Animal Handling Skills, Accommodation And Husbandry Techniques: A Review

Animal Handling and Preparation for Imaging

Risk Assessments

Discuss about animal handling skills, accommodation and husbandry and review of the animal husbandry techniques?

The method of effective and safe animal handling technique primarily demands focus on the animals, which are being handled and knowledge to understand and read the body language of the animals (Stout, 2014). Depending upon the body language and the varying scenario, different types of techniques and tools has been developed in recent days, which assists in providing proper and safe animal handling. Therefore, animals with different temperaments in different situation need to be guided with proper animal handling techniques in order to ensure safe and ethical practice (Stout, 2014).

A risk of injury or ill health is often associated with the handling techniques. The potentiality of the risk increases if the animals are not being handled frequently or is devoid of human contact for a longer period (Hosey et al. 2013). There are several factors that need to be understood for handling animals with different temperament under different condition. The factors primarily include:

• The physical and mental ability of the person in terms of handling the animal
   
• Equipment’s availability for e.g. cages, poles, leads etc.
   
• The animal being handled which deals with the fact that how familiar the animal is being handled and the likelihood of the animal to get handled.

The person associated with handling shall be able to use all the necessary equipments, be aware of the various kind of complications which may rise, be able to work in a calm and confident way thereby implementing proper training methods (Stout, 2014). Thus, it can be clearly stated that for executing a proper decision making strategy, one need to understand the basic factors associated with animal handling (Moberg, 2013). This includes implementation of plans and strategy to understand the availability of the equipments, which involved use of proper handling techniques depending upon the type of animals being handled. Gloves and other protective materials have been used for reducing the risk of injury associated with the animal. Animals are handled with processes with which they are familiar with and were kept away from unfamiliar activities (Rutherford, 2015). In case of aggressive animals, before implementing an alternative method, the review of the method has been generated (Hosey et al. 2013). Lifting and carrying of heavy items has been not practiced as it is associate with causing injury to the animal (Rutherford, 2015). Use of chemical substances has been strictly prohibited as it leads to hazardous effects. Personal hygiene has also been maintained equally thereby maintaining a high standards at all time. Arrangements were also made in order make safe disposal of the infected material.

Rabbits are considered to be highly susceptible to the effects of stress and is approached in a calm and confident way such that they don’t feel annoyed or disturbed. The rabbit is then restrained firmly by scarf with a hand supporting the animal’s hindquarters in a proper way for handling or moving. While moving the animal in a new environment, care shall need to be taken such that the rabbit do not remain scared all the time. The rabbit has been kept in a small room provided with one or two litter boxes. A fresh layer of grass hay helps the animal to hop easily in the new home. Fresh water has been kept in a bowl that needs to be kept available to the animal all the time. The animal has been fed with small corns, seeds which minimize the risk for digestive upset (Keeble et al. 2012).

Animal Handling Skills

Safe handling of the birds, which falls under the class avian, has been achieved by properly controlling the birds feet, hand, legs and wings such that no injury has been caused to the bird. The birds have been grasped firmly in order to avoid putting too much pressure (Jones et al. 2012). In order to so, the handler needs to use appropriate protective clothes, which involves the use of gloves, long sleeved shirts, and other accessories as required. The birds have been lightly wrapped in a small, clean towel, which provides a more protection. Different modes of feeding have been used for the feeding the birds. The method of syringe feeding is used for very small or weak birds that cannot be fed with a spoon. Thus, a syringe is used in a small plastic tube fitted at the end of the syringe (Jones et al. 2012). This particularly ensures that the tube is soft and does not have any sharp edges. The method of feeding has been considered tricky and has been coordinated under expert animal handlers. Stick or finger feeding method involves the use of a matchstick. The end of the stick is made blunt in a way that the birds do not spike it and the food has been put at the end of the stick into the bird’s food. The most commercial and common method of feeding is spoon-feeding which includes the use of a plastic teaspoon or a metal teaspoon into the narrow shape which represents the beak of the parent. The birds suck the feed off the spoon and helps in swallowing the food by itself. All the diets have been mixed in a proper way such that it provides a healthy and proper way of feeding technique (Jones et al. 2012).

In the case of the amphibians, a small dip net has been used in order to shoo the animal into the net. The opening has been covered with one hand and the net has been turned upward to cover the uppermost part. Another method of handling an amphibian involves moistening of hand, which involves holding the amphibian in hand, but care has been taken in a way that the handling method does not cause any hurt to the amphibian during the process of handling. In general, toxins are produced on a large scale from the body of the amphibians. Therefore, in the case of handling an amphibian, the handler needs to use strong leather or synthetic gloves. Thus, handling techniques need to be precise and ethical. Herps have been feed with insects and they are trained in such a way that putting a dish of insect in front of them they will start keeping feeding for them. In the case of lizards, a pile of chopped vegetables has been used for the feeding purpose (Rendle et al. 2012).

Accommodation and Husbandry

Good husbandry and accommodation primarily focus on the availability of various kinds of accommodation techniques involved in the case of rabbits, amphibians, and birds. The accommodation of new husbandry techniques helps in understanding and better implementation of the animal handling techniques for ensuring proper and effective care to the mentioned animals (Piedrafita, 2015). The management and care of the animals will help in improving the genetic qualities and behavior of the associated animals as mentioned. For better domestication of animals, animal husbandry needs to be practiced in order to carry forward the effective methods of animal care (Stout, 2014). The available accommodations need to be improved in a way such that the animal finds it free and comfortable with the necessary changes. The introduction of the new accommodation involves the use of effective and strategic implementation that deals with the improvement of the accommodation system. In the case of rabbits, better cage needs to be provided in such a way that they find it easy to roam around which causes no actual harm to the rabbit (Keeble et al. 2012). Similarly, for both the birds and amphibians, introducing better recommendation will further help in suitable improvement of the respective accommodation and other animal husbandry techniques.

In accordance with the present topic, it can be shown that proper handling, care, and management methods are implemented in order to provide proper handling for the animals (Huntingford, 2012). The methods that have been used food accommodation, feeding clearly emphasizes on the fact that animals are very sensitive in nature and a good animal handler needs to keep in focus all the available techniques and methods in order to execute better handling and care. Different feeding plans have been excised depending upon the type of organisms. The feeding plans vary from one animal to another and it needs to be kept in mind that the feeding techniques differ from the feeding techniques of other animals and there shall be a clear difference while executing (Stout, 2014). Different techniques have been utilized in the given report which clearly emphasizes on various kinds of plans and records that have been executed in terms of handling rabbits, amphibians, and birds. The animal husbandry methods thus implemented helps in the understanding of the various facts which supports proper domestication methods that are associated for handling animals with a different mentality and different conditions (Banks et al. 2013). In order to get accustomed to the situation, the different techniques that have been used in the given report help in understanding and developing a clear knowledge regarding the process of domestication, feeding, adaptation, and accommodation (Rutherford, 2015). The commercial method that has been used for the process of breeding is the method of artificial insemination and embryo transfer which guarantees to improve the genetics associated with the given animal (Moberg, 2013). This also helps in understanding regarding the genetic diversity of the animals (Keeble eta al. 2012). The handling and feeding techniques that have been implemented here clearly justifies the technique as because for every animal a separate and a different technique helps in better understanding of the animals temperament and mentality and thus helped us to work accordingly (Banks et al. 2013).

References

Stout, D. B. (2014). Animal Handling and Preparation for Imaging. InMolecular Imaging of Small Animals (pp. 495-516). Springer New York.

Hosey, G., Melfi, V., & Pankhurst, S. (2013). Zoo animals: behaviour, management, and welfare. Oxford University Press.

Moberg, G. P. (Ed.). (2013). Animal stress. Springer.

Rutherford, A. (2015). Animal Transport for Animal Care Professionals.

Piedrafita, J. (2015). Teaching of animal breeding. What, when, where?.ITEA, 111(4), 348-365.

Fryxell, J. M., Sinclair, A. R., & Caughley, G. (2014). Wildlife ecology, conservation, and management. John Wiley & Sons.

Clark, J. A. (2013). Environmental aspects of housing for animal production. Elsevier.

Banks, R. E., Sharp, J. M., Doss, S. D., & Vanderford, D. A. (2013). Exotic small mammal care and husbandry. John Wiley & Sons.

Keeble, E., Heggie, H., Varga, M., Lumbis, R., & Gott, L. (2012). Mammals: biology and husbandry. BSAVA manual of exotic pet and wildlife nursing, 34-57.

Rendle, M., Cracknell, J., Varga, M., Lumbis, R., & Gott, L. (2012). Reptiles: biology and husbandry. BSAVA manual of exotic pet and wildlife nursing, 80-108.

Jones, R., Dodd, C., Varga, M., Lumbis, R., & Gott, L. (2012). Birds: biology and husbandry. BSAVA manual of exotic pet and wildlife nursing, 58-79.

Huntingford, F. (Ed.). (2012). The study of animal behaviour. Springer Science & Business Media.