Well some guy brought a wild baby bird in to the vet clinic I work at yesterday. We've been giving it powdered kitten food mixed with water and it seems to be doing ok with that. We're trying to get it to a rehabilitation center soon. It has feathers and seems to be doing fine. The vet clinic normally never works with birds so we don't know much about what to do. Are there any tips on how to take care of it until we get it some place better? I brought it home tonight, we always keep it in a box with a towel. Is that ok? It's a baby blue jay if that helps.
Answers:
No offense, but this is why I always tell people with an injured or orphaned wild animal NOT to take it to a vet. Vets are for pets. I can not believe that your veterinary practice would even take an animal that it is not experienced and qualified to care for.
Please get this bird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible. If you have not already located one, try here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.
These people have the specialized training to care for wild animals. They also have the state and federal licenses required by law to have possession of a native migratory bird...which you and your clinic obviously do not have.
Until you get it to a licensed rehabber, do NOT place it in a box with a cloth towel. The bird can catch its nails in the towel. Use paper towel. Make sure that the bird can not get out of the box, but leave lots of airholes for it to breathe. Keep all pets, children and excitable adults away from it. Please remember that this is a wild animal, not someone's pet bird. Have as little contact with it as possible, outside of feeding it.
Do NOT give it water with a dropper - birds, especially babies, can aspirate and die.
If it already has its feathers, it is probably a fledgling and the person who brought it in to your clinic should have left it right where they found it. Baby birds fledge (leave the nest) before they can fly. They need time to hop around on the ground and climb low branches and exercise their wings until they have strengthened them enough for flight. The parent birds continue to feed and care for the fledglings until they are self-sufficient. If you know exactly where the bird was found, you should place it in a low bush near that area, so the parents can find it and care for it.
In the interim, try placing some seed in the box for it...if it is a fledgling, it may already be pecking at food on its own. If not, the moistened dog/cat food is okay for an emergency, but not for any length of time. It needs to get to someone who is qualified and licensed to care for it.
Edit - My point is, it was the wrong thing to do - taking a bird your clinic had no clue how to care for. It was irresponsible to take it if you could not get it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.
You say that the vet knows about fledglings...then why didn't the vet educate the person who brought the bird in? You (someone/anyone in the clinic) should have instructed that person to place the bird back near where it was found, so the parents could have found it. You should also have informed that person that it is illegal for him to have the bird, and that your clinic was also not licensed to care for wild animals. Then you could have given him the list of local wildlife rehabilitators.
Instead, your clinic took a bird it is not qualified or licensed to have, and gave the message that it is perfectly okay to "rescue" wild birds that have no need of rescue. I wonder how many more fledglings this guy will "rescue" and bring to you now.
You can take dry cat food (the cheaper corn based stuff) and soak it until it's crumbly (Meow Mix is a good one, the one I've used alot). Using suchers (SP?) you can feed them. Eye droppers for water. Towel is good and if the clinic gets cold at night a heat lamp. Don't feed the food if it's more than 2 days old. Keep it in the fridge once it's soaked.
I'd suggest that you call a wildlife center ASAP and ask them what to do, even if you can't take the bird to them soon, they should at least have some suggestions on what to do. It's probably best to call who ever you're going to take the bird to (if you know yet) and ask them if there's anything specific they want you to do with the bird.
You can feed the wild baby bird-
canned kitten food,ground mealworms, crickets %26 Pedialyte.
Keep him warm and protected.
You are doing real good.
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