| birds |
| since there are so many species of birds just the basics will be covered here, for specific types of birds you can e-mail me ... for most baby birds they will readily accept food... you can feed them canned dog or cat food or dry food soaked for a few minutes in some water, if you watch the side of the neck it will begin to bulge as you feed them, this is the crop , where food is stored for later digestion, as they grow this will become larger enabling them to eat more & require less feedings, you may not see this if the baby is feathered over this spot but they will stop gapping (opening their mouth for food) when they are full anyway, after the first few feedings they will begin to recognize you as a source of food,(please remember to wash your hands after handling).. they need to be fed often..for tiny babies with eyes closed , (fuzzy appearance) but no true feathers, they need to be fed about every 30 -45 minutes ... older babies , sitting up , with eyes open..every 1 1/2 -2 hours.. for feathered babies .. no longer wobbly (off their hocks) or when sitting up & moving around some .. every 3 1/2 -5 hours with a little scratch on the floor of the cage ( scratch is a baby chicken starter food that most feed supply stores carry , that's a good starter for birds , just ask for the smallest grain they have) .. if you plan to keep the bird in a cage outside .. a word of warning.. if a cat can get it's paw through the cage it will kill a baby bird even if it cannot get him out... some pet stores carry a baby bird food called nutri-start which is an excellent food, just follow directions on the label,.. when the baby gets large enough to pratice flying it will spend a lot of time fluttering around the cage & appear to be stretching his wings ,it's time for a bigger cage, it has to be large enough for him to fly around at least a little & you should ad a few perches, (sticks will work) .. they will usually fly from one perch to another ,for short distance practice..just don't put them too high up, & include a stick that is a little wobbly for balance practice, & if you cannot provide a flight cage of this type , then you should find someone to take the bird that does, he will need this practice in order to be released, you cannot just let him go when he's grown or he will not fair well ... you can also offer worms to your baby just make sure they are dead first or they can crawl back out of the throat & may cause the bird to choke ,water is not something they need very much of ,when your still feeding them, you can offer a few drops after each feeding to wash down the food & clean the mouth,when they are eating on their own, fresh water should be readily available in their cage... for birds with injures ,their chance of surving is small if proper care is not administered,you can keep them in a quite, safe place until you can find help, & offer them a little water, if the wound is small & not life threating, you can rinse it with some betadine(antibacterial cleanser)several times a day & keep the area clean , it's also recommended that the animal be kept indoors because flies can cause maggot infestation in even small wounds & it's not a good idea to wrap or put dressings on birds because of feather damage , so the area is exposed to flies & infestation can occur without you knowing until it is gotten bad ..never use hydrogen peroxide on ANY birds or mammals , it can spread infection rapidly & make things worse... like all rehab patients, your bird will have to be weaned from you & your feeding him.. most people are lucky enough to have them stick around after release .. & if you decide to feed him forever, do not just stop feeding him, some birds will starve waiting for you to feed ,(bird brain!) while others learn to fend for themselves.. wild birds easily become attached to you, so even though it's tempting , do not keep them as pets, god blessed them with wings for a reason, & you would not have a pet, just a prisoner. good luck |