Table Of ContentHand-Rearing Wild and
Domestic Mammals
Hand-Rearing Wild and
Domestic Mammals
Laurie J. Gage, DVM
Blackwell
Publishing
Laurie J. Gage, D.V.M., served as the Director of provided that the base fee is paid directly to the
Veterinary Services concurrently at both Marine Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive,
World Africa USA and The Marine Mammal Center Danvers, MA 01923. For those organizations that
from 1980 to 1994. She continued to hold that title at have been granted a photocopy license by CCC, a
Marine World Africa USA until 1998, when the park separate system of payments has been arranged. The
became Six Flags Marine World. She also was the fee code for users of the Transactional Reporting
consultant veterinarian for Safari World in Bangkok, Service is 978-0-8138-2683-7/2002.
Thailand from 1992 to 1994, and has done consultant
veterinary work for a number of private collections. First edition, 2002
She has been a lecturer at the University of
California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
since 1982 where she teaches marine mammal
medicine and husbandry. She is presently the Hand rearing wild and domestic mammals / edited
consultant veterinarian for Coyote Point Museum, by Laurie J. Gage.-1st ed.
and the Chief veterinarian for Six Flags Marine p. cm.
World in Vallejo, California. ISBN-13: 978-0-8138-2683-7 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10 0-8138-2683-7 (alk. paper)
The charts “Substitute Milk Formula For Opossum” 1. Domestic animals. 2. Captive mammals.
and “Feeding Chart For The Modified Jurgelski Diet 3. Mammals. I. Gage, Laurie J.
For Opossums” used by permission of Debbie SF41+
Marcum. 2002002888
0 2002 Iowa State University Press
A Blackwell Publishing Company Cover photo credits from top left and then clockwise:
All rights reserved
Bottle feeding the walrus calf Charlotte Fiorito,
Blackwell Publishing Professional courtesy of Six Flags Marine World
2121 State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014 Bottle feeding the tiger cubs: Darryl Bush, courtesy
of Six Flags Marine World
Orders: 1-800-862-6657 Llama face: Lindsay Merrill Leonard, Rainbow
Office: 1-5 15-292-0140 Ridge Llama Ranch
Fax: 1-515-292-3348 Sloth infant: Luis Arroyo
Web site: www.blackwellprofessional.com Rhesus monkey infants: Vince Warren
Feeding the Somalian wild ass: Courtesy of San
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or Diego Wild Animal Park
personal use, or the internal or personal use of Infant squirrel nursing: Jackie Wollner, California
specific clients, is granted by Blackwell Publishing, Wildlife Center
The last digit is the print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4
To my teachers Mary, Murray, and Mishka
Contents
ix
Contributors ...
Preface Xlll
xv
Acknowledgments
xvii
Introduction
Part I Domestic Mammals
5
1 Orphan Rabbits
Karen Heller Taylor
13
2 Puppies
Valerie T Barrette
19
3 Domestic Kittens
Laura Summers
24
4 Critically I11 and Orphaned Foals
K. Gary Magdesian
30
5 pigs
Janet Fine and Rebecca Duerr
34
6 GoatKids
Joan D. Rowe
39
7 South American Camelids
Robert J. Pollard and Susan D. Pollard
Part I1 Wildlife, Zoo, and Marine Mammals
45
8 Opossums
Paula Taylor
55
9 Sugar Gliders
Michele Barnes
63
10 Macropods
Rosemary Booth
75
11 Hedgehogs
Ian Robinson
81
12 Sloths
Judy Avey-Arroyo
90
13 Ground and Tree Squirrels
Dawn M. Smith
96
14 Insectivorous Bats
Susan M.B arnard
104
15 Lemurs
Cathy V Williams
vii
16 Tamarins 114
Laurie Hrdlicka and Cynthia Stringfield
17 Macaque Species 118
Laura Summers, Laurie Brignolo, and Kari Christe
18 Great Apes 125
Dawn Strasser
19 Harbor Seals and Northern Elephant Seals 132
Rebecca Duerr
20 Sea Lions and Fur Seals 143
Laurie J. Gage
21 Walrus Calves 150
Laurie J. Gage and Terry S. Sarnansky
22 Fox Kits 158
Jennifer Convy,D arlene DeGhetto, and Sophia Papageorgiou
23 Black Bear Cubs 170
Sophia Papageorgiou, Darlene DeGhetto, and Jennifer Convy
24 Polar Bears 181
Gail Hedberg
25 Raccoons 191
Darlene DeGhetto, Sophia Papageorgiou, and Jennifer Convy
26 Ferret Kits 203
VickieM cKimmey
21 Exotic Felids 207
Gail Hedberg
28 Elephants 22 1
Karen A. Emanuelson and Colleen E. Kinzley
29 Nondomestic Equids 229
Terry Blakeslee and Jeffrey R. Zuba
30 Rhinoceros 236
Terry Blakeslee and Jefirey R. Zuba
31 Black-Tailed and White-Tailed Deer 244
Sophia Papageorgiou, Darlene DeGhetto, and Jennifer Convy
32 Exotic Ungulates 256
Kelley Greene and Cynthia Stringfield
Appendix: Resources for Products Mentioned 263
Index 267
Contributors
Judy Avey-Arroyo began working with sloths in San Francisco SPCA Dog Training Academy and
Costa Rica in 1990. Finding no rescue centers for writes a column for the Association of Pet Dog
sloths, she developed a rescue/rehab/release proto- Trainers’ newsletter.
col and opened an officially sanctioned rescue cen-
ter in 1997. She has rescued, rehabilitated, and Terry Blakeslee became a keeper at the San Diego
released injured adults and successfully released Wild Animal Park in 1972. As a member of the team
two hand-reared three-toed sloths using radio- of keepers at the Animal Care Center she has assist-
telemetry. ed in the hand rearing of approximately 2200 mam-
mals, representing 116 species, mostly ungulates.
Susan M. Barnard received her Bachelor of
Science degree in 1983 from the University of the Rosemary Booth has worked as a veterinarian at
State of New York. She is assistant curator of her- Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Healesville Sanctuary,
petology at Zoo Atlanta, and executive director of Melbourne Zoo, Currumbin Sanctuary, and the
Basically Bats, Inc. Barnard has served on the board University of Queensland. Dr. Booth has broad
of directors of the American Association of Zoo experience in veterinary care and husbandry of
Keepers. She has authored numerous books and Australian native species and has personally hand
articles on aspects of reptilian husbandry, parasitol- raised many Australian native species. She is an
ogy, and bat rehabilitation. As a licensed wildlife active lecturer and workshop host to volunteer
rehabilitator in the State of Georgia for over 20 wildlife carers, vets, and zookeepers. Dr. Booth
years, Barnard pioneered bat rehabilitation in the obtained her veterinary degree in 1981 from the
United States. She makes routine television appear- University of Queensland, and worked in private
ances and was featured in the National Geographic practice prior to her first zoo position.
television special, “Keepers of the Wild.”
Laurie Brignolo began working with infant mon-
Michele began her career as a wildlife keys as an undergraduate student. Dr. Brignolo has
Barnes
attendant at Koala Country, Dreamworld, in 199 1. A worked as a veterinarian at the California Regional
specialist with mammals, she has also cared for Primate Research Center in Davis, California, for
birds, reptiles, and amphibians. She has been suc- the last six years. She has monitored over five hun-
cessful in raising animals such as bats, bandicoots, dred nursery reared rhesus and cynomolgus
phascogale, possums, macropods, and gliders. macaque infants.
Barnes is life sciences coordinator at The Australian
Wildlife Experience, Dreamworld. Kari Christe graduated from University of California,
Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine,then completed
Valerie T. Barrette has worked in the veterinary a clinical residency at the California Regional Primate
field since 1982 as an assistant and client educator. Research Center in 1998. She is a senior veterinarian
Her canine behavior counseling service, The Right at the center.
Steps, specializes in puppies. She is a lecturer at the
ix
x Hand-Rearing Wild and Domestic Mammals
Jennifer Convy is wildlife rehabilitation manager School of Veterinary Medicine, where she teaches
at the PAWS Wildlife Department in Lynnwood, marine mammal medicine and husbandry. She is the
Washington. consultant veterinarian for Coyote Point Museum
and chief veterinarian for Six Flags Marine World in
Darlene DeGhetto received her DVM from Vallejo, California.
Colorado State University in 1981. Dr. DeGhetto is
presently employed by PAWS and has been a Kelley Greene became an animal keeper at the Los
wildlife veterinarian since 1995. She has conducted Angeles Zoo in 1983. Greene is a specialist in hand
research on marine mammals in Alaska, California, rearing exotic infants with particular interest in
and Washington with the National Marines hoofstock. She has successfully raised gerenuk,
Fisheries Service, Alaska Department of Fish and bushbuck, duikers, and pronghorn. She is lead ani-
Game and Washington Department of Wildlife; mal keeper in the Los Angeles Zoo’s Children’s Zoo.
seabirds with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Washington Department of Wildlife, and University Gail Hedberg received her professional training at
of Washington; and wild ungulates and bears with Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs,
Colorado Division of Wildlife. Colorado, and became a registered veterinary tech-
nician in California in 1977. For the past 25 years
Rebecca Duerr spent 14 years at the Marine she has hand raised over 150 neonatal species. She
Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, and has held positions at Marine WorldAfrica USA and
worked extensively with many species of newborn works today at the San Francisco Zoological
marine mammals. In addition, she devoted many Gardens and various consulting situations.
years to working in terrestrial wildlife rehabilitation
facilities where she specializes in avian trauma care Laurie Hrdlicka became an animal keeper at Los
and hand-raising passerines for wild release. Angeles Zoo in April of 1979, and began handrear-
ing infants in January of 1982. She currently works
Karen A. Emanuelson is director of veterinary ser- in the Animal Nursery hand rearing infants. She
vices at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, California. specializes in primates, carnivores, and marsupials.
She assisted in the care of the small breeding herd
of African elephants at the zoo included the hand Colleen E. Kinzley is general curator and elephant
raising of one male elephant calf, Kijana, in manager at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, California,
1995-1996. Dr. Emanuelson was a private practi- where she has worked since 1990. In 1995-1996,
tioner at Cottage Veterinary Hospital in Walnut she was responsible for hand raising a male African
Creek, California; taught in the Zoological Medicine elephant calf. She is the author of “The Elephant
Department at the University of California Davis; Hand-Raising Notebook.” She has been animal
and interned with the Zoological Society of London, keeper at the Brookfield Zoo and animal keeper at
Whipsnade Park, United Kingdom. the Phoenix Zoo.
Janet Fine operates the Piggypals’ Fine Sanctuary K. Gary Magdesian received his DVM from
in Marysville California, where she cares for many University of California, Davis, School of
pigs including potbellies, farm pigs, Yorkshires and Veterinary Medicine in 1993. He interned at Texas
hand-raised feral pigs. In 2000, she was awarded the A&M and then completed a residency in large ani-
National Sanctuary Owner of the Year award by the mal internal medicine at UC Davis in 1997. Dr.
Pigs As Pets Association of America. Magdesian received board certification in internal
medicine in 1997 and in emergencykritical care in
Laurie J. Gage served as director of veterinary ser- 2000. He has been on the clinical faculty at UC
vices concurrently at Marine World Africa USA and Davis School of Veterinary Medicine since 1997.
the Marine Mammal Center from 1980 to 1994. Dr.
Gage continued to hold that title at Marine World Vickie McKimmey started breeding ferrets in 1990
Africa USA until 1998, when the park became Six and is the proprietor of Just a Business of Ferrets.
Flags Marine World. She also has done consultant She also does limited rescue and adoption of ferrets.
veterinary work for a number of private collections McKimmey is past president of the American Ferret
domestically and abroad. Since 1982 she has been a Association and is director for the association’s
lecturer at the University of California, Davis, Shows and Special Events Committee. She is a
Contributors xi
senior judge licensed with the AFA and has judged the hedgehog. He qualified as a veterinarian in 1975
ferrets in the United States and in Japan. and holds the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons) certificate in zoological medicine.
Sophia Papageorgiou earned her bachelor of sci-
ence degree in animal science and zoology from the Terry S. Samansky has worked with marine mam-
University of California at Davis in 1980. She then mals for over two decades. He was directly involved
eamed a degree in exotic animal training and man- in the successful hand raising of six orphaned wal-
agement from Moorpark College in Southern rus calves. Samansky holds a bachelor of arts degree
California. After graduating from Tufts University in biology and chemistry from California State
School of Veterinary Medicine in 1996, Dr. University at Sacramento and has held positions as
Papageorgiou completed a small animal internship keeper, rehabilitation specialist, trainer, curator, and
in Tucson, Arizona, and a wildlife internship at director at facilities such as Marineland of
PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood, Washington. California, Active Environments, Marine World
Africa USA, and Six Flags Marine World. He has
Robert J. Pollard graduated from UC Davis School published numerous papers and articles, and is a
of Veterinary Medicine in 1970, after having been lecturer and teacher on the subject of marine mam-
one of the first students in Dr. Murray Fowler’s zoo mal biology, care and husbandry. He is a biological
and wildlife medicine class. He and his wife Suzi consultant operating the educational website
moved to Sonora, in the Sierra foothills, and started DolphinTrainer.com.
a small animal practice. As llamas became more
popular in the area in 1983, Dr. Pollard used his Dawn M. Smith became a registered veterinary
wildlife medicine experience to work on llamas, and technician in 1982. She taught classes for Wildlife
to help the new llama owners. He and his wife own Rescue, Inc., and she was director of animal care at
59 llamas, with almost a dozen other llamas visiting the Marine Mammal Center for ten years. In
their Valley of the Llama Ranch for breeding, Portugal, she set up the sea otter and marine bird
birthing, or medical care. exhibits at the Oceanario de Lisboa. In Los Angeles
county, she helped in the opening of the California
Susan D. Pollard works together with her husband Wildlife Center, where she is now a consultant. She
Dr. Robert Pollard to care for their personal collec- is a member of the Mediterranean Monk Seal
tion of 59 llamas, as well as privately owned llamas Recovery Team.
that visit their ranch for breeding, birthing or med-
ical care. Suzi also raises orphan wildlife for the Dawn Strasser holds a BS in business management
California Department of Fish and Game. from College of Mount Saint Joseph. She has been
at the Cincinnati Zoo since 1979 where she has
Joan D. is an associate professor in the De- worked with birds for five years before transferring
Rowe
partment of Population Health and Reproduction, to the animal nursery. She has been the head keeper
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of for six years, and has raised numerous mammals.
California, Davis. She holds DVM, MPVM, and
PhD degrees from the University of California, Cynthia Stringfield worked as a veterinary techni-
Davis. Rowe completed a residency in food ani- cian raising numerous species and large numbers of
Dr.
mal reproduction and herd health at UC Davis, and exotic mammals at Marine World Africa USA in
is a Diplomate of the American College of Redwood City and Vallejo, California, from 1982 to
Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Dr. Rowe is chief 1990. She received her DVM from the University of
of the Food Animal Reproduction and Herd Health California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine in
Service at the UCD Veterinary Medical Teaching 1990. Dr. Stringfield interned in small animal
Hospital. She is a licensed dairy goat judge and on surgery and emergency medicine at the California
the American Dairy Goat Association Board of Animal Hospital in 1991, and has been a staff vet-
Directors. erinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo since 1993.
Ian Robinson is veterinary manager of the RSPCA Laura Summers began raising orphan kittens
Norfolk Wildlife Hospital, which rehabilitates before entering veterinary school. At University of
native British wildlife and treats thousands of casu- California, Davis, she helped raise orphan kittens
alties per year. The commonest species admitted is taken in by the Feline Medicine Club. After working
xii Hand-Rearing Wild and Domestic Mammals
as a small animal private practitioner, Dr. Summers Williams serves as the veterinary advisor for aye-
became a clinical veterinarian at the Oregon ayes, sifakas, and bamboo lemurs to the Prosimian
Regional Primate Research Center. She is currently Taxon Advisory Group of the American Zoological
a staff veterinarian at the California Regional Association, and is a representative on Duke
Primate Research Center in Davis. California. University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee. She obtained her veterinary degree in
Karen Heller Taylor has been a laboratory animal 1985 from the University of California at Davis and
veterinarian at North Carolina State University, completed an internship in small animal medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine. She has worked and surgery at North Carolina State University
with rabbits for many years as a laboratory animal College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986. She
veterinarian. She is a lecturer in the biology, care, worked in private practice prior to joining Duke
and diseases of rabbits, and is a veterinarian in com- University in 1996.
panion animal practice working with exotic pets and
wildlife rehab. Jeffery Zuba completed a animal medicine
R. zoo
residency at the Zoological Society of San Diego.
Paula Taylor is a registered nurse with a degree Dr. Zuba was an assistant professor of zoo medicine
from Golden West College in Huntington Beach, at Colorado State University from 1990 to 1991. He
California. She has rehabilitated opossums since is an associate veterinarian at the San Diego Wild
1991. She has been a vice president and director of Animal Park and has worked there as a clinical vet-
rehabilitation of the Opossum Society of the United erinarian for many years. In this capacity, he has
States. She has published a manual and produced a taken part in the institution’s well-known program
video on opossum orphan care. of captive propagation of hoofstock, especially
“megavertebrate” species. His special interest is
Cathy V. Williams is veterinarian for the Duke neonatology, which comprises a great portion of his
University Primate Center where she oversees med- veterinary duties.
ical care for 25 species of prosimian primates. Dr.
