i found a baby blue jay on the sidewalk.?

Question

its head looks like other birds pecked at it?? i took it home and called the wildlife people they said that they couldn't take it, they had too many. she gave me a recipe for the bird, cat food and hard boiled eggs, blended. i did that and tried to use a syringe. my problem is all the bird wants to do is sleep. he doesnt want to open his beak. how do i get him to open its beak? he doesn't seem hungry i guess............sara

Answer 1

You can try holding the syringe above its head, as if the syrigne were the mother bird feeing it... maybe that will encourage it.

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to make it open its mouth, and a lack of appetite is not a very encouraging sign.

I am very sorry, but it sounds as if the baby bird is dying.

I would just make it as comfortable as possible and let it sleep...

Answer 2

"its head looks like other birds pecked at it":are there open wounds: if so it may have an infection which is very deadly. You need to rehydrate the bird immediately; get some Gatoraide (or similar sports drink) and syringe feed it to the bird. You have to FORCE the beak open. Please email me at
Lost electrolytes need replacing asap. With an eye dropper, feed the chick one-quarter teaspoon human baby pedialyte. If you can't get that, then give a sports drink like Gatoraid. You need to keep it in a very warm spot (a brooder or something else you rig up in a cardboard box where it can either move closer to the heat source (a black or red incandescent bulb (heat bulbs). You need a temp of NO LESS than 85 degrees. Use paper towelling as substrate. Make sure it can't become entangled and stuck in it. Birdie urgently requires this warmth: otherwise, it will not be able to digest food and die. Keep it in a warm, quiet, dimly-lit room. The following are instructions for handfeeding teil chicks. YOU NEED TO GET A SYRINGE in order to do this, or else and eyedropper. Feed much smaller amounts then you see on the instructions here:

Adapted from:
Gallerstein, G.A. “The Complete Bird Owner’s
Handbook”, New York: Macmillan General Reference,
1994.

Proceed slowly and be gentle

First, sit facing the chick. Food should be offered
from the left side of its beak. During the [syringe]
feeding process, try to direct the food toward the
right side of the mouth. Food should be offered in
bite-sized amounts and allowed to be swallowed before
more is given. Stop feeding when the crop is full.
Watch for the crop to become well rounded and taut.
Don’t overfeed: a crop that is frequently overfilled
and overstretched can lead to medical problems.

Although uncommon, problems associated with feeding
sometimes occur. Coughing and/or “violent” head
shaking could suggest choking on food. If this is
suspected, contact your vet immediately.

In addition, the chick should be thoroughly cleaned
after each feeding. Warm water applied with a cotton
ball, etc.

Quantity of Food

The amount of food fed at each feeding depends upon
age…As the chick grows, the volume of food is
increased [and number of daily feedings
correspondingly decreased].

Quantity of Food per Feeding – General Guidelines –
Cockateil

Age in days. Quantity in cc’s. One cc is equal to
1/5 teaspoon.
7-21 21-28 28-35 35-48 48-weaning
4-10cc 10cc 10cc 10-15cc weaned

Frequency of Feedings per Day- General Guidelines –
Cockateils

Age in days
7-21 21-weaning
4-6 3-4

Feeding

The smaller the beak, the smaller the syringe
used…Chicks should be hungry at every feeding. A
chick that does not seem interested in food should NOT
be forced to eat. A hungry chick will respond by
bobbing its head and/or making a chirping sound [a
species thing]. These actions decrease the chance of
aspirating food and choking. If there is no feeding
response, it may be necessary to actually touch the
sides of the beak to initiate one. If the chick still
does not respond, look for some underlying reason.
This might include food that is either too hot or too
cold, a chick that is itself too cold or feeding
schedules too close together. [The correct
temperature is…test on your wrist, same as for human
baby formula. You should feel NOTHING]. There may
be a medical reason for the loss of appetite (see your
vet).

Answer 3

BABY FOOD: You can feed it like people do with baby birds when they're being hand-fed. A plastic syringe sorta contraption or a small spoon. Syringe helps in this case better. You probably want an extra hand.

I remember when I was a kid hand-feeding baby birds. It was actually gerber flake food stuff that you add water too., and some other stuff that we got from a bird breeder. I'm not sure if just the baby food would be enough.. probably.

CORNBREAD: I use this to get my african grey parrot to eat some veggies. He is so picky it's rediculous. We didn't get him until he was 5 yrs old.. a rescue bird so-to-speak. Obviously he wasn't fed anything but sunflower seeds and peanuts. ugh.

Anyway, very few birds will turn away cornbread. (homemade that is.. not the crud from a box that you add water to)

BREEDER: If you can't get anything to work, ask around to find a bird breeder (of any kind of bird) in your local area. They will help for sure. If they don't, they're evil people.

OPEN HIS BEAK: This should come naturally with the cornbread that he will probably like. However, if it doesn't.. the syringe with plastic tip on it.. you just hold his head still (not easy if you're not experienced.. but may be easy if he's really weak and tired because he's sick).. hold his head still.. hand without syringe.. hand over his back/neck with fingers pointing towards his head, pointer finger on one side of his head close to where his beak meets head, and middle finger on the other side, rest of your fingers wrap around his chest/neck in front. Stick the syringe in the side to back corner of his beak.. if you push on it lightly, he will eventually get annoyed and open his beak.

That's my opinion anyway. You can do the same thing with a spoon., but it's not as easy for inexperienced.

Either way, you want to pretend like you are a momma feeding it's young. their head will tilt back so that the food slides right down.

AVIAN VET: Find an avian vet. That's what you really should do. That's what I would do if I couldn't get him to eat or drink with the methods that I'm aware of. He could need medical attention.

Answer 4

Well I have so many birds Im looking after right now and somtimes they just dont wanna open there mouths you should just open it yourself Gentley and put the food in.

You can also add tums to the formula and apple sauce it shall give the bird more vitamines I do that myself too.

Also if it has any scratches on it you should take it to the vet ASAP because if it was a cat it can kill the bird in 25 hours or less if not treated because cats have bactiria in there mouths that can kill birds.

Good luck.

Oh ya no need for a Syringe because of done wrong it can kill the bird going down the wrong toob there is realy no need to use a toob for a song bird toob feeding should only be used for pigeons and doves Just use a stick or cut straw and feed it to the bird like that.

Answer 5

Sorry to say but it would be a miracle if it survived...your not a mother bird who can sit on it to keep it warm....it is or was probably scared to death and in shock, so it probably wont take food..and if it looks pecked it might have been. Mother nature is cruel at times. It's own mother might have pecked it and chased it out of the nest if it was ill or weak so that it's stronger healthier siblings could survive..you have a good heart, but it might be too late for that little one.

Answer 6

Usually infant birds don't survive being nursed back to health. If it wants to sleep let it. It probably by now has a bacterial or parasitic infection and is not strong enough to fight it off. Just make it comfortable and if it gets hungry try that mixture or sugar water.

Answer 7

The first thing you should do is to take the poor thing to a Vet.He should be able to tell U how badly hurt it is.But when you take it in your hands be very careful and try to be as gentle as you can be.If you think you are hurting it by doing so let it sleep and try to keep it warm and comfy. The chances for its survival without its mother are narrow.But do the best you can to save it. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

These sites explain all about what to do for orphan and injured birds -
http://www.crowsystems.com/rehab/babybird.html - this is an excellent article - be sure to read down the entire page!
http://www.stokesbirdsathome.com/q&a/archive/qa108.html
http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/02/what-happened-when-nestling-fell-out.html
http://www.projectwildlife.org/find-babysongbirds.htm
And this Yahoo Best Answer too -
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=1006050608886

I've got a lot of links to wildlife carers from a lot of countries on my site, at
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/links under "Wildlife Assistance" - just click on them all, click on your country and state, have a browse, 'phone them and ask their advice.

Very very best of luck.

Answer 9

Having found a few blue jays before. They are better left where you found them. I have seen both parents watch over them and fly down to feed them. Even a one set of parents fly down and peck anyone nearby, Sounds like though the one you have will not make it.

Answer 10

the bird will eat when it is ready but dont give up on it cause it could loose it's life. but keep on tryin to open it's beak to get food in there cause it prob. is straving but it is very scaried too. talk to it, there do listen!!!