Companion Animal Sector Council

09/10/2024

The official deadline has passed now for compulsory bird registration, however if you are a bird keeper and have not registered, we would strongly recommend that you still do! All poultry and captive birds in Great Britain that have access to open air must be registered with APHA.

Article 7 ( 8 ) of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the definition of “access to open air”. “Access to open air” means
1. permanent or temporary housing of poultry or other captive birds in a fully or partially meshed, netted or caged outdoor structure, whether fixed or mobile, which is not fully enclosed within a building; or
2. temporary removal of poultry or other captive birds from their housing in order to be flown freely outdoors.

CASC is aware that there is fear regarding what registration may mean and any potential consequences, especially in regards to culling of birds. The following government blog is very useful: New mandatory bird registration: what do keepers need to know – Government Vets (blog.gov.uk)

Taken from that blog:

"Birds will only ever be culled if avian influenza is confirmed in your birds following laboratory testing of samples, or a veterinary risk assessment indicates a strong likelihood that a premises keeping birds has significant links to a confirmed infected premises. These links could be via movements of birds, poultry products, people, equipment, or vehicles between the two premises."

CASC recommends that bird keepers are especially cautious about acquiring new birds, or visiting other collections of birds during avian influenza season, which is usually between October and March. Keep an eye out for outbreaks and control zones in your area, by monitoring the relevant government websites:

For England: Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
For Wales: Avian influenza (bird flu) | GOV.WALES
For Scotland: Avian influenza (bird flu) outbreaks - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
For Northern Ireland: Avian Influenza (AI) | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)

19/09/2024

We were delighted to be invited to attend the Guinea Pig Welfare Forum today in Birmingham. It was great to hear from so many expert speakers and hear some insightful discussions about how the welfare of these popular pets could be improved.

27/06/2024

So there are a lot of very experienced people behind the scenes here at CASC, so instead of random facts and stuff I spotted, let's make use of all that knowledge. So this is your chance to ask questions, be it about small mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, and more.
It can be health or care related, information about particular species, or what goes on at each of the member organisations. Ask your questions on this post, or drop me a message. Don't worry we won't be using your name if you don't want us to.

05/06/2024

An interesing discussion on the positives and negatives of positive lists, and in a way eotic animal keeping as a whole. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/vetr.4353?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2RwEHZHykI1uQ67LHVbrGN3JfKo71jmIhHa1DajfUgfR9m0UQ0Xu4ADsM_aem_AbZQsQqCat9WZ_GxWKlXnT4040DuOSVsj3-jHlilpGNPXIs_xUqdUpK4-okt5HKXMS8U1C7bqBaqA1DUwVLnUZUf

17/05/2024

Cryptosporidium outbreak in Devon, what to do for your fish tank.

Cryptosporidium has been identified in water being supplied to house and business in Brixham South Devon. If you are one of those being warned to boil the water please be aware that the parasite can impact your fish tank, and if it gets into your tank the fish may become ill themselves, or may just host the parasite, meaning that you can become reinfected in the future.

Firstly don’t do any water changes using tap water, as well as the parasite being a threat, there may be other things in the water supply now, from cleaning pipes, things being disturbed by the work being done on the pipes, and anything put in to treat the water itself. If it is true that the cause in animal faces getting into the water pipes, then it may not just be the one parasite or pathogen in the water supply, and that may lead to other things needing to be treated.

Given that Devon is mostly soft water, old tank syndrome is a real risk. I would suggest buying some buffers and keeping your KH up at least 3 or 4, unless you have very soft water fish. You want to raise the KH, many products that raise the pH do not raise the carbonates (the KH) so won’t be suitable. I will put a link to some buffers in the comments.

Two weeks should be fine if you have a regular water change schedule, however, if you’ve been doing minimal changes, such as only 20% a week, or every other week you may need to do a water change. Cryptosporidium is resistant to chlorine, although long contact with some treatments can reduce the numbers, but can be filtered out using a 1-micron filter. Again I will put a link to some more information about these. I would think about purchasing a HMA unit and an addition 1-micron filter cartridge.

You may be able to get hold of some RO water via your LFS, especially if they have a marine section as they may sell premixed water for marine keepers, drop them a message and ask do they sell premixed fresh water, or just RO, although you will need to add buffers yourself. If you're really stuck there is a spotless water station in Exeter.

If you have a friend outside of the contaminated area then ask if you can fill some containers from their tap water supply.

Over all don’t worry too much about your tank. Even if you get old tank syndrome then there are ways to get things back, and no it’s not going to be great for the fish, especially if this is an ongoing thing. But missing a few water changes won’t be the end of the world. Reduce the feeding, and if you can get some live plants in there, even if it’s just duckweed.

If you think you’ve done a water change with contaminated water, again don’t worry, just be careful about putting your hands in the tank. Once you have normal water service again build up to 80% water changes twice a week and do that for a decent period of time. It’s unlikely that a farm animal parasite will find fish a suitable host, but it’s worth being careful.

If you own, or work at a fish shop in the area let us know if you can provide RO water, or if you are close but outside the infected water supply, can you provide safe water for fish keepers?

17/05/2024

https://www.facebook.com/chesterzoo1/posts/pfbid0a82TGgtX8Na1Bq7Xn82dig9SgbsQ26kaQ5S595DLu87oGGxjZu8VUrsC5ESpgzHl

14/05/2024

The first ever is happening TOMORROW (15 May) 🌏

The fully virtual gathering of species experts and conservation practitioners will encourage a whopping 100,000 commitments towards species conservation.

Register 👉 https://buff.ly/3w59vXj

08/05/2024

24/04/2024

Did you know that Prince Henry Tudor, later Henry VIII was said to have an African grey Parrot. The bird was said to call the boatman across the river to Hampton Court, where they then had to paid. The parrot was also said to call out 'Help I'm drowning." when the King fell into the River.

There are debates on how true these stories are. But we know that parrots were a favourite of the Popes at the time, and other Royal families had exotic birds. So the presence of a parrot at Hampton isn't too much of a radical idea, and the idea of an African Grey causing havoc and mischief? No one doubts that bit.

22/04/2024

It's Earth Day, and that means a lot of different things to different people, are you doing anything to celebrate, or doing your bit to improve the planet?
Is your hobby helping or hindering sustainability? Where can we make improvements?

18/04/2024

It's National Velociraptor Awareness Day. You have been warned, there is 100% increase in the chances of you being attacked by a real living velociraptor.
Make of that information what you will.

17/04/2024

It's interesting to think that animals can learn other languages, and makes you think about the different species that may come into contact with each other in our own homes.

Researchers studied Kylie the dolphin in Scotland after she was found to hang out with porpoises

15/04/2024

According to this if you're a fish keeper there is a chance you also keep on of the smallest animals on Earth in the fishes organs.

I own up I love smaller pets than larger when it comes to exotics. There is so much scope to recreate a slice of nature for them. But I do like to see them once every so often, and some of these are so small I doubt you'd see them very often. I've kept one of the smallest species of fish before, and it was a nightmare to keep them fed.

The prize for the smallest animal goes to a group of microscopic species.

13/04/2024

New mandatory registration requirements are to be implemented for bird keepers in Great Britain.

Under these rules, all bird owners are required to register their birds annually 🦆
This will help manage potential disease outbreaks like and keep your flock healthy 💚

By registering, owners will receive crucial updates and guidance for bird care.

Keepers need to follow these new requirements by 1 October 2024 📆

Scottish Keepers need to follow these new requirements by 1 September 2024 📆

Read more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-to-help-protect-poultry-industry-from-bird-flu

12/04/2024

Free goats, what's not to love about that idea.

Alicudi, the smallest island of the Aeolian archipelago, is donating its goats to anyone who wants them as the wild animals have been "destroying" the landscape.

10/04/2024

Hybrids are a big debate among fish keepers, but what about other taxa, is this something you have to worry about?

The bear scientists shot in the Canadian arctic in 2016 was a biological mystery. It looked like a grizzly bear, complete with long claws and a prominent snout, but most of its fur was white.

08/04/2024

So we're not going to see a true eclipse on this side of the Atlantic today, but I think this sort of Citizen science project is fascinating.

When darkness sweeps across the landscape during a total solar eclipse, unusual things start happening. Fooled by the false dusk, birds stop singing, crickets start chirping, and bees return to their hives. Reports of these atypical animal behaviors date back centuries, but the effects of an eclipse...

26/03/2024

It's National Science Aprreciation Day, I swear I'm not making these up. I skipped What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day (3rd of March for the curious).
So what scientific advancement has amde all the difference for your pet keeping. For me it's either UV lights, or a better understanding of the notrogen cycle for fish keeping. But what else is there out there?