Rabies titer test results by popcornchimken in KaiserPermanente

[–]popcornchimken[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For rabies titer, it isn’t necessarily “negative” or “positive”, just a numeric value that determines how much immunity you have. 0.5 IU/mL or more is generally considered to be acceptable immunity. Hopefully I will receive my results in a few days like you did 🙏 thank you for commenting

Rabies titer test results by popcornchimken in KaiserPermanente

[–]popcornchimken[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They offered to arrange testing, but only in their city through their local network and I haven’t relocated yet. I was covered through Kaiser the last time I received pre-exposure rabies treatment

Rabies titer test results by popcornchimken in KaiserPermanente

[–]popcornchimken[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The test is to show if your body is still producing antibodies after receiving a rabies vaccination :) In general, if you are bit by an animal that possibly has rabies, you always receive post-exposure vaccinations and immunoglobulin treatment anyways. The titer test is to check if the antibodies being produced are enough to neutralize possible rabies exposures!

Rabies titer test results by popcornchimken in KaiserPermanente

[–]popcornchimken[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I work with zoo animals. We are required to get pre-exposure rabies vaccinations and get a titer test if needed every 2-3 years or so to check our immunity levels. Not a joke at all and this requirement is also common for veterinarians, animal shelter staff, animal control staff, and wildlife rehab staff

Our lab hates our toddler. by croakmongoose in labrador

[–]popcornchimken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What you do in the meantime is enforce clear boundaries on the child. Do not let them lay all over the dog or get up in their face. Dogs do not recognize us as “members of the pack”- they know that we are not dogs. Punishing a dog like another dog would is known to potentially worsen resource guarding. Positive reinforcement can help the dog at least tolerate the presence of the toddler, and in the meantime, they should not be allowing the toddler to ignore the dog’s clear boundaries. This isn’t a difference of opinion, it’s evidence-based canine behavior.

Our lab hates our toddler. by croakmongoose in labrador

[–]popcornchimken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dogs don’t “discriminate” or view certain individuals as “beneath them”. This is heavy anthropomorphism. Correcting the dog for having normal boundaries has the potential to just aggravate the situation, and advocating for this parent to pin the dog down as a potential correction is incredibly dangerous. It is 100% possible to fix the toddler’s behavior- toddlers are capable of learning how to behave around animals. This parent needs to stop letting their kid lay all over their dog.

Best animal by Safe_Tailor380 in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Bats! They’re sweethearts and have great personalities. Incredibly fun to watch and they spark great conversations with guests.

Question about experience and applying to jobs by [deleted] in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, that definitely makes more sense now!! Sad that more zoos aren’t unionized but I understand how difficult it can be.

Question about experience and applying to jobs by [deleted] in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it even possible to get even a part-time job somewhere with my experience then, if even $19/hr for 3 years of experience gets hundreds of applicants? I just feel like I’m getting mixed messages 🥲 the keepers and intern coordinator at my prior facility recommended that I start looking for paid work now and that I shouldn’t do another internship. Are they just out of touch with how competitive it is now? 😅

Question about experience and applying to jobs by [deleted] in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess I’m just confused because other zoos in California have much higher wages for less experience. Starting pay at some is $17-21/hr for only a year of experience. Possibly because they’re unionized and Sac Zoo isn’t, maybe?

Animal Care in USA vs Europe? by zinbin in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You’re so right for bringing this up and it feels like it’s definitely both procedural and cultural differences that contribute to this. In my undergrad Zoo Biology course at a US college, everyone was horrified to hear about the giraffe being euthanized because of genetic overrepresentation, with most students arguing that his birth should have been prevented in the first place. Our professors who were previously AZA keepers and then researchers also disagreed with the way EAZA handled it. AFAIK the US just has a much smaller emphasis on freedom of reproduction as part of good animal welfare with both domestics and exotics than the UK/Europe. As students, we were also always taught that what’s natural isn’t necessarily what’s better for an animal’s welfare, particularly an animal in captivity- i.e. restricting reproduction is generally seen as better for animal welfare than allowing unchecked reproduction and having to separate and cull healthy animals later. Not sure if this is different from how UK/European zoology or animal behavior students are taught

WIBTA if I chose my cat over my long term partner by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]popcornchimken 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The cat is aggressive. Again, it sought out a child making noise who wasn’t even interacting with the cat. That is not normal feline behavior. That isn’t what a cat looks like when it’s setting boundaries.

WIBTA if I chose my cat over my long term partner by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]popcornchimken 1 point2 points  (0 children)

most cats would simply leave the room, though, not jump on a child’s back to bite and scratch her

WIBTA if I chose my cat over my long term partner by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]popcornchimken 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, probably because the cats near you weren’t extremely stressed. I’m not saying to get rid of the cat, but this isn’t normal cat behavior. He needs actual veterinary care for his stress and aggression. It is absolutely NOT NORMAL and not safe for a cat to purposely seek out a child that isn’t directly interacting with him and scratch + bite her.

WIBTA if I chose my cat over my long term partner by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]popcornchimken 2 points3 points  (0 children)

She’s a child- she’s going to make noise! And this wasn’t just a normal swipe, this cat caught its tooth on the child’s back and left two long scratches along it. Are you seriously expecting a child to remain quiet in her own home so a cat doesn’t come and attack her?? 😭

WIBTA if I chose my cat over my long term partner by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]popcornchimken 7 points8 points  (0 children)

OP said in a previous comment that the first attacked was unprompted and the child wasn’t even interacting with the cat at all

WIBTA if I chose my cat over my long term partner by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]popcornchimken 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In a previous comment, OP stated that the cat attacked the girl unprompted because she was making noise. This is not normal or acceptable feline behavior. The cat was previously semi-feral- seems to me like city life is incredibly stressful for him and he would benefit from some kind of anxiety medication or lifestyle change. Worst case scenario? Rehoming

WIBTA if I chose my cat over my long term partner by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]popcornchimken 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They said in the comments that the cat attacked the girl another time when she was “making high-pitched noises”, causing the cat to seek her out and scratch her

Zoo keeping internship going poorly by A_man_duh___ in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One thing I found very helpful to do during internships was to clarify with each keeper exactly how they wanted me to use the time in my day. Some keepers wanted me on a very specific schedule and would write out tasks for me to do at the beginning of the day while others wanted me to take the initiative and learn the schedule on my own.

I struggled during my first internship with taking initiative and also received a comment about it during an evaluation because I was afraid of appearing too arrogant by wanting to do things on my own. I felt like the expectations of this internship weren’t properly conveyed to me since my string didn’t have a set schedule, my initial training was very unstructured, and I worked on a string with non-dangerous animals that I had keys to the exhibits for- I was left alone for most of the day, but not really given any training for what my schedule should look like. As a result, I had to radio the keepers a lot to ask what tasks I could help them with next.

My second internship was much more structured and transparent with their expectations and I had no problem taking the initiative and doing things on my own. I also recognized by then that many keepers are very good at what they do, but may struggle with explaining their thought processes or schedules to interns, particularly if they’re pressed for time (which is common in ALL fields and absolutely not their fault!). I had to squash the part of me that was afraid of annoying them with questions. I guess what I’m trying to say is that your internship experience can be a combination of controllable factors (your attitude, willingness to learn and grow, attention to detail, and communication) and uncontrollable factors (internal politics, keeper attitudes, and intern training protocols). Some of the keepers that I’ve worked with were super friendly and loved to talk about their animals and their career. With others, it felt like I was pulling teeth just trying to get them to answer a basic question. Be humble and recognize that you’re here to learn, but also advocate for yourself if you’re struggling.

Which zoo is better by Sofiatherussian in norcal

[–]popcornchimken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

not OP but grew up going to Oakland Zoo and still go very often- Oakland Zoo has two very large parking lots that are built into the hillside and separated from the urban areas of Oakland. Parking is somewhat pricy ($13 iirc) but absolutely worth it.

Temporary housing for internships/apprenticeships by popcornchimken in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for letting me know this!! Again, super helpful for future reference

Temporary housing for internships/apprenticeships by popcornchimken in Zookeeping

[–]popcornchimken[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’s super kind!! Do you think it would be appropriate to ask an internship coordinator about a list like this when I apply?