The Old Folks Home

[getaclue]

Blue jays, and Bluebirds alike will do fine on the recipe I posted. I got it from a genuine rehabber. I even posted on how to make the straw "spoon", and feeding instructions. Here, one of the pet stores had/has a licensed bird rehabber working there. One of our local vets has all the licensing not only for regular birds, but for raptors too, and he started a bird sanctuary for those that couldn't be returned to the wild. We also have the Gulf Coast Seabird Sanctuary in Saint Petersburg, Florida that will assess the situation, give expert advice, and take in any type bird. There is Busch Gardens here too.

I had done squirrels several times, in cooperation with another local rehab lady, but not birds. The year Florida got hit with 5 hurricanes in a row, is the first time I did birds. There were squirrel, and baby birds blown around everywhere, and the local rehabbers were full. When I went into the pet store to get the puppy food, the bird rehab lady spoke with me. She questioned me good about what it looked like, then about what I was doing for it, feeding. She was satisfied, and asked if I was comfortable taking care of it. I told her I was, and we exchanged phone numbers, so I could call anytime if I needed to. I've helped rehab several types of birds through the years, they all lived, and were returned to the wild. I've rehabbed quite a few squirrels too.

 

[getaclue]

It's the Flintstone Complete vitamins that I used...Not the ones with Extra Iron, or Immunity Support.

 

[getaclue]

Curiously, why the tums?

The Tums provide the extra calcium they need, with the right amount of sugar.

 

[getaclue]

castportpony, the way she explained it, birds that fly need quite a bit of calcium when they're developing. When they don't get enough during development, it affects them, causing problems later in adulthood.

In addition to calcium, blue jays, cardinals, red birds, mocking birds, blue birds, etc. are seed eaters, and many seeds have starches, and/or sugars. The Tums add just enough sugar, without it being too much. Many mother birds don't just grab a bug, or seeds drop into the mouths of their babies, when they're too young. They do some of the "pre-digesting" for the babies, and regurgitate the mixture into the babies mouths.

 

[runt325]

2 of the babies died and I don't think this one is going to make it

 

[getaclue]

runt, if you're keeping it warm, feeding it the formula I gave you, it stands a very good chance of doing just fine. The younger it is, the more often it will have to be fed. Usually, baby birds are vocal, and will let you know when to feed them, so take your cue from that. For now, if it's still covered in fuzz, feed it every hour. If it's begun to feather in, feed it every two hours. Within a couple days you'll know the feeding schedule. As it gets older, and feathers in better, it will eat more at a time, and you don't have to feed it as often. When it begins to attempt flying, then start putting a little jar lid with water at the bottom of the cage, and some birdseed (Parakeet seed works fine) on the bottom of the cage too. Wild birds fly down, and eat from the ground. Be patient. It takes time for them to learn to fly down to eat, and they don't have a real mommy teaching them, but they do learn.

 

[getaclue]

2 of the babies died and I don't think this one is going to make it

So sorry. It happens. They may have gone too long without eating, and gotten dehydrated, since they get their liquid intake from their food. They may have gone too long without food, and gotten too weak. They may have gone too long without body heat from the mother. These things happen.

 

[runt325]

I'm feeding it soft dog food and keeping it warm but I don't think its going to make it

 

[getaclue]

make sure the dog food is good and mushy, and try to feed it hourly

 

[getaclue]

If using dry dog food, not overly soupy, but on the soupy side.