Second week - big birds

My second week at paws was short again - only two days, as I then took the weekend off to go do my first half iron-man triathlon! (But that story belongs to another blog...)

This week the laundry and cleaning situation was way more under control, and we finally caught up from last weeks mountains of dirty items. I learned that Wednesdays are nice - because we have a ton of staff - it is the day of the week a lot of us overlap. Even so, my days are so busy that I come home and I can barely remember what I did and saw - all I know is that a lot of it was exciting!

We have a juvenile Hawk - and I watched him get fed his dinner of mice, since he doesn't want to eat on his own yet. He is super cute - he's got the the big sharp looking talons of a mature bird, but his head and fluffiness gives away his young age. He looks a little like this young hawk:



Up close his mouth doesn't look that big (though sharp!) and the rehabbers simply open it up, and shove a whole half mouse down his throat! He then closes his mouth, does a little swallow, and *poof* its gone. Though once or twice there was a tail sticking out of his mouth, and he had to be prompted (rub his neck) to remember to swallow the rest. Young Hawks are pretty cute - not quite as intimidating as the mature ones.
The next day I once again tube fed a bunch of Raccoons - though now we're down to only 24 as the bigger ones are weaned and eating on their own (yay!). One of the seasonals showed me how she holds the raccoon still and the tube in place, and it seemed to work well for me. I think I finally got the hang of it! Also once again, baby raccoons sure are cute! (I'm pretty sure the theme of this blog is that baby animals are cute...).
In the evening I got to feed a great horned owl. It mainly just means I threw some (dead) mice into his cage, but I got to see him - and he was so fluffy. He seemed less excited to see me - and clicked his beak at me.
I also got to do subQ on an oppossum - which is different than an raccoon as they are smaller and the skin is less thick. But at least it didn't scream at me!

I think those are the highlights of the week. I'm leaving a lot off, but its hard when we fit so much into the day...

The first week

I'm going to try and summarize my first week (only 3 days) as an intern at Paws in just one blog.

A week before I started I had "advanced volunteer training" where we learned/practiced on dead animals how to tube feed, and give subQ and IM injections. I've never done anything with needles before - and this was oddly exciting to me. Something about giving an injection, and breaking through the skin of an animal with a needle makes me feel closer to becoming a vet. Anyways, training went well, and I was ready to start the next week.

On the first day I helped with a lot of cleaning and preparing diets (and I presume I will spend a lot of the summer doing that), and at 8pm it was time to tube feed 44 raccoons. Since it was my first day, and I'd never done that, I drew up the syringes and helped clean, and then R my rehabber helped me tube held the last raccoon and let me do it. I was nervous and excited, but it went well! Then I got to help give subQs of fluids to 10 of the raccoons - This made me even more nervous. It also doesn't help that while you're poking them with the needle and pushing the fluids in, the raccoons enjoy screaming. And it is a high pitched loud scream, that sounds like they are in so much pain! BUT - I had to keep reminding myself, they also scream even when they're just alone in their cage, or just being held - so it probably was not my fault! I got a little more comfortable as I went, but I think it will take me a few more times to feel totally confident doing it.
The second day I tube fed two raccoons all by myself, and continued to help cleaning putting stuff away, etc. It really is amazing how much laundry and dirty dishes are generated by running a wildlife hospital.. Its never ending!
At the end of the day we watched the two baby harbor seals get tube fed, and OMG are they adorable. First things I've ever seen that are cuter than puppies! Those big seal eyes! Here is a picture of one I found off the internet (not ours) so you can see, our are cuter of course.


Sunday morning I started off preparing food for and feeding a bunch of our birds (and baby birds). We have 9 little gosslings who are in a big area with a Geese who came in w/ a hurt wing, and now gets to play mother. Its funny watching them all follow her around in a pack. And the baby mallards are just so adorable. Fuzzy and yellow. I'll be honest that the crows sometimes scare me - when you come in and five of them are on a perch staring and cawing at you, its hard not to think of some scenes from Hitchcocks - "the birds."
I then tube fed all 44 raccoons myself! Yes, I went from help doing one, to doing two alone, to doing 44. I'll say that by the end I was definitely getting more confident and comfortable with them, though I'm still not quite up to snuff. I'm sure by next week I will be! I keep watching other peoples techniques as I'm trying to find the best way to hold the tube in their mouth while pushing down on the syringe. I'll get it soon!