- Jun 11, 2012
- 1
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Now, I know these are not caged birds, but....
On Saturday 2 baby Starlings blew out of a nest in a very high peak on a house. We were unable to reach the eve where the nest was, even with a ladder. There were no places to put the birds. One man (before I showed up with my friend) found the first chick and left it on the rail of his porch. A cat grabbed it and was about to crush it but I grabbed it back.
I had no clue what to do, and the babies were begging for food so I got a small box, put my sweatshirt in there, and put the babies in. I fed each bird a couple of chopped up earthworms, and went home after an hour.
When I got home I fed them canned dog food, and the nest day (yesterday) I made them a mix of food.
I mixed applesauce, canned dog food, adult dry cat food, cooked chicken, boiled egg, and pulverized egg shell together and added some water so the cat food would soak it up. I feed the birds by putting a bit on a syringe without a needle, and the birds just swallow it. I also mix gatorade with water and every other feeding or so they get a little bit of that from a different syringe.
They are in a box lined thickly with rags and paper towel, on top of a heating pad set on low. The thermometer on top of the rags says that the temp is 85 degrees, which sounds perfect according to starlingtalk.com
Last night I was sitting on the couch with the starlings in my cupped hands, on a cloth. One bird was cheeping loudly at one point, complaining about mites I assume, because they have them. The other was trying to sleep. The sleepy one started shaking at intervals, and had its head tucked into its chest. The other kept pecking at its wing, scratching it. The sleepy one eventually started gaping slightly, opening its beak about 1/3 and breathing through its mouth. It kept shaking its head, so I got worried, fed the birds, and went to bed. But right after feeding I listened close, and when the bird gaped for air, there was a very small "haaargh" sound coming from the bird's throat.
Please help me....later today I'm going to Agway (farm supply store) to go get Invermectin horse wormer, which was recommended for chickens. I don't know about starlings, but I think a tiny smudge mixed into some food would be good to help get rid of the gapeworm??? How about the mites? I don't know what to give for those, but they're there because I keep finding teeny tiny bugs in the nest, so I smush them.
I really love these birds and it's a shame to see them suffer like this.
On Saturday 2 baby Starlings blew out of a nest in a very high peak on a house. We were unable to reach the eve where the nest was, even with a ladder. There were no places to put the birds. One man (before I showed up with my friend) found the first chick and left it on the rail of his porch. A cat grabbed it and was about to crush it but I grabbed it back.
I had no clue what to do, and the babies were begging for food so I got a small box, put my sweatshirt in there, and put the babies in. I fed each bird a couple of chopped up earthworms, and went home after an hour.
When I got home I fed them canned dog food, and the nest day (yesterday) I made them a mix of food.
I mixed applesauce, canned dog food, adult dry cat food, cooked chicken, boiled egg, and pulverized egg shell together and added some water so the cat food would soak it up. I feed the birds by putting a bit on a syringe without a needle, and the birds just swallow it. I also mix gatorade with water and every other feeding or so they get a little bit of that from a different syringe.
They are in a box lined thickly with rags and paper towel, on top of a heating pad set on low. The thermometer on top of the rags says that the temp is 85 degrees, which sounds perfect according to starlingtalk.com
Last night I was sitting on the couch with the starlings in my cupped hands, on a cloth. One bird was cheeping loudly at one point, complaining about mites I assume, because they have them. The other was trying to sleep. The sleepy one started shaking at intervals, and had its head tucked into its chest. The other kept pecking at its wing, scratching it. The sleepy one eventually started gaping slightly, opening its beak about 1/3 and breathing through its mouth. It kept shaking its head, so I got worried, fed the birds, and went to bed. But right after feeding I listened close, and when the bird gaped for air, there was a very small "haaargh" sound coming from the bird's throat.
Please help me....later today I'm going to Agway (farm supply store) to go get Invermectin horse wormer, which was recommended for chickens. I don't know about starlings, but I think a tiny smudge mixed into some food would be good to help get rid of the gapeworm??? How about the mites? I don't know what to give for those, but they're there because I keep finding teeny tiny bugs in the nest, so I smush them.
I really love these birds and it's a shame to see them suffer like this.
