help with identification and care of baby bird!

midi-mania · 25-06-2009, 08:27 PM

well i have a cat that likes to hunt, what did it hunt this morning? a baby blackbird or thrush or something and i got to it as she was playing with it

cat was locked indoors and bird was left in middle of garden for 4 hours... no sign of any visitors so i have put him in a plastic box with layers of newspaper as substrate (so i can just remove a sheet at a time!) and names him Einstein after the hair style he seems to have lol

he is eating, pooping, weeing very well and is very active

he has a brown beak with yellow lining and the wing feathers (the most developed feathers) are dark brown with a lighter brown trim on the edges

so far i have just been ripping a 1p sized chunk of bread off, dipping it in water for a few seconds and then the bird opens its mouth wide to get the bread (loves bread) and i suppose it hydrates it at the same time as giving energy?

my dad suggested i try some cat food (in small chunks) but it wont open its mouth if cat food is offered, has also now stopped trying to escape from the tub, probably because it knows its gonna get fed lol

i DID put it on my hand in such way that it grasped onto my finger and then i moved the hand up and down (making it stretch its wings) and it seems to do so fine so doubt theres any damage to it, its feet seem huge sompared the the rest of it though lol

what can i feed it? that doesn't require going to a petshop to obtain as all the shops are shut now but i know that i cant just keep feeding bread! no matter how nice it is :P (its normal bread btw, not the wholemeal stuff

joekent · 25-06-2009, 08:35 PM

I would suggest emp egg food but you would need to go to a good pet shop for that

linda · 25-06-2009, 08:37 PM

Should I feed a baby bird bread and milk?

No. These are not suitable foods for young birds most of which will be fed on soft insects, worms and grubs in their early days. Scrambled egg, with a little moist cereal, is fine to begin with but more suitable food, for both seed and insect eating birds, is available from pet shops.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpin...ealth/faqs.asp

linda · 25-06-2009, 08:41 PM

this may help

http://www.csub.edu/FACT/baby_bird_care.htm

DoodleBopper · 25-06-2009, 08:44 PM

Could you like feed it squished up insects? Worms or something? I know tis disgusting but it's what they'd be eating. Could you post a pic so we could see what type of bird it is? Also it sounds real cute lol

midi-mania · 26-06-2009, 05:56 AM

ill try and get a pic today, he just stays in the corner of his box, ill try get a pic of him with his mouth open too :P

i know about the egg food, its what we used to feed when we used to breed canaries but i was just on about what to feed because the shops were shut, ill see if my dad can go to the shops today and by some dried egg food

also could he be getting cold? as sometimes he seems to shiver and shakes his head from side to side, also he doesn't drink (well i havnt seen him) apart from the water he gets from the food, is this usual?

we have had plenty of rescued birds in the past but none this young lol, what do you guys think it might be?

also just noticed some of his baby feathers have come out in his box

tartaruga amore · 26-06-2009, 05:35 PM

it sounds like a blackbird, if its fully feathered it will only need a little help feeding

a good emergency food, that can be bought from a corner shop is baby food fed in a syringe

emp fed wet and mealworms given on tweezers { please blunt the ends first } they are fruit eaters so a little soft fruit { not to much }
please no more bread

he is not getting cold, but could be in shock or have some damage, keep him warm and feed him every 30/45 mins

you could also hang him up in a bird cage in the place were he was found as his dad will be looking for him and will regain feeding it

midi-mania · 26-06-2009, 07:57 PM

well my dad asked one of his friends that has reared lots of baby birds and he reakons it is a starling and we are feeding it egg food and corned beef (in small amounts) it has now started tweeting when it wants food which is good and if i put my hand next to him he moves sideways into my hand so i think he likes to be warm lol, hell happily fall asleep if tucked in my hand and he is getting stronger too and today he managed to flap himself out of the box we are keeping him in

still doing a hell of alot of poos though!

tartaruga amore · 27-06-2009, 08:29 AM

lol well it was only a guess, its hard to say what it was without seeing it!

your going to need more than a cardboard box, otherwise your cat will get it again, and do try with some mealworms as well

midi-mania · 27-06-2009, 12:16 PM

it is in a plastic box lined with news paper, should hopefully be borrowing a bird cage off my aunt.

it is definitely getting stronger... and louder! and is still falling asleep when it jumps into my hand, will ask my dad where the camera is, he thinks its a starling now he has heard it

25-06-2009, 08:27 PM	#1
midi-mania Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: mersyside Posts: 1,058	help with identification and care of baby bird! well i have a cat that likes to hunt, what did it hunt this morning? a baby blackbird or thrush or something and i got to it as she was playing with it cat was locked indoors and bird was left in middle of garden for 4 hours... no sign of any visitors so i have put him in a plastic box with layers of newspaper as substrate (so i can just remove a sheet at a time!) and names him Einstein after the hair style he seems to have lol he is eating, pooping, weeing very well and is very active he has a brown beak with yellow lining and the wing feathers (the most developed feathers) are dark brown with a lighter brown trim on the edges so far i have just been ripping a 1p sized chunk of bread off, dipping it in water for a few seconds and then the bird opens its mouth wide to get the bread (loves bread) and i suppose it hydrates it at the same time as giving energy? my dad suggested i try some cat food (in small chunks) but it wont open its mouth if cat food is offered, has also now stopped trying to escape from the tub, probably because it knows its gonna get fed lol i DID put it on my hand in such way that it grasped onto my finger and then i moved the hand up and down (making it stretch its wings) and it seems to do so fine so doubt theres any damage to it, its feet seem huge sompared the the rest of it though lol what can i feed it? that doesn't require going to a petshop to obtain as all the shops are shut now but i know that i cant just keep feeding bread! no matter how nice it is :P (its normal bread btw, not the wholemeal stuff __________________ Gav

25-06-2009, 08:35 PM	#2
joekent Member Hatchling Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bromley, Kent Posts: 653	I would suggest emp egg food but you would need to go to a good pet shop for that __________________ AnImAl MaD!

25-06-2009, 08:44 PM	#5
DoodleBopper Member Hatchling Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norfolk Posts: 717	Could you like feed it squished up insects? Worms or something? I know tis disgusting but it's what they'd be eating. Could you post a pic so we could see what type of bird it is? Also it sounds real cute lol __________________

26-06-2009, 05:56 AM	#6
midi-mania Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: mersyside Posts: 1,058	ill try and get a pic today, he just stays in the corner of his box, ill try get a pic of him with his mouth open too :P i know about the egg food, its what we used to feed when we used to breed canaries but i was just on about what to feed because the shops were shut, ill see if my dad can go to the shops today and by some dried egg food also could he be getting cold? as sometimes he seems to shiver and shakes his head from side to side, also he doesn't drink (well i havnt seen him) apart from the water he gets from the food, is this usual? we have had plenty of rescued birds in the past but none this young lol, what do you guys think it might be? also just noticed some of his baby feathers have come out in his box __________________ Gav Last edited by midi-mania; 26-06-2009 at 06:02 AM.

26-06-2009, 07:57 PM	#8
midi-mania Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: mersyside Posts: 1,058	well my dad asked one of his friends that has reared lots of baby birds and he reakons it is a starling and we are feeding it egg food and corned beef (in small amounts) it has now started tweeting when it wants food which is good and if i put my hand next to him he moves sideways into my hand so i think he likes to be warm lol, hell happily fall asleep if tucked in my hand and he is getting stronger too and today he managed to flap himself out of the box we are keeping him in still doing a hell of alot of poos though! __________________ Gav

25-06-2009, 08:37 PM	#3
linda Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: west midlands Posts: 17,134	Should I feed a baby bird bread and milk? No. These are not suitable foods for young birds most of which will be fed on soft insects, worms and grubs in their early days. Scrambled egg, with a little moist cereal, is fine to begin with but more suitable food, for both seed and insect eating birds, is available from pet shops. http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpin...ealth/faqs.asp

25-06-2009, 08:41 PM	#4
linda Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: west midlands Posts: 17,134	this may help http://www.csub.edu/FACT/baby_bird_care.htm

26-06-2009, 05:35 PM	#7
tartaruga amore Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,353	it sounds like a blackbird, if its fully feathered it will only need a little help feeding a good emergency food, that can be bought from a corner shop is baby food fed in a syringe emp fed wet and mealworms given on tweezers { please blunt the ends first } they are fruit eaters so a little soft fruit { not to much } please no more bread he is not getting cold, but could be in shock or have some damage, keep him warm and feed him every 30/45 mins you could also hang him up in a bird cage in the place were he was found as his dad will be looking for him and will regain feeding it

27-06-2009, 08:29 AM	#9
tartaruga amore Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,353	lol well it was only a guess, its hard to say what it was without seeing it! your going to need more than a cardboard box, otherwise your cat will get it again, and do try with some mealworms as well

27-06-2009, 12:16 PM	#10
midi-mania Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: mersyside Posts: 1,058	it is in a plastic box lined with news paper, should hopefully be borrowing a bird cage off my aunt. it is definitely getting stronger... and louder! and is still falling asleep when it jumps into my hand, will ask my dad where the camera is, he thinks its a starling now he has heard it __________________ Gav

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