Manejo de psitacídeos: Orientações gerais

Abstract

Understanding bird management is of great importance for the healthy breeding of these animals. This was the objective of the fourth episode of Psitaflix, a series of educational videos produced by the extension project "Knowing, respecting and producing birds: didactic and alternative models in the teaching and learning process," developed by undergraduate, graduate, and faculty students from the Laboratory for Breeding and Incubation of Wild and Exotic Animals (LACRIAS) at the Federal University of Paraná. LACRIAS itself was used as an example, as it is a reference point in the management of these birds. First, a round is made of all the facilities to observe the general health of the birds. Then, when the day begins to warm up, the curtains are opened to help with the animals' thermoregulation. The waterers and feeders are also cleaned, along with the daily replacement of water and feed, ensuring fresh food and hydration. For individual health assessment, the birds are restrained appropriately, allowing inspection of wings, leg bands, claws, and cloaca. When sexing is necessary, blood can be collected by trimming the nails or removing some feathers; these samples are sent to the laboratory and the results are available in a few days. Another important practice is the placement of leg bands, which allows for the identification of each bird. In some cases, there may be parental rejection, and these chicks are managed with hand-feeding, ensuring their nutrition and survival.