Found baby bird?

How exciting! Try not to handle it too much though, because baby birds can get easily stressed out, and stress is the number one killer of birds.

Wild baby birds have a different diet than pet store birds, and therefor, pet store bird formula isnt a best choice in feeding your baby bird. I recommend a diet high in Protein (about 33%), and Fat (about 13%).

I raise wild baby Sparrows for a living, and i make homeade baby bird food for them. I take dry cat food (my choice is Purina Complete Nutrition, because its got a great balance of protein and fat.) You can also use dry dog food as well. Soak the dry cat/dog food, then mush it up really good, kind of like applesauce. I add baby bird liquid vitmins to it as well. You can get these at your local pet store. Make sure the baby bird food isnt too thick, and not too watery. Again, kind of like applesauce.

Its very importnant that you DONT put liquids in the baby birds mouth. Baby birds can breate it in and develope Pneumonia and die. They can also drown in it. They get all the fluids they need from their food.

Also, please dont give it bugs or worms. They can carry diseases in them, and the babies can choke on them. The mother birds are able to do this because they chew it up, etc.

Baby birds need to eat every 20-45 minutes through out the day! Rule of thumb, the more feathers they have, the less they have to eat, but try not to go more than 45 minutes without feeding them. You can usually see a lump of food in their throat after they eat. This lump slowly goes away as they digest their food. If possible, try to to ever let that little lump go empty.

Many people suggest using s syringe to feed a baby bird, but i however do not. This is because unexperienced people can accidently force too much food or air down a baby birds throat, killing them. Instead, i use the tip of the handle of a plastic spoon. Its small enough to fit in their mouth, but big enough to where they wont swallow it. Just lighty make a cherping sound, or tap on the baby birds beak, and they should open it. Then just place a little tad of the food i ntheir mouth, and they pretty much do the rest.

Heat is important. I suggest using a heating pad, set on the middle setting. Place a towel or paper towel over it though. I suggest using a paper towel, since they poop alot, it will need to be changed!

Here are some pictures of the baby Sparrows that i am currently raising! Sparrows are NOT protected by the bird act, and you are aloud to raise them. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me! Thanks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/animal_girl

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. 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/contactA.htm

The question is - Where did he "find" the bird? If it was in a nest, it should be returned to the nest.

Newborn chicks are bald, or have down feathers. While they have down feathers and are in a nest, they are called nestlings. They belong in the nest.

Once they have developed regular feathers, they jump from the nest (fledge), before they are able to fly. Fledglings stay on the ground and in low branches for days while they develop muscle and learn to fly. The parents are nearby, and continue to feed them.

If the baby is a nestling - put it back in the nest. If it's a fledgling, put it back where it was found, on the ground or in the low branches of a bush. Do not hide the baby - the parents need to be able to spot it.

If it's a nestling and you cannot return it to the nest, it must be brought to a licensed wildlife rehabber or clinic.

There are thousands of rehabbers, located worldwide. Services are usually free to the public. Use these links to locate a rehabber in your area:

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

http://wildliferehabber.com/

http://www.iwrc-online.org/

http://wrcmn.org/public/default.asp

http://www.greenpeople.org/sanctuary.htm

Rehabbers can also be found by searching Yahoo! or Google for "wildlife rehabilitation" and your state or country (abbreviated).

Don't bring the bird to a vet or pet store - those are for pets, not wild animals. But you can call your local humane society or animal shelter. Many now have wildlife centers, or will transport the animal to a rehabber in some cases.

Do not attempt to care for the bird on your own. Each species requires specific care, which is impossible without knowing the exact species, having the proper foods, equipment and experience.

All native wild birds are protected by federal law. The Migratory Bird Treaty makes it illegal to harass birds, tamper with nests, or possess any bird, egg, nest or part of a bird, including a feather, without holding a state or federally issued wildlife license.

Wildlife licenses are only given to rehabbers, researchers and biologists, zoos and museums, some educators, and during specific seasons - for hunting.

No one is permitted to care for wildlife at home without a license, or keep native wild birds as pets.

Best of luck to you.

Return the bird to its nest as soon as possible. If that's not possible, or the birds have abandoned the chick, then call your local wildlife rescue agency and ask for their help.

Otherwise, I have included some baby bird rescue links for you and your son and hope all will be well.

Good luck.

it depends on the bird, and how developed it is. i have raised a baby bird before. if the bird doesn' thave feathers and can barely take care of itself, then the bird is helpless, you should try and find the nest where the bird was found or call a bird sanctruary.

if the bird is open eyed, and developed then you should find out what the bird eats, and use chopsticks to hold the food. feed it every 15 minutes, and make sure you make a nest for it, like in a basket. as realistic as possible. (the chopsticks will look like bird beaks)

lol its really fun if you like animals

good luck and best wishes!

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO RESCUING BABY BIRDS:

If you happen to found a baby bird looking like this on the picture, you should never leave it, it won't take care of itself. Also, you can try to determine if it's a nestling or a fledgling (a bird who has already jumped out of its nest on his own; its parents should be near, they take care of it and feed it, you should observe.)

Read this if you want a baby bird to survive!

1. first of all NO MILK, it kills birds! They are not mammals!

2. I agree, if you see its nest you should try put it back, putting it in basket and hang near the nest is a good idea (no, their parent won't smell that you touched their baby), but for NO LONGER that an hour or two (birds as small as this one from the picture will die of hunger very fast),

3. if a bird doesn't have feathers yet it can also die of cold (bird should be warmer than your hand, they have temperature around 42 Celsius = 107 F, if its not you HAVE to warm it immediately - hold it in hand, keep it close to your body, in the meantime prepare a box with tissues in it and a bottle of warm water or this rubbery 'hot water bottle' - not hot - it will boil your bird! The best way is to put it on the bottom of your box, cover it with tissues and then put your bird on it. Also, your bird should be able to move away from the source of heat, because it can easily overheat, when you see it's panting and its wings are spread sideways it means it is too hot, try to blow on it and move it further from the bottle, but remember to check after some time if it's not too cold)

4. as I already mentioned - water with glucose in it is perfect, if your bird is cold, you can even use warm water but remember, not boiling hot!

5. every baby bird eats worms*, they need proteins. an boiled egg is always great, cut it in very small pieces or mash it and try to use forceps or medical tweezers to grab a piece. A bird can be stressed and not eating at first, but you can try to open its beak with your nail - put it gently in the corner of its beak and try to open its beak applying strength to the upper part of a beak - it's easy to break the bottom part. Also remember that you should give it water to drink while its eating to prevent it from choking. But it should eventually open its beak and ask for food (unless it's to weak or sick), then you feed it until it's no longer opening mouth.*

You can also make this special food for baby birds: you need: powder glucose (2 spoons), cottage cheese (1 cup, 300 grams = 10 oz) (without salt - SALT CAN MAKE BIRDS BRAIN TO SWALLOW!), birds vitamins, rice flour (1 spoon), corn flour (1 spoon) - mix it till it has a consistency of a dough. **

6. there is a possibility that a bird which fell down from a tree suffers from internal bleeding, so if you know a veterinarian who knows something about bird or a bird center or a wildlife care center. But remember, sometimes they just pretend they know something. Those points and rules I mentioned still apply (read PS.).

And sometimes a bird is already too sick or has some genetic damages and there's nothing you can do. :( But, you won't know unless you try!! So please, try! :)

7. read a lot, you can find a dozen of websites with useful information.

* baby birds should eat worms, the best are meal worms, you should kill them first with boiled water, remember that it will spoil eventually, so try to make new every time. If you keep food in a refrigerator, make sure it has a room temperature before you feed your bird!

** if a baby bird is staying with you longer, should also buy him a calcium with vitamin D (like the one you can buy in a store for raptors) and put it in its meals, otherwise it can suffer from calcium deficiency which can be fatal.

Also, when it will grow, you will have to change its diet eventually, depending on it specie.

PS. I work in a center for wild animals and raised couple of dozens of wild baby birds, so I really know what to do.

PS.2. If you happened to find an owlet, hawk or other bird of prey, you should know that it is really hard to take care of them, they need mice and meat and it is better if you contact a center which can take better care of it.

PS.3. If you found a hummingbird, read this: http://www.gahummer.org/what_to_do.htm

listen to Terri. also look for your local audubon center at audubon.org and telephone them, they should have info what to do with the bird. you're better off not trying to raise it yourself but to have it re-habilitated and released into nature by a wildlife rescue center.

"survival of the fittest" doesn't work when humans kill everything. if we destoyed our own habbitat (houses, malls, offices) the way we destory birds we won't survive long iether. same people saying to let it die would not let a puppy or kitty die!

if it is not injured or in danger leave it alone. If its in danger see if you can put it back in the nest. Depending on the type of bird food varies. however it is votle he gets the food he needs. It only takes these guys to be at full size in 6 weeks.

probably should have left it be. if it fell from the nest, it's destined to die. Nature has this whole way of doing things that don't necessarily involve human intervention. Let nature run it's course. after all, that dying baby bird could have been the meal that saved an ally cats life. now the cat dies.

You need to get it to a wild life center quickly as it can died if it cant get food and drink when its needed very quickly. you can ask them if you can foster it but it is more likely to be dead by 2mrrw if you dont get it to a wild life center soon. dont try and feed it with out advice cause you could get food in its lungs and kill it. unless your an expert leave it to the experts.