Christmas cheer at Stapeley..its hog time

You may have asked yourself what the Stapeley team do on Christmas Day?  Well it was work work as usual (feeding and cleaning) with the added festive cheer; the odd Santa hat, a few mince pies and the occasional Christmas carol along the corridor.

At this time of year hedgehogs and swans make up the majority of our admissions, all needing a helping hand through the winter.  We often get in hedgehogs that were born late in the year and are too small to hibernate; they therefore usually just need some feeding up - puppy chum, meal worms, and small dry dog biscuits usually works.  No turkey or mince pies for these guys.  We record how much each hog has eaten, its preferred food and monitor their weight daily.  This enables us to give the hedgehog more of the food it prefers and reduces waste (every penny counts!!).  We like our hedgehogs to be above 600 grams and the weather conditions fairly mild (above 5 degrees) for a 3-4 days before we release them and although there was an extremely cold stretch early December, the Christmas period has been quite mild allowing us to release a lot of our hogs.

It’s been a busy year for most wildlife centres around the country when it comes to hedgehog admissions; they have even pushed our pigeons of their usual number 1 spot,  as the most admitted animal to Stapeley Grange.

                                                                    

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Getting the Royal Seal of Approval!

Seal training at East Winch is all part of the training programme for new staff, as although they appear cute in the pictures they are actually quiet dangerous and can do serious damage.  We started with a tour, we met some of the seals; Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and a familiar face from Stapeley, and now a lot bigger, Prince William (can you tell what the theme is at the moment!).

 

We spent a lot of time observing to start with but soon enough, it was then our turn!  We started with the smallest, you would think that would be easy but nooo... they are still very strong and wriggly.  In some cases the larger seals were easier to restrain, I think being trained in contortion would have been an advantage!

 

Another part of our training was using a stretcher to catch and weigh seals to monitor their progress.   We finished the day with some more tube feeding, as they say ‘practice makes perfect’

Our time with the East Winch seals had come to an end.  Although we left with aching arms and legs, it has been great, a very informative experience.   Although we do not get too many seals at Stapeley, all staff need to know how to handle seals properly.  We still have lots to learn but this experience has been a fantastic introduction.

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Festive thank you to our volunteers

The Volunteers Christmas party was a fantastic opportunity to say thank you to all those who have generously given their free time and efforts over the year.  They play an essential role on a day to day basis; whether it is working with the animals, fundraising, helping in the office or outside with our maintenance guy, we could not do, what we do, without them!  With centres becoming busier and finances increasingly stretched we need their help more than ever.  

After feasting on a delicious buffet, our Manager (Lee Stewart), thanked those present and those not for all their hard work over the past 12 months and presented awards to a number of long term volunteers.  Some have helped for 5, 10 and even 15 years...now that is dedication.  They have put in so many hours of hard work they really deserve the certificate and medal. 

                           

I then took on the role of quiz master to put our volunteers and staff to the test.  It was a really fun night, seeing staff and volunteers outside the normal working environment.

I can’t thank the volunteers and students enough; I really enjoy working alongside them and getting to know them all.  If you wish to join are extraordinary team of volunteers please contact us: volunteer-stapeley@rspca.org.uk.  I look forward to seeing familiar and new faces next year.  

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Breaking a nail is a serious issue....for a Tawny Owl

I have always said that breaking a nail is a big deal however for a Tawny Owl it has far greater consequences.  A Tawny Owl had incurred relatively minor injuries from being clipped by a car but it arrived at Stapeley a little bit shocked, feathers a little ruffled, a few scraps and a talon missing from a toe on its left foot, a lucky escape by all accounts!

  

      

An x-ray was taken immediately to check for additional internal damage but nothing was found..fantastic news.  Minor wounds were then cleaned and the foot bandaged; he was then allowed to rest in a quiet box which we have available for owls in our isolation wing.  The following day, having had time to rest, the vet checked out his eyes carefully (which can be damaged in RTAs - road traffic accidents) but once passed fit (again - good news) he was flight tested.

Although he flew exceptionally well it was agreed he should be kept inside a little longer so that the talon could heal properly.  A few days later and he has now been transferred out to an aviary where he can prepare for a final release.  The talons obviously play an important role when hunting, so it is important that they are functional.  Imagine trying to dig into a steak with a butter knife!

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Festive Fun at Stapeley is a huge success

There is no way of hiding from it anymore Christmas is nearly here!  Staff, volunteers and even Santa all got together for Stapeley's first Christmas fair.

                                  

 

Although there was a bit of a chill in the air it was hardly noticeable with all the excitement, we were really lucky with the weather.  It was a great turnout with many visitors coming in search for that perfect gift, trying their luck on raffles, telling Santa what they would like as well as being spoilt rotten for choices with cakes.

It was a fantastic success raising nearly £1500 which will provide much needed funds for us to continue our work and towards ongoing development.  

For more pics of the day (plus Santa) check out: http://on.fb.me/X3Bj64 

They may not be able to show their appreciation but I'm sure all the animals it will benefit will be very grateful.  

                                          Thank you everyone and happy Christmas

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A surprise visitor for Stapeley

It was a dark and cold night when a member of public turned up with an unknown animal the dog had sniffed out.  Cautiously peering into the box I saw two beady eyes looking back at me, to my surprise it was a Chinchilla!  

Stapeley Grange does not take in domestics usually but it appeared that he had been abandoned.  He therefore needed temporary refuge until he could be moved on to one of our domestic centres.  I took down as much information as possible in case an owner came forward to claim him and then gave him a quick inspection.  There appeared to be a problem with his teeth so he was put down for an urgent vet inspection the next  day.  

Once we had found and set up a suitable cage that had shelves, tunnels and places to hide I put in some food and water, it was ready.   He appeared to instantly love his new pad and investigated around.  We also provided a dust bath which is important to keep his fur in good condition. 

Unfortunately, this story did not have a happy ending.  During the vet inspection it was discovered that he had some major dental issues, so bad in fact that he was put to sleep.

Owners of exotic pets need the knowledge to provide for their specific welfare needs.  Chinchillas don’t like excessive heat (as they can’t sweat and overheat easily), need lots of exercise and their teeth need to be worn down as excessive growth can prevent them from eating.  Why was this Chinchilla abandoned? Maybe its owner could not afford the massive vet fees that were involved in sorting out its teeth, I suppose I’ll never know, a very sad ending indeed. 

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Grey Seal Arrival - cute but watch those fingers

Although very sad, I was excited to admit a 3 week old male Grey seal pup last week; he had been found orphaned on a beach at Maryport in Cumbria. To ensure the parents were not around he had been monitored for more than 24 hours; his parents were nowhere to be seen so required help.

                                                   

On arrival, I took down all the necessary details with Max, including weight and transferred him across to one of our isolation cubicles where he could begin to settle after his traumatic ordeal.  Despite weighing in at 13kg he was still underweight for his age.  Next was a health check from the vet which involved checking for wounds and any nasal discharge.  Blood samples were taken and sent off for analysis.  His eyes appeared dry and so eye drops were given to restore their moisture and protection.  As with most wildlife that comes into Stapeley, he was dehydrated.  Lectade solution was tube fed initially - it was important we rehydrated him as quickly as possible.

He now gets blended herring added to the solution to make an appetising fish soup - I think I'll pass on that one!  His temperature is recorded daily at the moment - an important indicator to his well-being. 

As of yesterday he was bright and alert, but I am constantly being reminded by senior staff that behind those cute little eyes and apparent sweet nature lies an extremely nasty bite. All of this has been a wee taster for what is to come when I have my seal training in December across at RSPCA East Winch, I can’t wait :)

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