Chick picked up salamander...bad!

[lizch]

I was watching the chicks (7 weeks old) and one picked up what I thought was a slug. The chick dropped it quickly and then just stood there stunned. A closer look showed it was a black salamander with a yellow stripe down it.

The chick's left eye had some sort of mucusy stuff on it right away--I assume a poisonous coating from the salamander? The chick is clearly distressed and can't open that eye. She was very very quiet for a bit, now is running around scratching her eye and wiping her face on the ground.

I tried rinsing it a bit with just plain water, but wasn't sure if that's the best thing to do?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I might so saline eye wash if you have some. I don't know, i didn't know salamanders were posionious. hope your chick get ok. you can make saline wash out of warm water and salt too.

 

[chickengrl]

Quote:
x2 rinse as much as you can. Hope the chick is OK!

 

[lizch]

Update: chick is fine.

She was pretty upset for a while, but seems 100% OK again now.

Apparently, this particular salamander has one of the strongest known toxins on its skin. If I ate it, I would die very quickly. It's the same toxin as the puffer fish and can easily kill small animals. I feel so fortunate that the chick dropped it so quickly. I just have to cross my fingers that she's learned her lesson...though since it looked like a slug at first glance to me, I can't imagine how a chicken would tell the difference till it's too late!

Thanks for your replies. Even two months ago, I wouldn't have been able to fathom such a strong attachment to these birds. It's wonderful to have this forum to turn to for advice and support from people who understand.

Oh, one lingering question: is it a normal chicken response to "go possum" in the face of stress? She literally just stood there, not moving at all, so I could grab her easily. Usually, it takes 5 minutes of chasing to grab hold of her. Or was that this particular toxin that briefly paralyzed her?

 

[chickengrl]

I am thinking she was "stunned" by the awful taste of it. Although, I think puffer fish have a neuro-toxin. Still, I think the chick would have gotten real sick and stayed sick for a good while if that were it. Glad she is OK. I bet she won't make that mistake again!