help me save a baby bird! wat can i feed him & how can i ensure his survival?

Question

his name is herbie :) found him in the garden n we think hes a starling. hes hardly got any feathers so v young. tried bread n milk n water. oh and sandwich ham! will i have 2 catch grubs? plz help! save herbie :D

Answer 1

Hi there. The Bird is more than likely suffering from stress so try and keep it away form noise and other pets. Sugar water on a dropper helps to rehydrate the little thing. If it is a starling then it will be insectiverous ( I think) and tiny pieces of mince meat can be fed to it instead of worms and bugs (he should gulp it from you help in tweezers without a problem). Do not feed it milk though.
If you are unsure as to the species then consult a bird book or if you are able a vet or a bird shelter. If it is an insect eater it will be harder to feed it and then a fully supplemented cereal such as the South African brand "Pro nutro" is best (can be bought at London Bridge station and loads of SA shops). Some pet shops sell "Avi-Plus" handrearing food which has a specific food for each type of bird and you mix it with water and feed it like a porridge. Keep the bird Hydrated, unstressed and ensure that the heat is only on one side of the box so that it can move away from heat if to hot. Good luck!

Answer 2

What kind of a bird is it? If it's a robin or common wild bird you should feed it a mixture of breadcrumbs, canned dog food, and milk that has been warmed. You will need to hold the baby bird in your hand and feed the food into its mouth with your finger tip. This will need to be done several times a day. If you work...take the bird to work with you if possible. If the baby bird is a "ground-feeder" such as a dove, you will need to purchase specific food from a farm supply store. Doves eat differently and must be fed by holding them in your hand over the source of food. They peck downward when eating and so take food in this way. Feeding is not the only concern...keeping the bird warm is VERY important too. Changing hot water bottles each hour or two must be done, or you could use a heating pad under the cage, on low setting. The main thing to remember when taking in any wild bird is that it is a really BIG responsibility. Do you have the time? Can you see it from start to finish? Will you be able to release it back in the wild again. I have done this with wild birds...not always successful I might add. You either make the choice to let nature take its course and realize that the job is too much to take on, OR you undertake the job with great zeal! It is very important to not take it lightly either way. Knowing that you cared for a baby bird successfully and were able to release it back into the wild is a very satisfying experience. Good luck to you!

Answer 3

You must get a syringe and disguise it as a beak, then stick to bread and water milk is not going to do him any good, and try feeding him that way. If he still doesn't want to eat the bread then try some worms and crickets, feed that to him while they are still alive, if you can't find any go to your pet store and buy some, please don,t make the bread too soggy and also not too dry, otherwise the little thing will choke. Get yourself a lamp with about a 15 watt globe and put that directly over the bird, make a little nest for him to feel secure in. It is going to be a 24 hour job, you must not feed him after dark otherwise you will spoil it, and you won't be able to let it go, try not too handle the bird too much.
Hope this helps

Answer 4

Are you sure its a starling?Most of the baby starlings have left their nests and will be able to fly about ok.I would check on the rspb website itl give you information.Also it might be learning to fly,they often stay on the ground while the mother is teaching it to fly.The mother will be close by watching.So unless theres a chance it of it being in danger i would leave it alone and just keep an eye on it from a distance.Too many people make the mistake of thinking the babies are in danger and pick them up and ruin any chances of it surviving.

Answer 5

Feed him raw hamburg meat with tweezers and feed him water through a dropper. Make sure the hamburg meet is very ground up, you need to keep watch on him constantly and keep him very warm, probably in around 75-80 degrees, depending how old he/she is. Feed him whenever he/she opens his/her mouth, or it will die of starvation and possibly lonliness. Are you sure that the mother did not just leave him their for a second? Try leaving him in a box for an hour or two during the day, watch from around a corner, and see if a mom comes back to the spot you found him.

Answer 6

buy an eye dropper...one that can be cleaned easily. Take a small bowl and mix sugar, a tiny bit of milk and water. Use the dropper to get the liquid into the bird's mouth. You will have to do this until the bird can begin to eat solid food. Honey is also a healthy sweetener. You can buy ready made bird food at PetCo.
Food developed for Hummingbirds may be OK; however it would hurt to ask the salesperson about food for you little birdie.

Answer 7

Do Not Give him to a shelter!!!!! Most shelters Euthanize starlings because they arent native to North America. They are LEGAL to keep as pets and make wonderful pets.

www.starlingcentral.net tells you about the starlings they raised and what to feed them as adults

www.starlingtalk.com tells you what to feed the babies and adults.

I've been on both sites and they are informative and helpful. They also tell you the pet quality of a starling and mention their own pet starlings.

you can email me for more questions at [e-mail]

I hope this helps

Answer 8

we had to nurse a baby blackbird once. Baby food. Vegetable baby food. Got loads of energy and fattens them up. Also make a little cardboard box and put a small bowl of water in there. The other option is to collect worms and mash them up. Put them in one of those icing bags and slowly squeeze the worm mush into the birds beak. It will basically be like its mum feeding it.

I do hope this works as it kept our blackbird going until he was a fledgling, then we turned him over to a wild bird sanctuary so he could learn to be free. He was called Wilbur,

Answer 9

Oh it is very hard to raise a wild bird but it can be done. I rescued a baby mourning dove and was told to feed it boiled egg yolks...Feepie loved it and ate that until he was old enough to handle seeds. I had to hand feed him by putting small amount in his beak. Good luck.

Answer 10

Put him in a box with a blanket, make sure its in a warm place. Mix some porridge oats, cooked bolied egg cut up really finely with some lettuce and make sure he has some water to drink. I had a chick who was rejected by the hen and that worked for me.