HELP!!

[Ljt09863]

fiance found a baby blue jay! instead of leaving him to see if his mommy would take care of it, he brought in our home. so now baby blue jay cant go home.:(

i want birdie to live, but i don't think we are capable of taking care of it. right now i have dog food soakingin water,since i read on a couple websites that they can eat it.

i think it would be best to give it to somebody who could take care of it, but i don't know who. i need help!!!!

[Evil Queen]

uh... I'm sorry, but I don't think you can take care of a baby birdie without the mama. Baby birdies need a lot of feeding and care and I don't believe humans can provide that.

Either way, I guess take the little thing to the local Vet and see what they tell you?

[edible_hat]

I have a friend who takes care of abandoned baby birds, I'll point him to this thread and see what he has to say.

[Ljt09863]

i really don't think we can do anything for it either. but my fiance(who has never been around baby birds) assumed he could save him....i feel bad, cause this poor birdie doesn't have much of a chance with us....

its 8 on a sunday night. ALL the vets are closed....

[Evil Queen]

its 8 on a sunday night. ALL the vets are closed....

Oops. Sorry! :o I forget my Vet was the weird exception (she really liked my dog).

[sms001]

Got a Vet SCHOOL in the area? That would probably be your best bet.
Good luck - may he grow up to harass every bird in your yard! :)

[edible_hat]

OK here's what my friend said with a few comments from me (edit: OK one comment from me):

It's very simple. She has to call Fauna Rescue and she'll get through to someone locally. Then they will come and take the bird, or better yet will give her an address where she can take the bird to and then they will look after it until it can be released or whatever.

I wouldn't advise her to try looking after a wild bird with no previous experience and birds are huge time investments that cannot be potty trained.

This is if she's in Australia, at least.

There are similar groups that are in other countries as well. Things like Animal Rescue / Fauna Rescue etc. The RSPCA as far as I know looks after 'pets' more than little wild critters but if she calls them they can probably direct her to the right place as well.

The RSPCA is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I think the American equivalent is the SPCA. We also have the Animal Welfare League here (they run a lot of shelters), your equivalent organisation could help. Or maybe the local zoo or Department of Parks and Wildlife.

Google will work fine as well for "Help! I found a baby bird!" should bring up lots of answers.

What she should do depends on how old the bird is. Most of all, keep it warm - not hot. Don't put it in a heating pan meant for food and then forget it's on - we nearly roasted several baby chickens that way! Not my doing, but insanely stupid nonetheless. Somewhere without drafts, while she waits, somewhere dark and warm and dry so it doesn't stress out.

Is it fully feathered? Why not take it back to where you found it and see if the mother is still around? If it's only been a few hours it's still good. Even a day - depends on the species.

Is it injured? Look carefully for blood and the like. Etc.

These are questions anywhere you call will ask as well.

The second post on this page should give be plenty helpful instead... http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=36502

[BookstoreEscapee]

The blue jay is my college mascot - it's a scrappy fighting bird....

One year we had a robin build a nest in the cross beams of our picnic table that was laying on its side under the patio overhang for the winter. There were 4 babies and we couldn't put up the screenhouse or move the furniture until they were old enough to go off on their own. They were cute little things, though.

[Fenrus]

Call your local Animal Services/Animal Control (if you're in the US). I know our agency has numbers of people who take in injured/lost birds and will nurse them until they can be released. They should be able to help you... and just so you know, I know for a fact that my agency's Animal Control won't euthanise any animal. We keep it until it's adopted, or we give it to the Humane Society after a month so they can put it up for adoption as well.

[Ljt09863]

so i think this bird doesn't have much of a chance. my fiance is kinda dumb when it comes to baby birds. he fed the bird some mushed up dog food at 7:30. it is now midnight, and im talking to him(lecturing) that he should have just let the bird be. he keeps saying," i fed it! it should be fine!" yeah hon. feeding him at 7:30pm, expecting a BABY bird to be ok for the next 13 hours until I wake up and get to feed him...sure. he'll be alright.

also, i keep telling him the bird needs warmth. "ok, ill do something for him tomorrow..."

so i pray this bird lives till tomorrow so i can call a vet and find out where i can take him. i don't care if i make fiance mad if i give this bird to an animal shelter....if the bird lives by my giving him up, then im happy.

[Saydrah]

If it is feathered, put it back where he found it ASAP.

Birds do not have much of a sense of smell so, contrary to popular belief, mama and papa will NOT reject it if it smells like humans.

If it is not feathered, you need to stimulate it to go potty by wiping it with a warm washcloth on its belly until it poops. Birds that are not feathered can't yet eliminate on their own.

Either way, get it either outside or to a professional ASAP.

Birds CAN go a full 8 hours at night without food. They sleep, too. But in the daytime, they need food every two hours.

[friendofjimmyk]

I'm sorry, I love animals - but I've heard birds are HUGE carriers of lice or similar parasites and that can start young. Try to take it back to mama if you can find it.

[FuzzyKitten99]

If taking it back isn't likely, see if your area or state has a wild animal rescue center. MN has a few around the state, and the one closest to me is the Raptor Center, about 20 miles away.

They take any and all animals, and survive on donations and grants. I usually donate a few times a year. They will care for the animal and give medical care when needed. They will even send you a postcard telling you what happened with your rescue.

I have found a few abandoned baby birds and other animals that I have brought down there. The baby robins that I found were cared for and released back into the wild.