Taking care of a newborn bird...am i doing it right?

Question

My mom and i found a newborn bird tonight. It doesnt have feathers...its reddish pink and bald. It hasn't opened it's eyes. I googled it to find out what to feed it. It told me to feed it every 45min and this is the recipe it provived: 1cup dry dog/ cat food soaked....a hard boiled egg...one fourth applesauce and vitamins...mixed up like oatmeal. I fed it to the bird and i am going to bed now....should i wake up every 45min or will it be okay until 2maro morning? It is sleeping in a container with crumpled up towel unter a nice heating pad with a towel in between. is there any other accomodations i should make for it? Do you know any hot-lines or places that could take it?

Answer 1

The very, very best thing to do for this baby is to put it back in the nest, if you can find it. Don't worry - the mom won't reject it because you handled it. Birds do not have an acute sense of smell. Bird banders and wildlife biologists handle baby wild birds with their bare hands all the time, and the parents do not reject the babies when they are returned to the nests.

If you can not do this, the next very best thing to do is contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. You can find one here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

These people have the training and the resources to care for sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. They are the best chance for this baby's survival.

You should not attempt to keep the bird yourself. First, if you live in the US, it is illegal to keep most native wild species without the proper licenses. Second, and more important, if you do not have the proper training, you can do more harm than good. Finding a recipe and directions on the internet helps some, but it is no substitute for training and experience. I like the way this website explains it: "First of all, there are federal and state laws that prohibit keeping wild birds. And there are so many important but subtle elements to raising a wild bird that the job is only legally entrusted to licensed rehabilitators. Many well-meaning people raise baby birds or rescue birds from cats or after accidents, and sometimes they don't realize that the bird in their care is suffering from a serious dietary deficiency. Some of the problems aren't apparent to untrained people, but can cause death, or make the bird less likely to evade predators or to survive harsh natural weather conditions."
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/FAQBabies.html

You cared enough to try to save the bird. Please care enough to do what is best for it now, and either return it to the nest, or find a licensed professional to care for it.

Answer 2

First off its great that you are willing to take this dog in. It is hard enough to find foster homes for one dog let.alone a litter too. I am not so sure the person in charge is thinking this through though. Any foster is very stressed going into a new enviroment with new people. Any b*** that just had pups is also under stress. The combination of the two could be a disaster. I am going to answer the question as if this was your dog but i can almost gaurentee it will not go so well because the dog has not had time to bond with you or trust you. If your neonatal care is correct you will be handling these pups a couple hours after tbey are born. You need to do a puppy examimation making sure they are free of umbilical hernias, checking each foot and leg for extra dewclaws and more. You need to weigh them every morning and night. You need to take their temp. To make sure they are reaching 101.5. You need to record all of this stuff. The things that need to be done requires handling. You should not be trotting around with them though. If you do not touch the pups they will learn to not like human contact. There is so much more stuff i could not even begin to write it all.

Answer 3

You can also go to the pet store and get Kaytee nestling food.It's a powder that you mix with water and feed with a syringe.It's really easy to feed and it puts weight on the little birds.But ,the formula you're using is good for most songbirds.I personally like to use Bil -Jac fresh frozen dog food,thawed,moistened with a few drops of water, and slightly warmed,mixed with the hard - boiled egg. You might want to freeze the food in ice cube trays,and just thaw what you need,so it doesn't go bad.As the bird grows,you can add finely chopped apple,banana,berries,small insects,worms and seeds,(if it is a seed - eating bird -you should be able to tell when it's feathers come in.)Keep it warm,but not hot,and don't give it water,because they can aspirate water very easily and choke.Wait until it's starting to hop around,and then carefully put a few drops of water in the corner of its bill.It should swallow.Then gently dip it's bill into a shallow dish of water.It will soon learn to drink on it's own.If you're not up to raising it,call around to animal shelters and veterinarians in your area.They will usually know people who rehabilitate orphaned or injured wildlife.Good luck with the little thing.Oh,and you don't have to feed them during the night.The mother doesn't.You just feed them during the daylight hours,making sure that the bedtime feeding is a good one!

Answer 4

I would say your doing a good job, and i would wake up every 45 minnuts to feed it. but thats just me....
I would keep doing this intell its ready to eat on its own...
You also doing a great job in making sure it gets protine, [the egg] thats a great thing to do. baby animals [bird the most] need it to grow more cells

Answer 5

New Born Bird