Teaching

This course provides undergraduate students the opportunity to get hands-on experience training a variety of parrot species in a biosafety level-1 environment with the birds housed at the on-campus aviary managed by the Schubot Center for Avian Health. 

The ultimate goal of the program is to develop behaviors through positive reinforcement that facilitate health monitoring, veterinary care, and cognitive enrichment of the birds. These behaviors include nail trimming, syringe and scale training, and crate training. Students will be tasked with implementing, maintaining, and executing a comprehensive training schedule and outline for many of the birds living at the aviary, especially the large macaws.

Students enrolled in the program begin the semester by training in the form of the Fundamentals of Animal Behavior resources provided by Animal Behaviorist and VTPB Adjunct Faculty Member Barbara Heidenreich http://www.goodbirdinc.com/.  Students can complete this course for either 2 or 3 VIBS 485 credit hours as a student researcher. 

Those interested in applying may contact Debra Turner at ddturner@cvm.tamu.edu.

This program is offered during the winter break to DVM students with interest in research and avian medicine. The courses will be held at the Tambopata National Researve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambopata_National_Reserve , in Madre de Dios, Peru and will immerse veterinary students in a long-term research program studying the health, conservation, and natural history of large macaws (Ara spp) and other psittacines in the lowland rainforests of southeastern Peru.

Credit
A total of 4 credit hours are offered for this program:
VTPB 948: Didactic Elective in Wild Psittacine Biology and Medicine (1st, 2nd, 3rd-year DVM)
VSCS 945: Advanced Small Animal Clinical Elective in Wild Psittacine Biology and Medicine (4th-year DVM)

Those interested in applying may contact Dr. Brightsmith dbrightsmith@cvm.tamu.edu . ***This program is not currently offered.***