Week 2

This week was my first time on the animal unit. Due to the fact that this was a first time experience, I had to learn where everything was and get to know the individual animals. I mainly worked with the rabbits and guinea pigs. I gave them a spot clean, changed their food and water, gave them more straw and hey and replaced any boxes that had been nibbled too much. I held some reptiles and learnt how to assist with shedding for a gecko using water. I learnt that if a reptile doesn’t shed properly, the excess skin can tighten and stop blood flow. This could result in the animal losing body parts such as fingers and tails.

Before taking part, there were certain rules I had to follow to keep the animals and myself safe. These were that my earrings were out, I had no other jewellery on and I was wearing my animal work coat and appropriate shoes.

I also reported a pig that had a bleeding gum so it could be checked.I was surprised at how friendly the pigs were. I previously thought that they would want to be left alone and possibly get angry or scared when approached. In reality, they wanted to be stroked and even came to us for attention.

During this session, I got to know a variety of animals that were living on the animal unit. However, there are many more I am yet to learn about and I look forward to this.