Non-Avian Species in Aviaries

TinoPup said:
As I said yesterday, the Australia area no longer has flying foxes.The monitors are in an exhibit with glass, closed off from the free-flying animals.
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Oh that's sad and I was referring to the Eastern Water Dragon, which is in one of the tanks.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Incidentally, does anyone know whether long nosed potoroos and Australasian birds are a common mix in aviaries in zoos?

Because I don't think I've seen this sort of mix at another zoo since but it strikes me as being a particularly good one and especially given how unaggressive potoroos are and that both come from the same biogeographic region.
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Unfortunately Potoroos will take eggs and possibly chicks of ground dwelling species.
 
birdsandbats said:
That was a more traditional example of this, the squirrel has free reign in a free flight aviary at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. It is kept with:

-Snow Goose
-Mallard
-Canvasback
-Common Goldeneye
-Ring-necked Pheasant
-Wood Duck
-Northern Pintail
-American Wigeon
-Canada Goose
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They’re probably not trying to breed any of those birds, or they wouldn’t have Mallard in there:)
 
FBBird said:
Unfortunately Potoroos will take eggs and possibly chicks of ground dwelling species.
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Wow, didn't know this :confused: I thought they seemed like the perfect species for a mixed mammal / bird exhibit.

FBBird said:
Callitrichids of course will take any eggs or chicks within their size range.
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Yep, this I did know, and I would add that Callitrichids will also prey on adult birds on occasion too.

There are records of Callithrix flaviceps preying upon adult birds as big as woodpeckers in the wild.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Like which for example ? (apart from birds which nest at heights)

Also, it would be interesting to know which bird species potoroos have been mixed successfully with in general.
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Marwell Zoo in the UK has long nosed potoroo mixed with sun conures of all things. Though I should think their young would be out of reach of potoroo predation (which seems a really weird word to use in the context of potoroos!)
 
Greenshank said:
Marwell Zoo in the UK has long nosed potoroo mixed with sun conures of all things. Though I should think their young would be out of reach of potoroo predation (which seems a really weird word to use in the context of potoroos!)
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Yes, I think it is strange too, I know that potoroos will sometimes consume worms beetles and their grubs but I didn't think that they would go for nestlings or eggs of birds.

Then again, many unlikely small mammals don't pass up the opportunity for protein through meat.

The chevrotains for example have been recorded eating fish, crabs and frogs.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Yes, I think it is strange too, I know that potoroos will sometimes consume worms beetles and their grubs but I didn't think that they would go for nestlings or eggs of birds.

Then again, many unlikely small mammals don't pass up the opportunity for protein through meat.

The chevrotains for example have been recorded eating fish, crabs and frogs.
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But some of these diets, such as fish, are actually Scavenged by some animals, not eaten live.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Yes, I think it is strange too, I know that potoroos will sometimes consume worms beetles and their grubs but I didn't think that they would go for nestlings or eggs of birds.

Then again, many unlikely small mammals don't pass up the opportunity for protein through meat.

The chevrotains for example have been recorded eating fish, crabs and frogs.
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Most animals will not turn down a bit of easily obtainable protein if they can get it, it just seems strange thinking of the potoroo as a hunter though I imagine the birds it takes are probably altricial or newly hatched.
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
But some of these diets, such as fish, are actually Scavenged by some animals, not eaten live.
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Thank you for the clarification, I was wondering how even such an adept swimmer as the African water chevrotain could catch live fish. As a separate aside I've seen chevrotain mixed with birds, wondering whether that's safe now as well. Seems like nothing is to be trusted in the small mammal department!
 
Greenshank said:
Most animals will not turn down a bit of easily obtainable protein if they can get it, it just seems strange thinking of the potoroo as a hunter though I imagine the birds it takes are probably altricial or newly hatched.

Thank you for the clarification, I was wondering how even such an adept swimmer as the African water chevrotain could catch live fish. As a separate aside I've seen chevrotain mixed with birds, wondering whether that's safe now as well. Seems like nothing is to be trusted in the small mammal department!
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Haha! I suspect there are at least some small mammals that are mixed with birds, At the Cleveland metro parks zoo they have Birds with Chevrotains don't they? Or am I thinking of something else.
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
Haha! I suspect there are at least some small mammals that are mixed with birds, At the Cleveland metro parks zoo they have Birds with Chevrotains don't they? Or am I thinking of something else.
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I was half joking and am sure that these mixes are at least sometimes successful or they wouldn't be done. Mixing anything in an aviary has a degree of risk, even birds of the same species can 'turn' especially when breeding.
The places I've seen birds and chevrotains mixed are in the UK so can't help on that one
 
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