Anyone here have their "Certified Avian Specialist" (CAS)?

[WeimerHeimer]

Does onyone here have their CAS from either PIJAC or AFA?

Been reading about this and half interested in maybe doing this just for my own gain of knowledge. Never hurts to learn all we can throughout life.

Just curious to see who, if anyone, has done it and recommends it.

 

[WeimerHeimer]

Sorry ... for those of you who may not have ever heard of this, here's some info to look at:

PIJAC: Certifications | PIJAC

AFA: AFA Fundamentals of Aviculture

 

[MonicaMc]

I haven't, but I know people who have. I'm actually interested in taking the courses myself someday. Susan Friedman also offers a training and behaviors course(s) [Caregiver/Professional Courses] which may also interest people.

Welcome to BehaviorWorks.org

 

[Echo]

I have the AFA Fundamentals of Aviculture Lever 1 and Level 2.

 

[henpecked]

Like echo , I have the same level 1 and 2, but that's with the AFA . I don't think CAS is about the same things. I'm not sure about the" organization" that gives that certification it's creditably. I;m not being "ugly" i just don't know who they are. The AFA i know who they are. I would need to research them to be able to say if it REALLY means anything. Sorry i've never heard of them. What's to stop me from issuing you a certification, you could then say your "certified". Just wouldn't mean much.
if i was going to spend the time and money, I'd visit the AFA website, I learned alot.

 

[Merlee]

Boysmom has PIJAC certification.

 

[weco]

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) is a trade association & lobbying agent for the pet industry, started in the mid to late 70s to add an amount of credibility and cohesiveness to an industry that was very loose & being severely attacked by the animal rights industry.

I can’t remember for sure, but I think it was about ten years after they got started that they were pushing training for pet shop employees, which turned into their certification programs. They eventually developed their Certified Avian Specialist (CAS) program, that has evolved a couple of times, expanding to different levels of certification. My understanding is that you can get ‘certified’ for 3 years, by taking a four hour course, completing an open book test and paying a fee. I don’t know what’s involved with the re-certification…..

 

[henpecked]

Thanks for that weco. I guess i'll need to check them out. How about it" boysmom" is it worth the $95 ?? Did you learn anything?

 

[Boysmom]

I am a certified avian caretaker through PIJAC. I took the course to be more knowledgeable about parrot anatomy and health issues. I found the course to be very informative and it is quite in depth about anatomy and health related problems and diseases. It breaks alot of health concerns down to specific species. It teaches proper quarantine methods also. It has a chapter on handfeeding that I thought was very accurate. It also teaches wing and nail clipping and how to properly towel a bird for vet procedures. I thought it was well worth the $95 ! Below I give a listing of all the chapters, I frequently refer back to my text book to answer questions for others and myself. I do believe this course made me a more knowledgeable parrot owner and care giver. I used techniques in this course to stop a bird from plucking that I was fostering.
Chapter
1- Avian anatomy
2- Housing birds in a retail facility
3- Buying and receiving birds
4- Feeding birds & basic nutrition
5-Avian husbandry and maintenance
6- Baby birds and handfeeding
7- Taming and training
8- Health care and diseases
9- Avian specifics identification and characteristics
10- Customer relations
11- Regulations & sources of information on state laws

The text book is over 200 pages crammed full of information. I will answer specific questions in regards to chapeters if needed, Each chapter has many sub sections.

 

[WeimerHeimer]

I am a certified avian caretaker through PIJAC. I took the course to be more knowledgeable about parrot anatomy and health issues. I found the course to be very informative and it is quite in depth about anatomy and health related problems and diseases. It breaks alot of health concerns down to specific species. It teaches proper quarantine methods also. It has a chapter on handfeeding that I thought was very accurate. It also teaches wing and nail clipping and how to properly towel a bird for vet procedures. I thought it was well worth the $95 ! Below I give a listing of all the chapters, I frequently refer back to my text book to answer questions for others and myself. I do believe this course made me a more knowledgeable parrot owner and care giver. I used techniques in this course to stop a bird from plucking that I was fostering.
Chapter
1- Avian anatomy
2- Housing birds in a retail facility
3- Buying and receiving birds
4- Feeding birds & basic nutrition
5-Avian husbandry and maintenance
6- Baby birds and handfeeding
7- Taming and training
8- Health care and diseases
9- Avian specifics identification and characteristics
10- Customer relations
11- Regulations & sources of information on state laws

The text book is over 200 pages crammed full of information. I will answer specific questions in regards to chapeters if needed, Each chapter has many sub sections.

Thanks for that listing of Chapters. I was wondering what the Chapters touched on.

Like I said, it's more about me grwoing and learning about birds for my own personal use than saying I have a "Certficate" in the end.

 

[Boysmom]

That is the same reason I took the course. I just wanted to be more familiar with the anatomy and possible diseases and health risks. It can never hurt to fully educate yourself on the keeping of pets.

 

[henpecked]

Here's a break down of the AFA courses. Sounds like many of the same subjects are covered. The AFA course is very though. I learned alot, and recommend it

Fundamentals of Aviculture Level I

This online course provides a foundation for the emerging science of aviculture. It is presented in nine chapters ranging from anatomy and physiology to avian behavior; from laws and regulations affecting aviculture to how to provide proper housing and prevent illness of birds in our care; and much, much more.


Fundamentals of Aviculture Level II

The Intermediate Aviculture Course is offered in 15 chapters covering conservation and research, courtship and nesting, basic avian genetics, color mutations, hybrids, breeding stimuli, incubation, hand-rearing, non-parrot studies, basic microbiology, illnesses, first-aid, avian enrichment and more. Admission to this Level II course requires that all students complete Level I prior to enrollment. The introductory admission fee for the Level II course will be $75 for current AFA members. Non-members can also purchase a one year membership during admission. See the drop down options on the Payment page.

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