Today I got to my mom's house and no one is here. I call my mom and she immediatly tells me there is a baby bird outside and that I should go and put it in a box before the neighbor's cat gets it. It was in the lowest branch of a tree and in easy reach of the cat. I eventually got it into a box, put a papertowel in the bottom and put some airholes for it. Its fairly large and has a lot of its feathers but still has the down. Most likely it is learning to fly (it can fly along the ground for short distances) but it can't get back up into the tree. What to do?
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Baby Bird
- Thread starter soka
- Start Date
It is fledging.
Baby birds spend two to five days learning how to fly, it is a very important time for them.
They hop and fly short distances while getting a feel for it.
The parents are still caring for him.
His best chance is for you to put him into the highest branch you can reach.
It is, unfortunately, when they are at their greatest risk.
Baby birds spend two to five days learning how to fly, it is a very important time for them.
They hop and fly short distances while getting a feel for it.
The parents are still caring for him.
His best chance is for you to put him into the highest branch you can reach.
It is, unfortunately, when they are at their greatest risk.
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- #3
The only branch I can reach is the one that he was in when I got him down. The branch was so flimsy that he couldn't go anywhere and it was easy for a cat to get him if he fell. My mom thought it was best if we just bring him inside. She hates to see a baby bird die because of a cat.
A few years ago we brought in another baby bird (even younger than this one) but our rottie got a hold of it and it died a day later. Now we don't have the rottie so no problems there. Right now it is in a box. My grandmother tells me to put him outside but I can see the cat from the window. He is waiting for this bird cause he knows I have it.
A few years ago we brought in another baby bird (even younger than this one) but our rottie got a hold of it and it died a day later. Now we don't have the rottie so no problems there. Right now it is in a box. My grandmother tells me to put him outside but I can see the cat from the window. He is waiting for this bird cause he knows I have it.
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- #4
Well my mom is home and her fiance says there are three choices. I can
A) adopt the bird and care for it until it can fly.
B) put it back outside and let 'nature' (aka the neighbors cat) take its course.
c) surrender it to animal control. (which we don't have the number for. Plus, they'd either put it to sleep, or let it loose in the wild to be eaten by another cat.)
A) adopt the bird and care for it until it can fly.
B) put it back outside and let 'nature' (aka the neighbors cat) take its course.
c) surrender it to animal control. (which we don't have the number for. Plus, they'd either put it to sleep, or let it loose in the wild to be eaten by another cat.)
Why can't you go talk to your neighbors and explain the situation? Maybe they would be willing to keep their cat inside for a couple of days until the little bird learns how to fly....
I would release the bird somewhere the cat can't see. Since it's starting to learn to fly, it knows where it needs to go anyway so it probably doesn't need to be the exact same tree. I would put it in a nearby tree. There's really no point in "raising it" because as a fledgling it already knows most of what it needs to do, minus the flying. Maybe theres some bushes you can put it in? Either way I would release it.
Its fairly large and has a lot of its feathers but still has the down. Most likely it is learning to fly (it can fly along the ground for short distances) but it can't get back up into the tree. What to do?[/quote]
I found to baby bird a couple weeks ago. I called an animal resue place and they told me to look around and put it back in the nest. I always thought that the mom wont take it back if a human touches it but I guess maybe thats not true.
I found to baby bird a couple weeks ago. I called an animal resue place and they told me to look around and put it back in the nest. I always thought that the mom wont take it back if a human touches it but I guess maybe thats not true.
Nope, not true at all.
Birds have a very poorly developed sense of smell (thankfully).
Birds have a very poorly developed sense of smell (thankfully).
Also don't try to feed it anything, exspecially bread. Don't try to force feed it water. Birds have a air hole in the bottom of their beaks, and many animal lovers that don't know any better try to force feed the bird-not getting the food far enough back in the birds beak, which basically strangles the bird because the food or liquid seeps into the bird's lungs. It's somethig that sould be left for the proffesionals-a wildlife rehabilitator.
And birds have a very poor sense of smell, as Arlyn has already said. I bet we can smell better than birds, lol.
I think your best bet would be to look up wildlife rehabilitators in your phone book and tell them your situation, and ask if htey can take the bird.
And birds have a very poor sense of smell, as Arlyn has already said. I bet we can smell better than birds, lol.
I think your best bet would be to look up wildlife rehabilitators in your phone book and tell them your situation, and ask if htey can take the bird.
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- #10
Oh good I am glad to hear that. Plus, isn't it illegal to take in wildlife like that anyway?
