How do I care for a female cardinal that I rescued?

Question

I rescued this bird from a neighborhood cats mouth. It is currently unable to fly. I put it in a spare parrot cage for the time being.

Answer 1

You need to get it to a wildlife rehab center asap. Cat saliva contains a number of harmful bacteria that can quickly kill a bird if not treated. Even what looks like a small scratch can be life threatening for the bird. As well the bird is probably in pain, a licensed rehaber can help you out here (licensed being a key word since they are a federally protected species). For now you may want to place the cardinal in a box and keep it covered, it's less stressful for the bird and if it tries to move around it won't damage its feathers (the bars for the cage on the other hand can break feathers). If you aren't sure where the closest rehab center is you can try asking a local vet/animal shelter/ etc.
You can also check this site for the closest center http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

Remember try and get it to a rehabber as soon as possible to better the cardinal's chance of survival, good luck.

Answer 2

Call your local humane society and get the name of a licensed bird rehabilitator. They will take the bird and do all they can to aid her recovery. It is not legal for you to take care of the bird. Its a violation of the Federal migratory bird act. Also, being bit by a cat, even a very minor seeming bite, is extremely dangerous for birds. Cats have a lot of bacteria in their mouths which will set up massive infection in a bird. Even if it wasn't against the law for you to have the bird, it would almost certainly die. Good luck! Thanks for being so kind.

Answer 3

Wild birds are very susceptible to stress and do not do well in captivity. I suspect the bird will die soon. You could try placing water and sunflower seeds in the cage and cover the cage to try to give the bird a sense of security. Keep in mind, cardinals do not like to feed from a perch. They need a relatively flat surface to stand on when they feed. Good luck, but don't be too upset if the bird doesn't make it.

Answer 4

call your local wildlife rescue. they know how to deal with wild animals if not close to wildlife rescue, call a park and ask for a park ranger he can give you advice.