extra and non breakable
Restraint and ID
ID - band number or microchip – have this information on your paperwork
Towels - wrap the avian in
Portable cage with perches - marked with your contact info
Recent photographs - including you or family member in picture
Wire, pliers, and duct tape – to repair portable cage
Wire cutters - to remove a stuck bird in an emergency
Sanitation
Newspapers for lining the cage
Paper towels
Dish soap
Disinfectant
Garbage bags
Care and Comfort
Blanket or sheet to cover cage
Toys
Hot water bottle
Flashlight w/extra batteries
Grooming supplies
Spray bottle for misting
Battery Powered fan - a small one can be attached to the cage and make the difference on a hot day
Records and medications
Vet phone number
Copies of proof of ownership papers
Copies of medical records
Medication – two week supply of any medication the bird is on
First aid Kit –
First aid book for Birds
3 X 5 conforming bandages
4 X 4 gauze pads
Graze rolls
Antiseptic wipes
Triple antibiotic cream
Q-tips
Scissors
Tweezers
Instant cold pack
Disposable gloves
Two rolls of vet wrap
Items in addition to basic kit
Pedialyte
Blunt nose scissors
Styptic powder
Cornflower – to stop bleeding on wings or soft tissue
Hemostat - for pulling broken blood feathers
Cotton swabs
Feeding syringes - incase hand feeding is needed)
NOTE: Birds are better being transported in the plastic animal kennels with a low perch, however this is not suitable for any longer than a day at the very most as most birds can chew through the plastic in short order.
Similarly cages (either small regular ones or collapsible travel ones) are dangerous for travel as the bird can easily panic and break wings or get them stuck in the bars.
Two cages are best, a travel cage and a collapsible wire one for when the destination has been reached.
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