My sister and I are caring for a 2 week old bluejay. When do we start weaning and what do we do?

Question

He's eating baby bird food fine, and we are keeping him warm and he (or she*heh*) is healthy...But I don't know when we should wean him...And what do we feed him with? I basically need a long detailed explanation of what to do when caring for a baby blue jay...

Danielle, 14

Answer 1

Ok I can help you.

He is eating baby bird food fine you say, I dont know what your feeding him, but from the sounds of what your saying he is fine.

He should be eating purina canned dog food mixed, and a hard boiled egg diced up. along with a few crickets. You should feed him every hour to two hours, he will gape open his mouth at you when he's hungry and dont stop feeding him until he stops gaping.

As far as weaning he will wean on his own when he or she feels the time is right. Now when he weans 75% of his diet will be vegetable matter, such as grated carrots, acorns, blue berries, chopped broccoli, spinach, and they are fond of mashed sweet potatoes. The other 25% is protein you can offer it in cooked chicken, insects such as crickets, mealworms, wax worms, spiders, dont offer worms I know it sounds crazy but dont they can carry parasites that they babies are sensitive to.

after he is 4 weeks old give him a water dish he may not drink out of it but he may bathe in it which is a step tward drinking.

when he is fully feathered, give him a cockatiel sized cage, with some toys and teach him how to play with them. Blue jays are fond of shredding paper, and ringing bells, as well as bead toys.


Now since he or she is being raised by you, it means he will imprint on you and not have any survival skills and be unsuitable to be released into the wild.

Thats fine because a blue jay can make a wonderful pet just handle him a lot, they are affectionate, and love to be scratched and petted, some dont like it but some do, the ones that dont are however happy to sit with their owner while they watch tv. Marc Marrone has a blue jay he hand fed and it is such a wonderful pet, I've seen it on his tv show and I've met him personally and it really is interesting to see a blue jay let you hold it and pet it.

I can give you more information and help you out more if you email me my email is [e-mail]

I wish you the best of luck raising your blue jay

Answer 2

I have been there before, but I called a wildlife rehabilitaton center in Houston and they provide young blue jays with an entire aviary where all the adolescents can teach eachother until they are ready to live on their own at 1-2 years of age. Jays are really complex animals, they teach their young and the babies stay with their parents until they are over a year old. I would try contacting one of these organizations where you live, I gave my little jay to them when he was still on baby food. This ensures that they have the skills they need to survive on their own, unless you plan to keep the animal (somewhat illegal, but I have done it before and no one really cares). Oh yeah, when his feathers are almost fully developed he should be ready to be weaned. I would recommend moistened kitten food, or canned kitten food. THey also like fruit, berries, nuts, and worms. I fed a grackel chicken and he loved it. Eggs would also be good. You can give him wild bird food formulated for jays and cardinals, but still feed berries, fruit, and protein.

Answer 3

First off, the advice from FatWhale90 is very good advice. I am an Avian veterinary assistant and have a website for help caring for, identifying baby birds as well as help in emergency situations. Visit http://www.starlingrescueandcare.bravehost.com . The site is targeted for starlings and sparrows but the information will also apply for a baby jay. Hope you find it helpful.

Sincerely, Audra

Answer 4

if you can get a hold of a eye dropperr, etc, or a very very skiny straw, etc, warm up some milk, not much and, strart feeding this bird right away take the eye dropper or a very very skinyy sraw and put the sraw or eye droper in the baby birds mout very very gentl;y dont cram it inn, you may hirt its mouth, be very very easy on your bird while puting in the straw or eye dropper etc, if the bird back off, dont forse it just keep feeding it ltilltle tiny, drops of milk or if yoi got a baby bottle with a very very small nipple on it this will work, too when your done with what you use wash it out, birds are very delicate creatures and can transmit any known dieases, etc, if you follow this you shal suceed, like i said never force it in to its mouth be very very gentle etc

Answer 5

You sound as if you're doing a good job - good on you. 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 for info on how to care.
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 these Yahoo Answers too -
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq1GdvtmX27UJrgshR77Jersy6IX?qid=20060711181307AAZ59uh
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 6

I couldn't tell you but if you can't find anything on the Internet, try contacting an aviary in your hometown or the SPCA. I'm sure either one could give you some pointers.

Answer 7

I would contact your local wildlife rehabilitation center. Birds that young really require as little handling as possible.

Answer 8

Someone asked this a while back:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006051920908

If this does not help, call your local ASPCA.

Answer 9

call the ASPCA. you can't keep a bluejay for a pet. it's a wild bird.