Hospital CagesBy Mick Freakley (Freakley & Ainley)On occasions most fanciers will be faced with the problem of having a bird showing signs of not being in good health, the signs are usually a lethargic look or being fluffed up, the worst thing to do in this situation is to immediately reach for the medicine cupboard. Unless you can be completely sure what the problem is, more damage can be done giving the wrong medication, usually just isolating the sick bird from the main flock will be enough, plain seed and water maybe all that is needed. It could be it has become a victim of the pecking order and not allowed to feed properly. Birds usually fluff up to try to retain body heat, this is where the fancier can help enormously by providing extra heat, many various types of equipment are on the market to aid their recovery, i.e. black heat lamps which can be fixed to the front of a stock cage, specially designed hospital cages that have a bulb in the base to provide the heat, thermostatically controlled units are also available. I am very wary of hospital cages with glass fronts, these can become too warm and make matters worse by the patient becoming dehydrated. By far the best solution in my opinion is to use a heated platform, these were available specifically for the hobby some years ago but now seem to have disappeared, I use a heated platform designed for the home brewing of beer, a gentle constant heat is released, place the sick bird in a show cage along with a drinker and seed, maybe a piece of millets spray will help, and stand the cage on the heated platform, usually this is all that is required to aid a full recovery. I have adapted a show cage specifically for this purpose, by removing the wood base. This has two benefits, firstly it allows the bird to get maximum benefit from the heat by sitting directly on the platform, secondly as less heat is required the bird can perch still being assisted by a gentle heat source. A piece of thick lining wallpaper is placed on the platform for the cage to sit on, as it becomes soiled etc, it can easily be removed and replaced with a clean piece, eliminating the problem of having to clean the base of the show cage which is a pain at the best of times. Copyright © Mick Freakley http://www.fa1-stud.co.uk/. All Rights Reserved This article may not be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Mick Freakley. |
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