I now have a parasitic bird..HELP!

[rodriguezpoultry]

And it's name is Leech and/or Buster.

It's a Robin. Seems to be about 3 weeks old? This is NOT my photo, but it could be this bird's twin:

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTSYBkvUE1zd372l8uOs5dFtKh3FsTMS2MbOPp2Hmsle5QmSqH7cw&t=1

Here I was, driving along behind a semi truck. The truck ran over this "thing" in the road. Somehow this bird either went inbetween the tires or I have no idea how it made it. I turned around and went back to make sure it got off the road. I caught it as it was running back onto the road. The parents were up overhead so I put it in the forest. It ran back to the road. Put it further in the forest, ran back to the road, chasing after me. I put it even further in the forest and RAN to my car. Guess who was at the road waiting?

So...I took it with me. I've contact a rehabber, but so far no word back. I've given it some meal worms and crickets. Until they get back to me, is there anything I need to know? Do I need to give it water? Each time it peeps, do I feed it? Or at least, how often do I need to feed it? Are crickets and meal worms ok? Or do I need to get worms?​

 

[welsummerchicks]

Moistened dry dog food is a lot easier to catch, and you won't have to chew up the dog food and half digest it for the baby to keep it from sticking in its throat or crop.

 

[chickenzoo]

Moistened down dog food works pretty well for them or cheap canned dog food, the ground up kind......

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Really?? All I have to do? How do I feed that? Do I still have to shove it down it's throat with my fingers?

 

[Dutchgirl]

You can either use canned dog food or thoroughly soaked dry food. (We recently raised a baby wren.)
If grasshoppers are in abundance you can try tearing off the back legs and seeing what the baby does with it.

Put a small dish of water (try using Mason jar lids) wherever the bird is.

 

[Dutchgirl]

Quote:
Try using some tweezers. We used plastic tweezers and shoved bite-size (bird bite-size, that is) chunks about halfway down its throat. The end of a plastic spoon works, too.

You should feed it about every twenty minutes, especially if it is chirping its head off.

 

[M@M@2four]

Just take a little bit of wet canned food and gently put in it's mouth--have a q-tip ready to GENTLY push just to the back and make sure it goes down. NO water--a mother doesn't bring her babies water, so don't give water either. Many people think they need water and try to give it to them and they end up aspirating. Good luck!

 

[redhen]

Dont put food down its throat if its not bobbing its head... or you can choke it.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

At this stage it should take the food pretty readily without sticking it in the mouth. He'll be flying fairly soon.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

He opens his moth whenever he sees me. Definite bobbing. He's started understanding that if I put food in he better close his mouth or it's gonna fall out. How often do I need to feed him? Really wish the rehabbers would call back..