Animal Science 200 Exam 2

Cursorial Birds (Ratites)

• Flightless

• Young are precocial

• Lack of keel bone

• Ostrich, emu, rhea

psittaciformes

• Strong hooked bills

• Brilliant colors

• ability to talk

• young are altricial

• Parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, lovebird

Passeriformes

• highly developed syrinx

• young are altricial

• perching, songbirds

• Canaries, zebra finches, gouldion finch

Columbiformes

• produce crop milk

• young are alrticial

• pigeons and doves

Anseriformes

• Waterfowl

• young are precocial

• down for insulation

• Ducks and Geese

Galliformes

• Used for sport

• Good runners

• not good fliers

• few migrate

• Young are precocial

• Chickens, turkey, peacocks, pheasants

Anatomy and Characteristics of birds

• homeothermic

• four chambered heart

• oviparous

• no metamorphosis

• hinged jaw

• feathers

• small hollow bones, thin

• no abdominal diaphragm

• lungs and air sacs

• respiration is important in cooling (no sweat)

Flight adaptations in birds

• streamlined shape

• feathers

• pneumatic bones

• fused backbone

• oxygen gathering capacity

Bird Sight

• eyes are very large

• can see colors including UV

• most have monocular vision some have binocular

Monocular vision (birds)

• prey birds

• wider field of vision

Binocular Vision (birds)

• predator birds

• good depth perception

Bird hearing

• hears in the same range as humans

• ear is used for balance, like it is in mammals

Bird Smell and taste

• Chemoreceptor senses

• very poor taste, only 12-20 taste buds

• may be better developed in other birds, like parrots and vultures

Urogenital System (birds)

• removes nitrogenous waste, water, and other non-essential material

• Uric Acid

• No bladder

• No liquid urine

Bird migration

• day length and migration

• sight

Bird nutrition and feeding

• Great variability

• seed eaters

• fruit eaters

• nectar eaters

• carnivores

Bird digestive system

• Beak (no teeth)

• esophagus

• crop

• proventriculus

• gizzard

• ventriculus

• duodenal loop

• pancreas

• small intestine

• liver -spleen

• ceca

• gall bladder

• big intestine

• cloaca

Cecum

• lots of bacteria and protozoa

• digest things that couldn't be digested before

Human food feeding method (birds)

• eat what we eat

• advantages: no special food to buy and offers variety

• offers grains, fruits and veggies, proteins, dairy (very little)

• disadvantages: easy to pick favorites, lots of waste, spoils easily

Pellet feeding method (birds)

• Mixing everything together

• advantages: eliminates favorites, harder to spoil

• disadvantages: lack of variety, difficult to switch to pellets after another method

Seed diet (birds)

• cheap, easy to store, very available

• disadvantages: high fat, not a balanced diet

Grit (birds)

• rocks, oyster shells, limestone,

• can be a calcium source for eggs and shells

• helps further grind up food

Hand feeding baby birds

• better connection with bird

• have to keep humidity and temp correct

• should be runny and moist

• wean around 4-8 weeks of age

Tube feeding (gavage)

• fast

• cleaner

• better measure of consumption

• stick tube down throat into the stomach and put food directly into stomach

Spoon feeding

• cheaper

• may seem "nicer"

• need to feed every 2 hrs first week

Birds and Territory

• very territorial

• will attack others and themselves in glass (robin)

Cavity nests

• many cage birds use them

• would be tree holes in nature

Bird Mating

• photoperiod: day length

• long day breeders

• courtship is important and can be elaborate

Egg-laying

- incubation starts when egg is first laid or when whole clutch as ben laid

Egg incubation

- both sexes of birds usually incubate the eggs

Short incubation period

Altricial

Long incubation period

Precocial

Incubation conditions

T.H.A.T.

• Temperature: 100F

• Humidity

• Air: needs ventilation

• Turning

How to determine viability

• Candling eggs

• shows the membrane and embryo

Hatchlings

• often imprint on humans with hand feeding

• precocial = chickens

Overall bird health

• hard to recognize at first

• they mask illness

• when you notice a problem then its usually really bad

Signs of health problems (bird)

• change in droppings

• weight loss

• fluffed feathers and huddling

• respiratory signs

• behavioral changes

• sleeping more, vocalizing less

Bird disease prevention

• proper husbandry

• clean

• space for exercise

• good nutrition

• clean water

• psychological stimulation

• vaccines

• good biosecurity

How bird diseases are spread

• people are common carriers

• some disease can be spread by flies, mosquitos, rats, or mice, even other birds

• poor biosecurity

Biosecurity (birds)

• limit contact with other birds

• change clothes

• keep other animals away

• quarantine if possible

Viral bird disease

• pox (wet and dry)

• herpes

• PBFD (psittacine beak and feather disease)

Feather loss

• can be caused by a lot of things

• health issues

• nutritional imbalances

• psychological problems

• normal molt

Avain influenza

• mostly respiratory

• sudden death with some strains

• important issue in the last few years

• mutates often

Bacterial bird diseases

• tuberculosis (common)

• mycoplasmosis: in galiformes, respiratory

• salmonella

• psittacosis: parrot fever

Protozoal bird diseases

• coccidiosis: damages intestines

• giardiasis: people can get it

Fungal bird diseases

• candidiasis: yeast infection, sour crop

• from poor hygiene

Parasitic bird diseases

• lice and mites

• air sac mites

• worms

Non infectious bird diseases

• Hypocalcemia: low calcium, bean and bone deformities

• Obesity

• toxic agents: carbon monoxide, salt, lead and zinc

Other health

• trim beak and nails

• wing clipping

General characteristics of Mammals

• produce milk for young

• brain is more advanced

• parental care is more advanced

• skin rich in glands

• quadruped

Anatomical characteristics of Mammals

• presence of hair

• skeletal differences (growth plate)

• lungs hang freely in cavity of chest

• diaphragm

• 4 chambered heart

• non nucleated RBCs

• homeothermic

• viviparous

• ova are small and nearly yolk less

functions of hair

• insulation

• camouflage

• protection

• sensory organs: whiskers

• communication

Monotremes

• oviparous

• duck billed platypus

• spiny anteaters

Marsupials

• viviparous

• short gestation: rest in pouch

• kangaroos, sugar gliders

True placental animals

• all other mammals

• young attached to the mother by a complicated placenta

• gestation lasting from weeks to 22-24 months

Placenta

• tissue develops from embryo

• tissue is parallel to uterine wall

• vascular systems are side-by-side so nutrients and wastes transport across

• developing fetus is somewhat protected

Eating habits of mammals

• Carnivores: cats and ferrets

• Herbivores: gerbils, hamsters, rabbits

• Omnivores: mouse, sugar gliders, rat

Mammal habitats

• terrestrial

• some fly

• some are aquatic

• some are arboreal

Diurnal

• active during the day

• dogs

Nocturnal

• active during the night time

• cats, hedgehogs

crepuscular

- active at dawn and dusk

plantigrade

• walking on palms

• human and bears

digitigrade

• up on tip toes or finger tips

• heel is up off ground

• cat and dog

unguligrade

• hooved animals

• walking on nails/toenails

• heel bone is far up leg

Puberty

• period during which secondary sex characteristics being to develop and the capability of sexual reproduction is attained

• long bone growth stops

Rat and Mice reproduction

• polyestrous

• cycle is around 4-5 days

Proestrus

• FSH level increases

• some follicles being to grow and mature

• stimulated follicles produce estrogen

• estrogen produces secondary sexual development

FSH

• Follicle stimulating hormone

• egg cells inside of follicles on the ovaries

• from pituitary gland

Estrus

• FSH and estrogen levels high

• progesterone level is low

• only time female will accept male

• surge of LH occurs

LH

• luteinizing hormone

• causes egg to rupture or release egg cell

• from pituitary gland

Metestrus (ovulation)

• Follicle opens and releases egg cell down

• Estrogen goes down along with FSH

Progesterone

• secreted by Corpus Luteum

• acts at the pituitary to block the LH surge thus preventing ovulation

• maintains pregnancy

Oxytocin

• produced by the posterior pituitary

• causes uterine contractions

• stimulates birth

Prostaglandin (PGF2a)

• destroys the corpus luteum

• stimulates production of relaxin

Estrogen

• produced by cells in the follicle

• necessary for development of secondary sex characteristics in the female

• stimulates estrus (heat)

Relaxin

• relaxes cervix, pelvic bones

• blood level increase prior to the onset of labor

Prolactin

• stimulates milk release

• initiates milk secretion after parturition

• stimulates maternal behavior

Parturition

- the process of giving birth

Diestrus

• corpus luteum froms in ruptured follicle

• progesterone level is high

• if no pregnancy, corpus letup regresses and new cycle beings

• prostaglandin causes cl regression and progesterone will fall

Follicular phase

- first half of the estrous cycle

Luteal phase

- second half of the estrous cycle

Spontaneous ovulation

• certain cycle based on time

• rats and mice

Induced ovulation

• outside stimulus to induce ovulation

• rabbits and hares

• still have a cycle but need male to cause ovulation

Average litter size (mice and rats)

• mice: 4-7

• rats: 6-10

Postpartum and lactation (mice and rats)

• immediate postpartum estrus in mice and rats

• can get pregnant again a day or two after giving birth

• lactation is 3 weeks

Menstrual cycle

• average 28 days

• follicular phase is days 1-13

• day 14: ovulation

• day 14-15: fertilization (in oviduct)

• Day 20: implantation

• Day 14-28: luteal phase

• uterine lining is shed every cycle

• most animals do not do this

Testes

• manufacturing lots of sperm

• temp cells continually divide and renew themselves

Epididymis

• storage

• lowest point of the testis, which are outside the body (its cooler, sperm won't die)

• Birds also have an epididymis

Accessory sex glands

• for final modifications

• adds fluids to sperm to help them move through the female tract

• seminal plasma

• different species have different glands

Penis

- deliver to female tract

Testosterone

- stimulates testes to produce sperm

LH (males)

- acts on cells in the testes to stimulate testosterone production

FSH (males)

- stimulates testes to produce sperm and is important to start this process during puberty

Rodentia

• largest mammalian order (1500 species)

• mammals with four special teeth

• 2 upper and 2 lower chisel-like incisors

• no canines

• molars for chewing

• rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas

• herbivorous

• teeth need to be worn down

• young are pups and altricial

• very short reproductive cycles and gestation periods

Cecum Function

• animals can't digest fiber well

• cecum provides animal with microorganisms to digest the fiber

Advantages of keeping rodents

• take up less space

• less expensive

• short lifespans

• clean

• low maintenance

• durable with kids

Rats (general)

• numerous species

• can be very destructive

• reproduce quickly

• nocturnal

• lots of colors

Feeding for rats

• commercial pellets

• supplement with fruits and veggies

• can use human foods

• can feed grass hay and oats

• treats

• water

Housing for rats

• 2 cubic feet per rat is suggested

• wire spacing: 1/2 in. spaces are best

• metal is best (chew through wood)

• bedding: wood shavings, newspaper, pelleted paper products

• enrichment toys are good to have too

Health for rats

• tumors are common

• mammary and pituitary tumors (can be surgically removed)

• Sendai virus: flu-like symptoms

• SDA virus