I need immediate help with Cardinal eggs!

[Bec]

Someone on my local craigslist found some cardinal eggs on the ground and is asking for help! They came out of an air vent in their apartment complex and they can't get them back to the nest. She accidentally stepped on one not knowing it was there and she said there was a baby in there! She called the Tri-State Bird Rescue and they said they don't have luck with eggs so they wouldn't take them.

What can she do to keep them warm? What temp should they be kept at?? is it the same as chicken eggs?

 

[TheFreundFlock]

This is going to sound bad, but even if she does get the eggs to hatch she is going to have a hard time keeping the chicks alive! Wild birds are very hard and demanding!
I work with wildlife rehab vet clinic, we would have people bring in chicks that "fell out" of the nest. Most of them died we save a bunch, but 2 out of 3 just die.
Another thing is that she can get in some BIG trouble with hefty fines for have wildlife in her home without a license even if she is just trying to help it. I know a person who had to serve jail time here in Texas for rehabbing squarls because she did not have a license and the person she was working under did not renew hers! Caused some big drama!

But I wish her the best of luck! I know she is just wanting to help!

 

[Jessica1228]

In Michigan we don’t do much for baby birds. I worked at the local DNR Rehabilitation center for a few years and know that they turned thousands of baby birds away. There are fines for possessing wild animals but, in our state it’s very rare to ever even see a DNR or animal control officer. I would look for local aviaries or nature centers that might take them. Most areas have owl rescue or emergency aviary clinics. If you can’t find one get in your car as fast as you can and get to a pet supply and your library!

Libraries should have information about birds in your area. Google has been an invaluable tool for us. She will have to incubate them and determine the stage of the egg. Honestly, if it’s early on I’d just put them back. If you’re within a week of hatching timing is crucial and you need to keep them at the right temp ASAP! I’m guessing they are cooked or cold at this point. Candle them to make sure. Even if you get them to maturity they may have hatching problems.

Baby bird formula usually comes in a can. I know Pet Supply Plus has a special wildlife formula. Mix it with water and syringe feed the recommended amount. It goes by weight so she’ll need a scale for food, specially for birds, or well… drugs. The scale we use to weigh the babies was picked up at a local head shop for ten bucks. I know that sounds terrible but it works. Hypothetically if they hatch and she doesn’t drowned them when she feeds them (believe me it happens a lot) they could live. But what are the odds? I’m not trying to discourage you. I myself have had many a baby bird live on my kitchen counter. But eggs are hard and you don’t know how long they have been cold, hot, broken, dead… I don’t know if it’s worth it but I’d probably give it a shot.

sorry for the long post, best of luck

 

[thedoors5to1]

hi there-
i cant help you much as i dont know anything about hatching out baby cardinals, but i think you should check out this website, its a wildlife rehabilitation directory. i dont know if #'s are up to date but its worth a shot.
i've used this website before, as iam a wildlife rehabilitator and sometimes i do not have the knowledge or facilities to care for certain animals or injuries, so i use the contacts from this website and another website i know to contact someone who can care for the animal as needed. its a great tool. the website has a search tool by zipcode, but you can also see all listings by state, animal, and permit.
hope this helps you contact someone who can really help!

here is the website:
http://www.wildliferehabber.org/

 

[Bec]

Thank you all so much! I will pass on the information!