I found a nestling this morning.......

cob&onion

cob&onion

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 January 2011
Messages
2,744
Visit site
the cat brought in a nestling this morning, totally unharmed and wriggling around but cold, so i popped it in a box with a fleece blanket expecting the worse, but thinking to keep it warm in the meantime. Its a fair size, pink still with eyes closed so very young. Came back this evening and its all lively and clearly wants to be fed - opening its mouth etc.
Called the RSPCA for advice and they said to leave it in a warm box outside high up near to where found and parents may tend to it. So i have done just that, although i have no idea where abouts it was found as lots of places it could of come from esp where the cats concerned :rolleyes:
So the little one is outside in a warm box awaiting its fate.........i do hope the parents come for it
 
Do you know what kind of baby bird?

If a grub eater and you are worried it is nor being fed, mush up some meal worms and feed with tweezers, if a berry feeder do the same again , good luck, hopefully mum and dad have found baby x
 
Daisydo said:
Do you know what kind of baby bird?

If a grub eater and you are worried it is nor being fed, mush up some meal worms and feed with tweezers, if a berry feeder do the same again , good luck, hopefully mum and dad have found baby x
Click to expand...

Haven't a clue as to what type it is :confused: its just pink and rather big.
 
Pigeon? Crow? How ugly is it? Lol. If it has it's eyes closed still and is pink that would suggest it has either fallen or been dragged out of the nest as isn't a fledgling. I wouldn't think the parents would come for it being out and away from the nest. If it was a fledgling then maybe. I am not sure where the RSPCA got their advice from but i think you would be best off calling a wildlife rescue place to be honest - you know, those people who actually CARE!!!

Sorry, my experiences with the RSPCA have not been good. Ooh, another option is to ring the RSPCA again, tell them you have a TV crew there filming the bird, they'll probably turn up to 'rescue' it then!!!!
 
If you are not watching the box to see if parents do find it then you are simply putting it out there to die. As others have said .. ring a wildlife sanctuary for advice and get the poor thing in the warm and feed it.
 
I raised a nestling on egg yolk (not the white) scrambled but quite runny, this also hydrates them, they need feeding at least every four hours. Mine was a collared dove and had no feathers when I found him/her (?), he/she came to work with me, came to competitions with me (including the Nationals :o) and lived in a cat carrier. I also taught him to fly - no not by showing how it is done :D and eventually he flew. Missed him dreadfully on the first night saddo that I am.

You can also get something called egg biscuit, which you soak and feed wet - baby birds need high protein apparently. DO NOT GIVE MILK AND/OR BREAD this will kill him.

Hope the parents do come back, but doubt it
 
RSPCA 'advice' usually ends up with the poor thing perishing-sad but true.
Its very doubtful its parents will return and even if they do, what are they going to do with it? They can't pick it up and fly it home and they probably have a nest full of other mouths to feed.
I'm afraid its fate lies with you. Take it to a rescue, feed it yourself or leave it.
 
Echo Bravo said:
Scrambled egg and dried mealworms, have raised several fledgelings on that
Click to expand...

okay have brought it back in, its cold again so its wrapped up in fleece blanket in a warm place, scrambled egg is cooking - so how do i actually feed it?:confused: do i need a syringe? what should the consistency be?
 
Let the egg cool, and just pick up a little with a pair of tweezers and gentle brush top of beak, as soon as beak opens drop the egg in mouth, do that 3/4 times and then get some cottonwool and dip in warm water and encourage it by massarging vent to pass poo and put it somewhere it's warm but dark,it will sleep, but keep enough egg for early morning call and the best of luck, also ring Rspb, they will help you.
 
Glad you brought the little thing back in. I woukd try get hold of a wildlife place as soon as you can. I did ring the RSPB once myself for help with a bird (can't recall what the situation was). They just told me to call the RSPCA though. Not particularly helpful seeing as the RSPCS had told me to ring the RSPB!!!!
 
Feel a bit guilty now for leaving it :( its warming up again now and wriggling about, i hope it will open its mouth again for food soon.

Tooka quick pic then covered it over again - its about 2" long any ideas what it could be?

a14ze1.jpg
 
Echo Bravo said:
Has it taken any food yet
Click to expand...

Not yet, its still cold but its definitely warming up and becoming active, i keep checking it. Have put it ontop of the heater, obviously not direct heat all at once but its on a few layers of fleece so the warmth is just coming through will move it when its warmed up again.

Am going to try rhe RSPB and maybe they will take it tomorrow.

Saying that i found a fledgling last month and the rspca sent out a van and picked it up!!
 
Awww poor little mite! I'm so glad you brought it back in. I couldn't have slept knowing it might be dying outside overnight. I hope it takes food from you but don't be too upset if it doesn't make it. Most little 'uns that I've tried to rescue have ended up not making but then they have been very, very small and usually fairly newly hatched. Well done you for caring - a lot of people wouldn't have.
 
RSPCA are useless, only turn up for me when it’s a swan or a heron as they can milk those for publicity.

Where abouts are you OP (got Shropshire in my head for some reason)? If so Megan at Cuan House in Much Wenlock is a star and can rear pretty much anything. Apologies if I’m in wrong county.
 
Managed to track down local(ish) wildlife centre and had a chat with the lady there, she has advised on what to do and i am dropping it off to her tomorrow morning, hopefully it will be okay.
Its just opened its mouth so i gave it some food, lady told me to tweet to it so have found some tweeting on youtube and it worked!
 
joelb said:
Where abouts are you OP (got Shropshire in my head for some reason)? If so Megan at Cuan House in Much Wenlock is a star and can rear pretty much anything. Apologies if I’m in wrong county.
Click to expand...


Thats the lady i have been chatting to! shes taking it in tomorrow.
 
just one thing if you manage to feed it make sure you push the food well down its throat or it will choke, i used to use hair pins to feed small babies, also dont be tempted to give it any water it might get into the lungs and it will drown.
Best lof luck with the little guy, hopefully if you keep it warm enough it will last till the morning.
Also i used to keep mine in the airing cupboard much to my mums discust :-)
 
Well done to you for taking it in, I do hope your efforts are rewarded with a happy ending tommorrow but if its fed enough till bed time and kept warm it should make it over night.My friend successfully raised a chick a lot younger and fed it on cat food and mashed up worms. Fingers crossed x
 
I have been advised to put it on a hot water bottle over night to keep it warm, the lady told me it wont feed over night so should be okay till morning, it has fed twice now taking small amounts, its lively and warm now, fingers crossed. :)
 
My cat has brought me lots of nestlings in his time, the horrible animal! I put them in a box with cotton wool around them for insulation (sometimes he brings two so they can go in together) and when they ask for food we feed them water dropped out of a syringe. If they survive a day they go to the small animal vet where the nurse tries to raise them on cat food. I'm not sure where she sends them if they make it, or if indeed any of them have made it but they definitely feed tiny globules of catfood.
Apparently mummy bird definitely won't come back for them once they smell of cat and human so if they have no feathers on their chances of survival are not high. I tend to get them off the cat so as not to encourage him and put them somewhere quiet to give them the best chance I can and if nothing else a peaceful death away from the horrid cat. Bigger ones with feathers (fledgelings) have more of a chance of making it to the vet.
If anyone would like to adapt a grazing muzzle to fit my cat I would love to see it.
 
Daisy2 said:
Well done to you for taking it in, I do hope your efforts are rewarded with a happy ending tommorrow but if its fed enough till bed time and kept warm it should make it over night.My friend successfully raised a chick a lot younger and fed it on cat food and mashed up worms. Fingers crossed x
Click to expand...

That is awesome. I particularly like the poetic justice in the chick eating cat food. Good luck to cob&onion with your baby bird.
 
I have just found a sparrow fledgling, still got baby feathers, can open wings and flap, but can't fly. think he fell out of his nest. Put him in salad bowl, left him with jam jar of hot water and hamster bedding. mum went back to him last night, was attempting to keep him warm as she was feeding him, so he was big enough to fly, but now she seems to have given up on him. he doesn't want to eat much, though has had a bit and pooed, anything I can do to feed him? he's a lot pilfer than the one pictured

Thanks in advance

bexcy-bee x
 
When i moved the chick (still inside the feece blanket) to put it into a warm place for the night, it came to life again and opened its mouth, just had another mouthful around half hour ago, just put it to bed on top of a hot water bottle in its fleece, it seems a strong little thing considering whats its been through! Hoping to take it to the rescue lady providing all is still well with it in the morning :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top