LiWle Blue Penguin - Wildlife Disease Association

Picture
ofbird
Li0leBluePenguin(Eudyptulaminor)
Fulllifehistoryinfo:h@p://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/li@le-penguin
Ecologyandlifehistory
Introduc>on
TheLi@leBluePenguin(alsoknownasli@lepenguin, Normaladultweightrange:Male925-1650g
Female765-1250g
blue penguin, fairy penguin, or kororā) is the smallest
ofallthepenguinspeciesintheworld.Theyarefound Moult:Synchronousmoulti.e.moultsallfeathersatthe
onthemainislandsandcoastalislandsofNewZealand same,me.InJanuary-Marchfora2weekdura,on.
and along the southern Australian coastline. Recent DuringthisperiodLBPsstayintheburrowanddonotgo
gene,c analysis strongly suggests that the NZ and swimmingtoforageforfood.Theycanlooseupto50%of
bodyweightduringthisperiod.
Australianli@lepenguinsaretwoseparatespecies.
Althoughtheyarethemostcommonpenguinsintheir Breeding:JulytoFebruary.
Monogamous.
range, the popula,on is declining due to several
EgglayingbetweenJultoNov.
threatening processes including introduced predators
Incuba,on30-39days.
(dogs and cats, ferrets in NZ and foxes in Australia),
Ageatfledging54-56days.
human disturbance or destruc,on of nes,ng habitat
Ageatfirstbreeding2-3years.
anddecreasedfoodsuppliesthroughoverfishing.
Lifespan:upto25years.
LBPsarearobustandresilientspeciesthatcopeswell
in the rehabilita,on environment, making them the Diet:Piscivorous
ideal candidate for wash, rehabilita,on and release Conserva>onstatus(NZThreatClassifica>on):Declining
duringanoilspill.
Personal
protec>ve
equipment
(PPE):
Appropriate
PPE must be worn when capturing and handling oiled
wildlifetopreventexposuretooil(disposablenitrilegloves,safetyglasses/goggles,protec,onforclothinge.g.Tyvec
suit).Oldtowelsorblueincon,nencepadsareusefultohandleoiledbirdsastheycanbediscardedoncesoiled.
Capture
Handling
Consider the safety of both humans and
birds.
LBPs can be caught in a net or by hand
with or without a towel. Long-handled
fishing nets are useful for capture if the
birdisinthewater.Ifthebirdisonland
then ensure that someone is standing
between the bird and the water to
preventthemfromenteringit.
Transportto
facility
Wear normal examina,on gloves if not oiled to
prevent feather damage. Wrap the body in a
toweltorestraintheflippersandpreventfeather
damage. Cover the head with the towel to
reducestress.
Penguin bills are sharp and easily cut through
skin.Restraintheheadbyholdingthebackofthe
head in the palm of one hand and gripping the
bo@omofthejawswiththumbandfingers.
WARNING–NEVERplaceyoureyesclosetoholesintransportboxes.
Herons,gannets&shagswilllungeateyescausingseriousinjuryorblindness.
Transportbox:madeofplas,c,NOTwoodorcardboard,asoilcontamina,oncanbecleaned
andboxreused.Bestop,onisaCorflutebox(pictured).
AvailablefromA&EKarstenLTD(ph+6492662781,sales@karsten.co.nz)
Size:Large=240(W)x420(L)x315(H)mm.Alterna,veop,onisaplas,cPetPak.
OnlyONEbirdperbox.
Flooring:Correctflooringinthetransportboxisimportant.Itshould(i)besoeandnon-abrasiveinordertoprevent
developmentofbumblefootduringtransport,(ii)benon-slipsothatthebirdcansteadyitselfand(iii)preventbuild
upoffaecalma@erthatcancauseurateburns. Blue-tuberubbermafngcoveredwithblueincon,nencepadsora
suspended nefng 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
Vehicletransport:vanorute,withcanopyandaseparateairspacefrompeopletopreventinhala,onofoilfumes.
Ideallytemperaturecontrolled(hea,ngoncolddays,coolingonhotdays).
Li0leBluePenguin
HUSBANDRYREQUIREMENTS
Housing
pre-cleaning
(oiled)
Keepindoorsandtemperaturecontrolledat25-27°Cbecauseoiledanimalscannotthermoregulate.
Enclosure
Plas,c,ventedbulkbinsorboxpalletsareidealforeasycleaning
(availablefromwww.plas,c.co.nzandotherplas,cpackagingcompanies)
Cankeepmul,plebirdsinonecrate,butdonotovercrowd.
Stainlesssteelorplas,chospitalcagescanbeusedasanalterna,ve,
butkeeponlyonebirdpercage.
Flooring
Bestop,onisfine(0.5cm)non-kno@edco@onnefngusingPVCpipeasaframeandsuspendedat
least15cmfromthecagefloor.
Alterna,veisbluetubing(availableathardwarestores).
Theseflooringtypespreventuricacidandfaecalbuildupwhichcancausefeatherdamageand
bumblefoot.
Ifusingsteelorplas,chospitalcagesthenmul,plelayersoftowelscanbeusedontopofblue
mafng,butsoiledtowelsmustbechangedregularly.
Covering
Meshorshadeclothontopofbulkbins/boxpalletsandsecuredwithclipsorweights.
Coverthefrontofhospitalcageswithatoweltoreducestress.
Enclosure
Housing
post-cleaning Outdooraviarywithshadeclothcoveringtheroofandwalls.
Canhousemul,plebirdstogether.
(NOToiled)
Flooring:
Bluetubemafngonfloortopreventuricacidandfaecal
buildupandbumblefoot.
NOTE:greytubeflooringisharderthantheblueversion
whichincreasesriskofbumblefoot.
Burrows
Hidesmadeofplas,c-upturnedplas,cboxwithsemi-circlecutout.Protectthesharpedgeof
doorwaywithahose-pipesplitlengthwaysandtapedinplace.Provideonehideperbird.
Pool
Penguinsintherehabilita,onphaseneedaccesstowaterintheirenclosuretoaidwaterproofing.
•  Suitablepooltypes:built-in,largeplas,ccontainersorchildren’sswimmingpoolorshell.
•  Non-sliprampstoalloweasyaccessandexitofwater.
•  MinimumwaterdepthforLBPsis30cm.
•  Preferablyuseseawater,butfreshwatercanbeused.Ifusingfreshwaterthenprovidebirdswith
asaltsupplementinordertomaintainsaltglands(see“Supplements”sec,on).
•  Heatwaterduringwintermonthsifambientairtemperatureisbelow~10-15°C.
•  Con,nuousflowofwaterisrequiredtopreventbuildupoffishoilandfaecesonthesurfaceof
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
lefngitoverflow.Gooddrainagearoundthepoolisrequired.
•  Surfaceskimmerisusefulforremovingoil,foodandfaecesfloa,ngonthesurface.
Asperhandlinginstruc,ons.
Transport
withinfacility Ifoiled,thenwearappropriatePPEandencaseindisposablematerialsuchblueincon,nencepads.
Ifclean,thenencasedinlargetowel.Wearglovestopreventfeatherdamage.
Coverheadtoreducevisuals,muliandstress.
Iden,fica,on
Legbandorflipperband(temporaryiden,fica,ontoberemovedbeforerelease)
Li0leBluePenguin
NUTRITION,SUPPLEMENTSandFLUIDS
Atadmission Triageassessment:physicalexamina,onbytrainedpersonnel(preferablyaveterinarian)
Recordcloacaltemperature.Givefluidsatini#alstabilisa#onratesbelow.
Dosing
Iflargenumbersofbirdsrequiredosingthencalculatedosebasedontheweightoftheheaviestbird.
Groupanimalsintosimilarageand/orsizeclassfordosingcalcula,ons.
Fluidrate
Ini,alstabilisa,on:75-80ml/kgbodyweight/daydividedintotwodosesPO
Oncehydrated:50-60ml/kgbodyweight/daydividedintotwodosesPO
Fluidtype
Forlongtermmaintenanceuseeitherisotonicsaline(0.9%)orVytrate®/Lectade®
Amount
Feed10%ofbodyweight(BW)TWICEaday.(i.e.20%ofbodyweighttotaleachday).
Foodtype
Ifweak,emaciated,severelydehydratedorunabletoholdheadup:
Onlygiveoralelectrolytefluidsatini#alstabilisa#onratefor24hourstorehydrategut.
Useeither:Equalparts(50:50)Hartmann’ssolu,onand2.5%dextrosein0.45%saline
5%dextrosein0.9%saline
orVytrate®/Lectade®
Oncegutishydrated,thenstartwithsmallamountsoffishslurryandchangetoisotonicfluids.
Ifabletotakesolids:humangradesmallwholesalmon.
Fishslurry:Placehumangradesalmoninheavydutyblenderandblend.Addjustenoughisotonic
Food
prepara,on (0.9%NaCl)fluidtoblendertoachieveasmoothconsistency.Sieveslurryusingametalsieveto
removeanychunksthatmayclogthefeedingtube.
Discardaeer24intherefrigerator.
Wholefish:Ideallydefrostcoveredinrefrigeratortoretain
nutri,onalquality.However,iflargeamountsoffoodarerequired
thenfishcanbedefrostedundercoldrunningwaterimmediatelybeforefeedingsolongasvitamin
supplementsaregiven.Tocutlargewholesalmonintopieces,cutonanangleaspictured.
Supplements ①  Mazuriseabirdvitamins:1tabletper225gfish.(AvailableatCarlyleVetClinic,Napier068351096).
②  Itraconazole(Sporonox):5mg/kgBWPOoncedailyviasoecroptubetopreventAspergillosis.
③  Salt (sodium chloride) to recondi,on salt gland: Only required if birds have been housed longterminfreshwater. Startatleast2weekbeforerelease.Giveorallyeitheras3%salinesolu,onat
maintenancefluidratesor100mg/kgBWPOoncedaily.Graduallyincreasedoseoverfourdays:Day
1give¼dose,Day2give½dose,Daygive¾dose,Day4givefulldose,thencon,nueatfulldose.
Delivery&
device
Warmfluidsandslurryto38-40°C.Deliverfluidandfishslurrywithsoecroptube,preferablysilicone.
Forcefeed(FF)wholeorpiecesoffishheadfirst.Somebirdswilllearntotakefishbyhand,otherswill
needtheheadrestrainedandbillopenedtoplacefishintothebackofthemouth.Oncethefishisfar
enoughtothebackofthethroatthebirdshouldswallowitdown–releasetheheadatthisstageto
allowtheanimaltoswallow. Avoidgefngfishjuicesontheskinandfeathersatthecornerofthe
mouthasthisdisruptswaterproofingandcausesderma,,s.Iffishjuice/oilgetsontoskinorfeathers
DONOTATTEMPTTOWIPEOFF.Rinseareawithalargesyringeofwaterandallowbirdtopreen.
HEALTHSCREENING
Venepuncturesites:Interdigital,brachial,andmedialmetatarsalveins
Anaemia
Kidneyfunc>on
Birds exposed to oil can quickly become anaemic Uric acid (UA) levels in birds are a measure of kidney
(decreasedredbloodcells)duetothetoxicaffectsofoil func,on.ElevatedUAlevels>600IU/dlindicatethatthe
andstarva,on.Asaminimum,packedcellvolume(PCV) kidneysarefailingortheanimalisseverelydehydrated,
and serum total protein (TP) should be measured at bothofwhichcommonlyoccurinoiledbirds.
(1) intake (2) pre-wash (3) post-wash (4) pre-release. Treatment:IVorPOisotonicfluidsattwicemaintenance
Severely anaemic (PCV<15-20%) birds require blood rates(100ml/kg/24hours)
transfusion.
Birdsshouldnotbereleasedun,ltheirUAlevelsreturn
BirdsshouldNOTbe:
to within the normal range (<600 IU/dl). If UA levels
•  washedun,lPCV≥30%andTP≥25g/L
remain elevated despite treatment then the bird likely
•  released un,l their PCV and TP levels return to within hasirreversiblekidneyfailureandshouldbeeuthanised
thenormalrangeforLBPs=PCV30-55%,TP40-60g/L
onhumanegrounds.
Li0leBluePenguin
CommonMedica>ons
Washing
Birds must be stable and strong enough to withstand
An>-fungals: Preventa,ve treatment of Aspergillosis the stress of washing. This may mean that a bird will
(a severe respiratory fungal infec,on) is highly
recommended as these birds are extremely suscep,ble
to this life-threatening disease when in cap,vity.
Itraconazole available only by veterinary prescrip,on.
Seedoserateonpage1.
An>bio>cs:areonlyrequirediftheanimalhasanopen
or infected wound or known bacterial infec,on and
shouldonlybegivenifprescribedbyaveterinarianaeer
examina,onoftheanimal.
Doserates:Amoxicillin/clavulanicacid125mg/kgPOBID
Enrofloxacin5-10mg/kgPOBID
Pain relief: is only required if the animal has a painful
condi,on(e.g.openwound)andshouldonlybegivenif
prescribed by a veterinarian aeer examina,on of the
animal.Doserates:
Meloxicam(formildtomoderatesoe,ssuepain)
0.5-1mg/kgBID
Butorphanol(formoderatetoseverebonepain)
5mg/kgIMideallyevery2-3hoursbutcanbegiven
twiceaday
remainoiledforseveraldaysun,lithasbeenstabilised.
Requirements for washing are very specific, such as
water temperature, water soeness and brand of
detergent.Refertothe“Washing”factsheetfordetailed
informa,on.
Waterproofing
Toregainwaterproofing,birdsmustbegivenaccesstoa
pool with haulouts so that they can preen and dry off
between swims. Degree of waterproofing should be
assessedusingtheWaterproofingAssessmentsheets.
Li@le Blue Penguins can take up to 10 days to become
fullywaterproof. Tobefitforreleasethebirdmustbe
100% waterproof aeer 6 hours of forced swimming (no
accesstohaulouts).
Releasecriteria
BirdsshouldonlybereleasediftheyfulfillALLthe
followingcriteria:
1.  Fullywaterproofaeer6hoursswimtest(referto
“Waterproofing”guidelines).
Ac>vatedcharcoal:notrecommended
2.  Weightwithinnormalrange(onpage1)
ANDBodyCondi,onScoreatleast3/5
Problemsassociatedwithcap>vity
ALLsecondarycomplica,onsrequireveterinarya@en,on.
Isolateanysickbirdsfromthegroup.
1.  Aspergillosis
A serious, life-threatening respiratory fungal infec,on. Clinical signs include noisy or difficulty breathing. Treatment involves daily nebulisa,on with a specific an,fungalagentonlyavailablethroughaveterinarian.
2.  Pressuresores:keellesions,hocklesionsor
pododerma>>s(bumblefoot)
Best prevented with good husbandry and appropriate
floor coverings. Depending on severity the bird may
requiresurgery.Treatmentinvolvesspecificwoundcare
andbandaging.
3.  Trauma>cinjuries
Trauma,c injuries such as bone fractures can occur in
cap,vityduetoexcessiveforceusedduringhandlingor
issues in the enclosure (eg. gaps where legs or flippers
cangetstuck).
4.  Featherdamage
Usuallyoccursfrominappropriatehandlingorenclosure.
Birds cannot be released if feather damage effects
waterproofing. If it is the wrong ,me of year for a
naturalmoult,pleaseseekadvicefromWildbaseonhow
toinducemoult.
3.  PCVis35-55%andTPis30-55g/L
4.  UA<600IU/dl
5.  Secondarycomplica,onsresolvedandcheckedby
veterinarian
Otherthingstoconsider:
•  Istheirreleasehabitatfreefromoil?
•  LBPscanbereleasedonlandneartheshoreline.
Authors:S.Finlayson,B.White,L.Chilvers,G.Finlayson.
Thanks to veterinary technicians and veterinary residents in the Wildbase
Hospitalandtoothersfortheirinput,feedbackandphotos.
Disclaimer: This fact sheet is managed by Wildbase Oil Response (WOR) for
informa,onpurposesonly.Informa,oncontainedinitisdrawnfromavariety
of sources external to WOR. Although reasonable care was taken in its
prepara,on, WOR does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, reliability,
completeness, or currency of the informa,on or its usefulness in achieving
anypurpose.Tothefullestextentpermi@edbylaw,WORwillnotbeliablefor
any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred in or arising by reason of any
person relying on informa,on in this fact sheet. Persons should accordingly
makeandrelyontheirownassessmentsandenquiriestoverifytheaccuracy
oftheinforma,onprovided.
Pictures:Unlessotherwisecredited,allpicturesarecopyrightofWildbase.