I found a baby bird what should I do!?

Question

Okay so the strangest thing happened today. I was feeding my dogs through their cages, when I find a baby bird peeking behind it! I captured it and is now chirping in a shoe box =( And the things I would like to ask are..

Is it illegal to keep it? But leaving it out in the wild alone.. Wouldn't it die?

Whats the best website to find out what find it is because it doesn't look ANYTHING like a regular crow/bird that you see everyday outside.

How do I feed it?

Do I take it to a vet?

Thanks thats all =)

Answer 1

First of all, despite everybody's recommendations to take it to a vet, it's not as easy as it sounds.  For starters, you will need to find an Avian Specialist Vet.  Your best bet for this is to call your local vet, or possibly even stores like Petco or Petsmart that deal in exotic birds because typically, nobody really bothers taking relatively cheap and short-lived birds like parakeets and cockatiels to an Avian Specialists because they are NOT cheap.

The second problem is that even if you find an Avian Specialist, more and more they are refusing to deal with wild birds.

There are also issues in regards to parading up to a Wildlife Rescue resource.  For starters, they are not all encompassing - they will often limit themselves to certain animals which they are equiped to deal with.  Your best bet is to do an online search for local Wildlife Rescues, check out their websites, star ratings (if you use Yahoo Local), and call once you've narrowed it down.  Unfortunately, more and more Refuges are being forces to cut back and/or shut down completely due to lack of funding.  Also, if you live in an area that has recently or regularly has some sort of natural disasters (such as wildfires) that displaces large amounts of wildlife, they likely will not be able to take in a baby bird.  Also, most Wildlife Rescue is aimed at more endangered and/or dangerous species.  Even if they take your baby, they may simply euthanize it once you leave.

While you are researching the web for local vets, wildlife rescues, and so on, you will have a number of sites pop up that will offer additional information on taking care of a wild bird and hopefully rehabilitating it.  Some are quite helpful, some are not, you simply have to feel your way around.

Now for a quick question and answer session because I need more info from you to give you more info:

1) Just how young is the bird?  Does it have fuzz, feathers, both, etc.?  How big is it relative to your shoe box?

2) Do you know where the nest is, see any birds looking around or congregating in an area, hear any bird calls?

3) You only mention that it doesn't resemble a 'regular crow/bird.'  What do you mean?  Is it black?  What color(s) is it?  What is the shape of the beak?  Even eye color, beak & leg color, length of legs proportionate to body, types of noises it makes, if it tries to flap around or jump around - all of these things could be a clue.  Where do you live regionally?  You also have to keep in mind that some birds' feathers (size and color), eye color, and proportions change as they get older.

4) What is its behavior like?  Is it frantic, energetic, subdued?  Does it appear injured, sick, deformed (legs usually), could it have been attacked by another animal?

5) Have you ever personally cared for any type of bird?

Bypassing these questions for now, first and foremost, if there is a nest and the baby bird is still fuzzy and all open mouth, DO try to return it to its nest.  Despite popular misinformation, birds have a lousy sense of smell and will not reject the baby if it has not been previously kicked out of the nest for Darwinistic reasons.  In fact, studies have proven that while hatchlings are still in the nest, the parent(s) automatically feed it (birds were swapped out from nests, plus there's the modus operandi of the Cuckoo).  If you can't physically reach the nest, it is possible to set up a small box as close and high as you can get to it, keeping the bird out of immediate danger of cats and other predators and hopefully putting it where its parents can find it and feed it.  If you go the latter route, be prepared to check the box and have to yank the baby back inside if it is not being nourished.

On an average, depending on the breed and social structure of birds, a hatchling could requiring feedings as much as every half hour, 24/7.  Even fledgelings are fairly voracious; however, no matter how hard it will shriek in a manner suggesting imminent death by starvation, you can get by with every few hours and eventually get it to also follow a day schedule (i.e. you don't have to get up during the night to feed it).

As to feeding - first and foremost, do NOT feed it anything of a dairy nature.  Even formula is not a good idea because processed soy has rather bad effects on a bird, up to and including death.

Secondly, do not just randomly squirt liquids, even desperately needed water, down its throat.  It could very well choke to death on it.  Drip it in, soak a piece of fabric, that sort of thing.

Before I continue on with what you might be able to feed it, I suggest you strongly search the internet to figure out what your bird's breed is.  Go to bird watcher's websites and hit your region.  Heck, see if there is a bird watcher club nearby that might help you with identification.  Otherwise, you may very well end up playing a bit of Russian Roulette with what you feed it.  Birds can be carnivorous, omnivorous, or live on berries and nuts.

Something else for you to consider since you say it resembles nothing you've seen is the potential that your foundling may not in fact be a 'wild' bird.  Particularly if you live close (meaning up to 100s of miles) to the Mexican border; more and more exotic bird smugglers will bust open their crates and set free their live cargo in order to leave officials without evidence.  There have been large flocks of parrots going on fifteen years in my area (and growing larger every year).  Lately I've also seen an enormous flock of Finches.  Also, you have the irresponsible pet owners that set their birds free, either via accident or on purpose.

For the most part, you can run with the idea that the bird is at least carnivorous if not omnivorous.  Depending on its size, go visit the baby food aisle and get the baby food with the least additives.  If your bird is nothing but a ball of fluff, go with Gerber Stages 1, for instance (Gerber isn't actually the most perservative free, but they do have those handy Stages for references).  Get a nice syringe (pet store) or dropper, and slowly drip in Stage 1 into its mouth.  Try to go for something meat, something vegetable, & something both if you have yet to identify the breed.  Birds WILL let you know if they don't like something.  They can often projectile spit if they don't like it, are full, or it doesn't agree with them.  Obviously, get a bit of variety of each category because you may discover that you have a picky baby, or a baby that likes variety.

The above applies to all the Gerber Stages, depending again on what age your baby seems to be.  Heck, even if it's a fledgeling but weak, you might need to go with Stage 1 until its strength is back up.  Overall, there will be a lot of trial and error, but in the long run I find that baby food with the eventual addition of cat food is good for carnivorous and omnivorous birds to be best.  

The only bird I ever found that was not in this category was fortunately old enough to feed himself basic birdseed.  If you do end up with a birdseed bird, stick with Gerber stage 1 vegetables and fruit until it's old enough to eat birdseed on its own.  When this happens, you MUST get it some bird gravel for the bird to be able to digest the seeds.

Also, if you can deal with it, go to your local petstore and get some crickets, mealy worms, etc.  Your bird may love these depending on age and breed.

Oh, and get liquid bird vitamins.  Mix it into the food or water.

If you are at the point where you now are dealing with chunks of food rather than syringes and dropper, but your bird cannot seem to grasp the concept of feeding itself... congratulations!  Your hand, particularly your forefinger, is now a beak!  It's not as scary as it may look, even with bigger birds, particularly since the beaks don't harden up all the way until they get older.  Dangle the food (better too small than too big, once again, trial and error) above the bird, to the side so it can see it.  If it's really hungry (and you will hear it), its beak is already wide open.  If it's not as eager, confused, or something, do your very best impression of whatever primary sound it makes.  Sometimes you may even have to gently pry the beak open until it gets the idea.  Depending on the bird, it may snatch it from you, let you lay it in to forepart of the beak, or require you to insert entire forefinger down to its crop (think of it as a pit stop in the throat before going en route to stomach) with the food.  Again, the beak is not as scary as it looks, and if you have to do the cram to the crop, once the beak starts hardening, your bird will have essentially learned to not bite the hand that feeds it.

Speaking of crops - you may believe you are done feeding a hungry young bird, but once the initial food clears the crop, you will find somewhere between five to thirty minutes that more food is required.

As the bird grows, particularly if you hope to return it to the wild, you need to give it room to literally spread its wings, practice flapping them, practice jumping, etc.  You should also get it a foraging toy (where you will put within it your foundling's favorite foods) so it can learn to properly forage in the wild.  Most importantly, try to limit your physical and vocal contact with it, don't meet its eyes and so on, because you may find yourself with a bird imprinted on you.

If the bird cannot be rehabilitated either due to injury or imprinting, everything in the previous paragraph still holds true, except your bird will also need physical and vocal contact from you.  Your bird will also need mental stimulation, depending on its intelligence, so get foraging toys, shiny bells, bird baths, etc. - swap them in and out, move them around, in otherwords, don't let its environment become stale.  Make sure you get a bir

Answer 2

take it to the pet shop don't keep it in a box that cruelty, and it also depends how babish is the bird can it feed itself, I think you better off taking it to the pet store

Answer 3

Take it to a near by wild animal facilaty

Answer 4

It will die alone in the wild. The best bet is to look up a breeder in your area online. They know exactly what the laws are an how to take care of baby birds. They have experience handfeeding and all. A breeder would know how to handle the situation.

Answer 5

How old is this baby?

Is it fully feathered?

Is it flying?

Is it injured?

It sounds like you took a fledgling baby learning to be on its own. Its mother was probably watching from a distance.

It is NOT legal to have a native wild bird in captivity, you could face a fine and the bird be removed. You can only legally keep European Starlings, House Sparrows and Pigeons.

If you do decide to feed do not put liquid directly in a birds mouth it can kill the bird by causing aspiration pneumonia. Do not use a syringe. Baby birds need no extra fluid they get all they need from their food.

NEVER feed worms, they can cause gapeworm which can be fatal. Do not give bread, raw or cooked hamburger, crackers. Do not give milk they cannot digest it. They need to be fed a dog/cat food based diet and dry soaked then mushed food will do until it can be put on the proper diet. The proper diet can be found in my profile.

Either put the bird back or find a wildlife rehabber in your area to take the bird and raise it for release back into the wild.  A single bird kept in captivity can never be released as it would lack the survival instincts and would not survive.

Can you tell me what the bird looks like?

Can you post a picture?

most vets do not know anything abut them either unless they are an avian vet.

Baby birds DO NOT eat a 24 hours a day, 12 hours a day is fine, their parents do not feed them at night in the wild...

DO NOT go down a baby food isle looking for food, this is not balanced nutrition for a BIRD and will most likely cause diarrhea and eventually death

Baby birds do not eat seed and not all birds as they get older will ever be seed eaters.  Before feeding seed you need to know the age and species of bird.

Liquid bird vitamins are not  suggested, it is also not recommended to add to the water.  Baby birds do not drink water.  It is recommended to add the vitamin PRIME or others and then add directly to the food.  But do not do this unless you are given a proper dose.

DO NOT feed meal worms, crickets, etc as these do not provide the required dietary requirements of a baby bird.  They are great as a TREAT when the bird is older and eats on its own.

DO NOT insert your finger down to the crop.  Also not all baby birds have crops, starlings do not have crops.

PLEASE be careful on the other recommendations you have received!

Answer 6

i would take it to a vet so they could take care of it...

Answer 7

You shouldnt feed it just incase you feed it the wrong thing and make it sick. And dont put it back because if it is a baby it probably does have a very low chance of surviving. I would suggest you take it to the vet and ask them if you can keep it and if you can they should give you some tools to look after it and your better off ask the vet these questions instead of yaho~Good Luck~

Answer 8

If the bird is fully feathered, it is most likely a fledgling and has left the nest on it's own and it's parents are caring for it. It is normal for birds to leave the nest before they can fly. You need to replace it where you found it..preferably in a scrub or tree so it is relatively safe from predators, and the parents should come back to feed it. If it is unfeathered...then look for a nest and if you can find it...replace it into the nest. Do not worry about your scent being on the chick..birds have a very poorly developed sense of smell and will NOT reject a baby that has been touched. If you cannot find a nest, get the bird to a local wildlife rehab for it's best chance of survival. Also, keep in mind, it is illegal for you to try and raise this bird on your own. Look for a rehab here:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact....

Vets are not licensed to treat wildlife.