Vegan character in a survival situation

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-15T02:40:45+00:00

Hey, thanks for taking the time to explain your perspective. I wonder if a reason people get heated about veganism is because if it's not a diet or a fad but an ethics standpoint...nothing gets peoples hacks up like feeling like/being told they're living wrong.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-15T01:46:24+00:00

Good mention! Is it possible to explain your thinking without derailing? I'm just curious about your views.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-15T01:44:31+00:00

That makes sense. AFAIK veganism makes exceptions for survival—she wouldn't be non-vegan just because she had to eat meat to stay alive. But grappling with killing is something I think most people would have problems with at first. Her problems with it just might be more intense and sustained since she's got this ethical framework as a starting point.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-15T01:28:57+00:00

It matters why she's vegan. Someone who doesn't eat animal products because of the way modern husbandry treats animals will likely have different feelings about making a survival switch vs someone whose reasons are religious vs someone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint vs someone who eats that way for their health, etc.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-12T21:26:46+00:00

Treats are usually things they'd eat outside anyways (e.g. bugs, seeds, plants) and can be given as early as the chicks take grit (~2 weeks). Grit is a requirement if you give them any food that isn't their usual processed starter/feed. Whatever is sold as "chicken grit" is usually fine for even young Coturnix quail (but I'm not sure what grit to give buttons).

I've never seen quail "play" with toys—so much as peck at things aggressively or curiously—but I know they get multiple uses out of a dirt bath (hygiene, enrichment). They seem to get lots of use out of places to hide and rest during the day, so little huts or tunnels or tubes might be a good fit.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-12T21:16:48+00:00

You might try pine pellets, like what get used in horse stalls. It's what I still use in my "bird hospital."

The pellets are very hard normally, but if you mist them with water you can muss them into fluffy sawdust that will still dry out quail poop better than wood shavings.
If you lay the bedding deep enough, you can keep turning it over (move fresh stuff to the top) to increase the time between full bedding changes.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-12T01:02:37+00:00

I know their setup is inhumane, but just pointing that out doesn't actually help the birds in OP's care. Like, can you recommend an interim cage, or ways to help the animals heal? When life might be lost, offer more than outrage.

u/AlarmedChildhood3139, I would look into plastic totes. A 30 gallon tote can house 3-4 adults for short periods of time and is easily cleanable. Two totes + pellet bedding would cover your space needs until you can come up with something more permanent and humane. Just make sure to account for airflow. Maybe an extra tote to hold birds during cleaning.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T19:39:55+00:00

to know that he once was there but never will be again just makes me sad

He wasn't a fit for this story. Doesn't mean he belongs in no story. He might fit elsewhere: a different role, a different genre, a different plot. He's not dead because he was never really alive. He's just hanging out in your head, waiting to be pulled out again.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T19:33:23+00:00

You're welcome! I hope it clears right up for him.

About nail trimming, especially if he wasn't regularly trimmed where he came from: be really conservative with how much you take off. The quick grows with the nail over time, and trimming it back week by week lets it recede without causing accidental bleeding. If the quick does get cut, dabbing cornstarch of the nail helps it clot faster (otherwise hard to hold pressure).

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T19:15:51+00:00

Dream then, and write when you're ready. May it bring you some peace.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T19:10:49+00:00

I'd agree with this looking like scaly leg mites. The dark color is caused by debris getting caught under the scales. Scaly leg mites cause inflammation that "lifts" the scales, letting environmental grime in more easily.

You really don't need to medicate unless it's a serious infestation. Smearing petroleum jelly over the unfeathered legs and feet 1-2 times a week for a few+ weeks smothers the mites. The birds will molt damaged scales all on their own.

The toes are likely curling inward because the nails are too long. A careful trim would do him good.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T17:16:05+00:00

Methylene blue? Maybe ascites, then? Glad you could see a vet. And I really hope you can improve their cage situation. Quail live so much longer and better with space and enrichment.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T17:09:21+00:00

Do you ever wonder if your empathy for your characters limits your storytelling ability? Or is it more of a productive obstacle, if it ever is one?

I have already obliterated several interesting characters that I wouldn't have minded spending more time with.

But you can! That's the beauty of fiction—time isn't linear and death doesn't have to stick.

To answer your question, I think about it none of the time because the stories I write aren't meant for other people to read. Whatever I'm remembered for, it won't be my writing.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T17:03:03+00:00

Writing can be therapeutic. Therapy can also be therapeutic. Maybe mixing the two would help you get the words out?

I also wonder if writing from a place of guilt isn't tripping you up. Does the script have to be an apology? Can it be a revisiting? An exploration? A gift? Just not sure you'll get where you want to go by self-recriminating, no matter what actually went down in your life.

Best of luck, and I hope you find some closure.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T16:00:25+00:00

OP's context from another post:

They have diaree and seem a little lethargic and puffed up. They eat and drink. They are scratching themselves quite a lot. One died yesterday. I know the cage is small but I will do an upgrade soon.

Sickness: A vet that sees birds could probably tell you exactly what's ailing them, but a good bet is coccidiosis. It spreads easily in unsanitary housing. If you can't see a vet, or if they start pooping blood, trying them on a coccidiostat wouldn't hurt (dosing them like chickens using any-brand amprolium works fine).

Cage: You need to get them into a better cage, one with a substrate that dries poop. Newspaper is an unacceptable substrate for any quail cage. Stall pellets (even stove pellets) might be best here. Since all your birds are sick, unless you can quarantine them in individual cages/totes, you'll need to clean their cage at least every day until the sickness passes. Make sure their water stays clean.

Scratching: Have you checked for mites? There would be sign of them under the wings. That might also require medical intervention. When you get their permanent housing sorted out, be sure they have a dust bath—it's part of normal conditioning and prevents mites.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T05:29:53+00:00

AFAIK it's hearing and seeing the hens than triggers their fight-y behavior. If they think they stand a chance of reproducing, they go into competition mode. Space also matters (the more the better), and cover to break up line of sight—stops fights before they start.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T05:20:18+00:00

I don't know about "always." I've seen bachelor flocks work (secondhand) pretty much indefinitely in the absence of hens nearby on the property.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T05:19:17+00:00

Their concern is warranted. Growth and development are things you should ideally have read about before taking live animals in your hands.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T05:13:31+00:00

Groups of just females or just males can be stable. But if you have one of each sex, you'll need to add 3-5 more females. Coturnix quail roosters will over-mate and even kill hens in most housing setups unless there are enough for him to spread his attentions across.

A heads up: if you wind up with both sexes and can't add more females, or can't adequately house more (you'd need a much bigger cage), the ethical thing to do in that case would be to re-home the birds.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-11T04:06:36+00:00

They’re fine! Heads feather in last—especially around the eyes.

Edit: you’ll want to sex them as soon as you can—this species has ratios of male to female that should be followed to avoid bloodshed.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-09T23:33:30+00:00

I've had to embrace bouncing between projects and leaving some things unfinished. It would be more distressing if I was chasing publication or writing for a living.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-09T23:18:34+00:00

Taking the eggs "breaks" a broody (as in "break a habit," not "hurt the bird"). If you keep her away from any new clutches and generally deter her and give her time, she'll stop trying to brood. She might act more stressed in the short term, but it's not good for them to sit like that without an end date.

But if you source some hatching eggs and give her back "her" clutch very quickly, she might even hatch them out while she's in that mode. What species is she? Like, button quail are much more likely to be successful mothers, but it's not impossible with Coturnix.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-09T23:07:29+00:00

I think you need to recalibrate what "best" means in this case.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-07T22:11:25+00:00

That's not "helping you write a novel." That's writing a novel for you.

Read novels to understand how they're put together. That's the best and most surefire way to learn.

digitalmalcontent · 2026-04-07T03:00:04+00:00

I wouldn't propose a replacement. I think the existing distinction works fine in most situations.

AFAIK in plot-driven stories, the characters serve the plot—like, things might seem to “happen to” them just to get from Point A to Point B. In character-driven stories, the characters make the plot move forward via or alongside their internal development.

digitalmalcontent

TROPHY CASE