The toughest new addition to the Moody Gardens penguin exhibit has been named after the toughest athlete in the Houston area – Texans defensive star J.J. Watt.
Watt, a baby King Penguin who hatched earlier this month, suffered an injury shortly after breaking out of his shell. Under the care of Moody Gardens biologists, Watt proved he was one tough chick and made a quick recovery. He is back on exhibit, joining the nearly 100 penguins housed in the Aquarium Pyramid.
“The little chick braved through it all,” said Moody Gardens assistant curator Diane Olsen. “It was an injury we had to keep an eye on, and our staff did a good job taking care of it.”
Olsen said she’s not completely sure how Watt suffered the injury, a cut on his back, but said it was likely caused by a squabble between the parent and another penguin. Penguins are extremely protective of their young and will fight those that appear to be a threat to their chick.
Galveston veterinarian Dr. Richard Henderson closed the wound after Watt was injured. From there, Moody Gardens Vet Tech Karen Holcroft and the rest of the penguin biologists treated him until the injury was healed.
“You always have to be worried about infection and stuff,” Olsen said. “We cleaned the wound and weighed him twice a day. We watched it very carefully.”
J.J. Watt is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most popular athletes in Houston. He was drafted by the Texans in 2011 out of Wisconsin, and quickly became known as one of the toughest players in the franchise’s history.
Olsen said that like all other chicks, the new King penguin will only be on exhibit with its parents for a limited time. Although adult penguins are expert swimmers, babies must be kept safely away from the exhibit waters until they become water savvy.
The gender of the young chick is still unknown because penguins are not sexually dimorphic, meaning it is impossible to tell male and female penguins apart based solely on looks. While away from the exhibit, blood tests will be done to determine the sex of the hatchling.
MOODY GARDENS KING PENGUIN HISTORY
King Penguins originally arrived in Galveston in 1998, when a group of staff members from the Aquarium at Moody Gardens joined biologists and other professionals from Chile, France and the United States on an expedition to South Georgia Island in the Antarctic to collect eggs. The eggs were gathered during the fall breeding season and then transported to Galveston and hatched prior to the opening of the Aquarium Pyramid in May 1999.
Moody Gardens has a successful breeding program, with 15 King Penguin chicks hatched since 2003. There has been a total six chicks hatched overall among the King, Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins this breeding season. This is the first King to hatch this year.
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Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
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Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
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Georgia Baby chicks are very
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challenging to resist,
yet it's finest to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
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habitat A lot of food and water Attention as well as
love Environment Your habitat could be a straightforward box, aquarium,
cat service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to start, as well as after a
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Keep in mind: Avoid using just
paper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
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something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Additionally, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks heat you need to
supply them with a warmth source.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb additionally work extremely well (my
referral). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can use
up to two months). The recently
hatched require a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as each week this can
be decreased by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The warmth resource should get on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other edge of your warmth
lamp, you should
reduce the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
heat (not just curling up),
you should add some heat.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is crucial as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to alter
the bed linen
usually and also
always give clean
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks grow extremely fast
which requires plenty of tidy
food as well as water. Supply
enough at all times as well
as examine
frequently to prevent parched and
hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared
to grown-up chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, then
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't occupy that activity up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Focus and also love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly most
likely bond with you and also
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
see their habits, you could
catch illness or various
other problems earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
various other harmful
indicators. Make certain to
likewise look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted plumes and clogged cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to watch out for social concerns, such as the
smallest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
and also relocate outside into a
coop. Check out our
area on chicken coops to learn more
about coops and
proper cage habitats.
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