Great Horned Owlet #16-0097

Admission Date: 
March 9, 2016
Release Date: 
November 1, 2016
Location of Rescue: 
Rockingham County, Virginia
Cause of Admission / Condition: 
Nest destruction
Patient Status: 
Patient Archive
Released

Close-up photoOn March 9, the Wildlife Center of Virginia admitted a hatchling Great Horned Owl after its nest was destroyed after a logging company was clearing trees. Loggers found the young owlet, and transported it to the Center, where the bird was admitted as patient #16-0097.


During the initial exam, Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 was bright, alert, and clacking its beak. Based on the bird’s size and downy feathers, veterinary staff estimate that Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 is a little more than one week old.

Dr. Dana examined the young owl and found that it was in overall good body condition; she did palpate a fracture at the left lower leg bone and noted bruising on the left wing and left knee. Dr. Dana also listened to the owlet’s breathing and heard crackle sounds in both lungs [a sign of fluid in the lungs]. Radiographs revealed a complete mildly displaced left mid-tarsometatarsus, but no other abnormalities were found.

Radiograph image

Since Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 is rapidly growing and its bones are still soft at this life stage, surgical stabilization is less ideal and may limit bone and joint development. Dr. Dana decided to place a splint on the bird’s leg and retook radiographs to ensure proper alignment. While the radiographs showed good fracture alignment, a splint does not provide much stabilization laterally and there is the possibility of bones rotating.

Dr. Dana administered anti-inflammatories, pain killers, and antibiotics and placed Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 in the Center’s oxygen chamber for respiratory support. Rehabilitation staff then force-fed the owlet as well as offered a plate of chopped mice overnight.


The following morning, Dr. Dana could still hear crackle sounds in the bird’s lungs and noticed that the owlet’s left foot was swollen. Dr. Dana removed the splint and checked for signs of displacement. The bones still had good positioning, but since there was mild swelling, Dr. Dana re-aligned the Great Horned Owlet’s bones and placed a new splint on the bird’s leg.

After post splint placement radiographs were performed, Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 was returned to the Center’s oxygen chamber and tease-fed its morning meal. The young owlet ate very well and will be fed two times a day as well as offered a chopped plate.

Veterinary staff will continue to monitor the young owlet and will recheck radiographs in five days. If the bird’s lung sounds improve, the staff will move Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 into an airline crate in the Center’s holding room and then place surrogate Great Horned Owl Papa G’HO in a crate facing the young owl to help prevent improper imprinting on humans.

Great Horned Owlets, like all birds, do not automatically know what they are when they hatch; these young birds go through a learning period called imprinting. Once a bird imprints, it identifies with that species for its entire life. During the imprinting period, the young bird also learns species-appropriate behaviors, vocalizations, and proper fear of humans.

The Wildlife Center uses several raptor surrogates, in order to prevent improper imprinting and allow young birds to develop as they would in the wild. A surrogate provides a role model for young birds in captivity and counters their interactions with humans. To learn more about surrogacy, click here.

If the owlet able to eat on its own and the fracture heals, both Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 and Papa G’HO will be moved to a C-pen. Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 will remain with a surrogate throughout the spring and summer months, and should be released in late fall when it naturally would leave the protection of its parents.
 

Your special donation will help the Center to provide specialized veterinary medical care to this Great Horned Owlet … and all of the patients admitted in 2016. Please help!

Updates

November 16, 2016

Great Horned Owl #16-0097 successfully passed mouse school at the end of October. Pre-release blood work and a final exam were all within normal limits and the bird was cleared for release. On November 1, the owl was released in Rockingham County.

October 17, 2016

The four Great Horned Owlets have been doing well as they prepare for release. The rehabilitation team is working on splitting up the owls so that each can be "mouse schooled" individually; this will also allow for close scrutiny of each owl's flight capabilities. Currently, owlet #16-0307 and #16-00456 are each housed individually in a flight pen, and are going through live prey testing. The owlets have been able to practice with live prey all summer long; for this final "official" mouse school, each owlet will need to catch and kill its own food for five days to ensure that it is ready for release in the wild.

When additional flight pen space is available, owlets #16-0923 and #16-0097 will be split up to go through mouse school.

September 16, 2016

Since late April, Papa G’Ho  -- the Center’s surrogate Great Horned Owl -- has been rearing four Great Horned Owlets: patients #16-0456, #16-0097, #16-0307, and #16-0923. Despite each owl being admitted to the Wildlife Center at different times, their closeness in age has allowed them to be housed together. The birds have grown significantly in the last five months and are displaying behavior that is typical for Great Horned Owls in the wild, such as producing a clicking sound with their tongues as a threat display when approached.


  

The next step in rehabilitating these owls for release will be ensuring that each is able to pass “mouse school” – successfully hunting and capturing live mice over the course of several consecutive nights. Dr. Knight, the assistant director of veterinary services, predicts this phase will begin in the coming weeks when there is room to split the owls up into individual enclosures.

June 24, 2016

On June 20, the four young Great Horned Owlets were moved to flight pen A2, where they have more space to explore and fly. Papa G'Ho stayed behind for a few days; Papa has had a recurring eye ulcer on his left eye for the past few weeks, and Dr. Dana wanted to stain the eye one last time on Thursday, June 23 before moving Papa.

Dr. Dana was happy to report that the ulcer had fully healed, so Papa joined his four young charges on the afternoon of June 23 in A2.

June 20, 2016

The four Great Horned Owlets that are living with surrogate Papa G'Ho are doing well. The young owlets are looking more like adult Great Horned Owls each week and are very active in their enclosure. Students report that the newest addition to the owl parliament - owlet #16-0923 - is especially feisty.

Each Sunday, the rehabilitation staff has been offering live mice in a tub to the owl family as "practice mouse school" for the young birds. The owlets are able to observe Papa hunting for mice or try to hunt on their own.

By June 25, the owlets will be moved to a larger outdoor enclosure [A2] to continue exercising and growing in a larger space. The owlets will remain in the care of the Wildlife Center until the fall.
 

May 6, 2016

The Great Horned Owl family is doing well at the Wildlife Center. Many Critter Cam viewers have been able to watch the Center’s non-releasable surrogate, Papa G’Ho, and the three young Great Horned Owlets during the past week. The owlets are eating well, growing, and have been very playful – the rehabilitation staff have been adding various enrichment items regularly. One day this past week, the owl family was given a dish of leaves with superworms” (extra-large mealworms) in it. The owls were fascinated!

Each owlet is wearing a colored identification band on each leg. While the bands are partially covered by the owls’ fluffy leg feathers, sometimes viewers may catch a glimpse. Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 is wearing red bands, owlet #16-0307 has green bands, and the newest owlet, #16-0456, is not wearing any bands.

The owls are weighed regularly to ensure that each bird is getting its fair share of food. The birds will remain with Papa G’Ho until they are becoming more active and flying more.
 

April 13, 2016

Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 has been doing well in the small outdoor enclosure with Papa G’Ho. Since the owlet is exploring more and testing out its wings, the staff decided to move the young owl and Papa to a larger enclosure [FP6]. You can now watch for them on Critter Cam at night!

April 4, 2016

Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 continues to improve and is walking and moving its limbs normally. On March 27, Dr. Dana took follow-up radiographs of Great Horned Owlet #16-0097’s leg. Radiographs revealed that the young owlet’s fracture was a mineralized callus at the fracture site with mild displacement. Dr. Dana believes that the healed limb will not cause the bird any long-term problems since the owlet is using both of its limbs normally. Later that day, Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 was introduced to the Center’s Great Horned Owl surrogate Papa G’Ho; the staff opened the carrier door in a C-pen enclosure and allowed to the two owls to interact freely.

The introduction went well and the young owl is often seen perching close to Papa G’Ho and is showing appropriate behaviors toward humans. Interim wildlife rehabilitator Kendra reports that the owl frequently clacks its beak and displays defensive posturing whenever she enters the enclosure to leave food. Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 also started branching and has been hopping from perch to perch.

The young owlet will remain with Papa G’Ho throughout the spring and summer and will begin flight conditioning in early fall.
 

March 23, 2016

Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 improved significantly during the past week and has been eating well. On March 17, Dr. Helen took follow-up radiographs, which confirmed that the fracture was stable and showed mineral bridging as well as callous formation at the site. Since the fracture was healing well, Dr. Helen removed the owlet’s splint. The vet staff closely monitored the owlet’s foot for swelling and, by March 21, the young owlet was using both legs and feet normally – grabbing towels and bearing his full weight.


Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 has been spending an increasing amount of time with its crate facing the Center’s Great Horned Owl surrogate Papa G’Ho.Papa G’Ho has helped raise more than 30 owlets in his time here at the Center. On March 22, the rehabilitation staff moved Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 and Papa G’Ho to an outdoor C-pen enclosure. The owlet will continue to inside during the night, but will be in its crate inside of Papa’s enclosure during the day to acclimate to outdoor temperatures. Once the young owl is able to live outside full-time, Center staff will open the crate door and allow the two owls to interact freely.

March 15, 2016

Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 has gradually improved during the past five days. The young owl is now eating well and is beginning to eat from a chopped plate. Dr. Dana reports the bruises on the bird’s left wing and leg are improving and noted that the swelling in the bird’s left foot has decreased with daily massages and bandage changes.

On March 14, Dr. Dana anesthetized Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 and took follow-up radiographs of the bird’s left leg. Dr. Dana also palpated the owlet’s leg and felt a stable bridging callus around the fracture site, which was confirmed by radiographs.

No crackle sounds were heard when Dr. Dana rechecked the Great Horned Owlet’s lungs. The staff moved the bird to an airline crate in the Center’s extended ICU facing Great Horned Owl surrogate Papa G’Ho.

The veterinary staff plan to replace the bird’s splint in three days and will monitor face-to-face interactions with Papa G’Ho a few times a week. To further decrease the risk of human-imprinting, the rehabilitation staff will continue to remain silent and wear hats with netting to obscure their faces during tease feedings as well when offering the owlet a chopped plate of food. Once Great Horned Owlet #16-0097 is consistently eating from the chopped plate, the staff will discontinue the twice daily tease-feeding sessions.

 

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