Help a baby Robin fell out of it's next What do we do???

[ginbart]

Quote:
Oh they only fell out because DH just put them in the grape vine not the nest. We couldn't find it at first.


We came in the house and listened from the window. No noise, no babies on the ground. Maybe momma is with them. I hope.

 

[kees]

Mom is probably close by but usually won't approach because people are watching. If you really can't find her, grind up some dry dog food, along with some cooked hard boiled egg yolk and some shell along with some water. Put the baby (ies) in a warm place (on top of a heating pad on the lowest setting in dark quiet place). Then line a tissue box with lots of tissues and make a little nest. You may have to cut down the box a little. Take the back of a little wooden stick and shake the tissue box a little so it seems like mom is landing. The bird should gape. Keep feeding until the crop is full. You'll see it if it's not fully feathered. Make sure that the concoction is not too hot or too cold. It should be about as warm as what you would give a baby. The robin will go to the bathroom near the edge of the box just like it would in the wild. Change the tissues every day. Some people people put in a stuffed animal robin so that the baby feels comfortable. Don't laugh. I've done it. Later on, you can feed it little pieces of worms and whatever it would find in the wild. Be careful, I once fed it a rare moth. Oops. You can also purchase those "waxworms" from a fishing tackle store. You know the ones that change into beetles. Those can be kept alive with a slice of apple and some apple. By that time you can feed the babies with a tweezer. Try to handle the babies as little as possible because you do not want them to become attached to people. That would be almost a death sentence for them. They're meant to live in the wild and if they approach the wrong people, there goes the bird. The bird should be fed approximately every 40-50 minutes for approximately 14 hours a day. Don't feel bad if you care for it for a month and it doesn't make it. Really good rehabbers have only a 50% success rate. Also, please encourage your neighbors to put bells on their cats to give any wild birds a fighting chance to escape.

 

[ginbart]

Quote:
Thank you for all that information. I will print it out just in case I ever need it. we put the babies back in the nest and they are doing fine. Momma is back and all is well.

NOW today my DH brings home a Box turtle for my son. I made him take it back where he found it. And told him not to do THAT AGAIN. It never ends. LOL

 

[priszilla]

good job!

 

[RioLindoAz]

I would not even try to rescue it. This year summer I reared about 4 baby birds. Of course I was heavily prepared. I had my heating pad, baby bird food and about 3 different feeders.

Its way to much of a hastle. Just leave it outside...

 

[ginbart]

Well yesterday one fell out again so DH tried to put it back in. Out comes another one. I told him to hold both of them and move back after they settled down. He tried again and this time they both stayed in. So far so good. I don't have the time to take care of them. So now what happens is up to them.

 

[drafthorse39]

If they are fledglings and are fully feathered they do not require a heating pad, they can stay at room temperature(75 degrees) . Instead of using egg shells use a tums tablet, any flavor that has been dissolved in a bit of water, With egg shells the exact amount of calcium is not known. mix that with 1 cup of dog/cat food soaked, get dog/cat food that is the closest between 33% protein and 12% fat, 1 hard boiled egg mashed in and 1/4 cup of applesauce, I just get the small baby food jars, their is exactly 1/4 cup. The consistency should be like cooked oatmeal. Of course only do this if you HAVE to save a baby bird. Robins are protected by law so they have to go to a rehabber. I usually take all the illegal birds to a rehabber and keep the pigeons, house sparrows and the starlings. I have my starling sitting on my arm as I type this. I have had tons of babies fall out of the nest around here and my cat stalks them but I just put them as high as possible in the tree. The parents will freak out if you touch it! I've had one swoop at me. "Mom will smell you if they are touched" is a total myth like everyone said. Do not go buy handfeeding formula at the store this is not for songbirds, songbirds are insectivores and that was made just for parrots. NEVER give earth worms to a baby bird, it can cause gapeworm. Although they do feed them in the wild, you should not. Mealworms are all fat and like candy so they can be an occasional treat. I would just stick with the dog food mixture. You can buy crickets and use them as a treat also. Do not give them water, they get all the moisture from the mash recipe. At 4 weeks for can give them a plate of water. Good Luck with whatever you decide but keeping them is a huge commitment and they have to be fed around the clock. I start feeding at 5:30- 6:00 Am, and stop around 10:00 PM.

 

[sueg6255]

I went to a bird show once and the man doing the birds said that you should always put the baby bird back in the nest if you can. Birds like that have terrible sense of smell and they wouldn't know if you touched it.

He said that the reason for telling children that is because mothers didn't want thier children picking up birds because of lice and sicknesses.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I think that if they are fully feathered and jumping out of the nest on their own, it may be time for them to get their wings. I wouldn't worry about it too terribly. Birds make their nests "just the right size" for a purpose, one to make sure the eggs stay warm and the other so the babies out grow and HAVE to go out into the world. LOL

Who would want to learn to fly if mother and father just stuck the food into your mouth all day?

I have watched Mockingbirds raise their brood in my backyard year after year. It's funny because one day I will go from seeing just one or two mockingbirds to about 6. That's the day I know the babies were kicked out the nest. I love watching the parents teach them to fly.

First thing the fledglings do when they see their parents is squat, open their beaks wide, and scream like they're starving to death. This time the parents do not go to them, instead the parents stay at a distance and call the young to dinner. Mockingsbirds first dinner out of the nest around here is usually my dog's food. LOL

The parents do this until the young get hungry enought that they start running after their parents for food. Then it elevates to running and then fly-hopping onto somthing just a few feet high. Then the parent's will park on the roof and make the babies come to get their food. After that, I'll see 3 or 4 mockingbird babies all chasing after the closest parent through the air. The whole process only takes a few days, but it is imperative and natural and how the Mockingbirds lives go round.

Just thought I would share. I wouldn't worry about the Robins too much.

-Kim

 

[ginbart]

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Thats pretty neat Kim, thanks for sharing. I haven't seen the baby robins yet today only a snake.