Human assisted rearing of American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) at Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Citation

Eschweiler K. 2025. Human assisted rearing of American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. In Treiber K, Brooks M, D’amato-Anderson J, Nylander J, Eds. Proceedings of the Sixteenth Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Oklahoma City, OK.

Abstract

In summer of 2024, one American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) chick, was born at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. For the first month of life the chick was doing well raised by parents. At almost one month of age, the zoological care specialists noted lesions on the chick’s face. The chick was pulled from parents and transferred to hospital care staff for treatment due to diagnosis of avian pox. Assisted feedings were performed three times per day at 8 am, 12 pm and 4 pm via gavage feedings. The formula administered consisted of: Hard Boiled Eggs (55 g), Hard Boiled Egg Yolk (95 g), Chelated Calcium (1.2 g), Emcelle Tocopherol (0.10 mL), Vegetable Oil (6 mL), and Bottled Spring Water (148 mL). All ingredients were thoroughly blended to ensure consistency could be administered via gavage. After 1 week under hospital staff care it was noted the chick was not gaining expected weight and the formula was adjusted to increase caloric density by adding krill oil to the fraction. The previously listed formula was adjusted by adding in krill oil at 2 mL and subsequently reducing the spring water by 2 mL. Chick was maintained on the formula with added krill oil for the rest of hand-rearing.

Feeding amounts were adapted from Dierenfeld et al. (2009) placing the chick at 90 to 190 mL/day. Max amount during assisted rearing was three feeds per day at 60 mL per feeding, soaked Mazuri Flamingo Breeder was offered from start of hospital care but did not see routine engagement from the chick until around 3 weeks of assisted care. Around 2 months of age chopped fish and soaked Mazuri Flamingo Breeder consumption was increasing and at the same time the number of assisted feedings decreased from three times per day down to one time per day. By three months of age, the individual was fully weaned from formula onto the adult diet of fish and flamingo breeder and two weeks later was reintroduced back into the flock after successful treatment of avian pox was confirmed.

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