# not a pigeon but... robin



## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

HI everyond some friends and i just fond a robin. i am not shor; what to feed it and how often i should feed it?
thank you for the help 
Michelle


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Michelle,

We have a few members who've had experience with Robins, but I'm not one of them....hopefully, someone who can give you some good advice will be along shortly.

In the meantime, here is a previous thread from a member who was caring for a baby Robin, and there was some discussion about feeding, etc.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=20175

Good luck with the Robin.

Linda


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## kittypaws (Sep 18, 2005)

Hi Michelle,

Depends on how big he is. 

If he is quite small with fluffy downy feathers on him and gapes for food, then I would suggest a mix of dog/cat food, mashed up with water and digestive biscuit and fed every 30 minutes about 3 little dollops ( the size of your small finger nail) on the end of a coffee stirrer or something small and narrow.
He should also be kept quite warm if he is a tiddler!! 

If he's a bit bigger, being a robin, he would enjoy mealworms, very small cut up fruit and some chick crumb if you have it and this can just be put in a bowl with another dish of water.

I checked your photos but wasn't sure if the robin was on there.  perhaps you could post a picture.

Tania x


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

i have to get a pic then i well post it one min. So dog/cat fod not exact?


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

heres the pic


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## BabbaYagga (Jun 24, 2005)

Hi,

Is it a baby robin or is it an adult robin? Does it appear to be injured or sick?
I may not be the best qualified to answer this, but I do volunteer at a wildlife rehab center and heres what we do for robins: 

If it is an adult, give it a bowl of water and food. For food you can feed an adult robin dog kibble soaked in water so that it is soggy and you can also give them fruits, vegetables, and eggs (hard-boiled, warm, and mushed up with no shell. ) They also love mealworms. 

If it is a baby robin, you can get a baby bird formula such as Kaytee Exact from a pet store. You can also use wet ground up baby chicken food or ground up liquefied cooked eggs and fruit as a temporary diet. We usually use a 3cc syringe and feed 2-4 ccs every 45 min - 3hrs, depending on the age. Good luck and hope this helps.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Michelle - no to the exact. If you have dog kibbles, pellets or whatever like that, soak them in very hot water until they become soft but not mushy. Let them cool thoroughly and depending on the size after they swell up, you may need to cut them into bite sized pieces. Gently tap the baby's beak and usually they will open their mouths and you can pop a few in. He should not need any water because the soaked food will have enough. 

Notice that his crop is on the side of the neck - can't remember which - but, depending on his age, if it is not fully feathered, you can see it. Just don't feed him too much at one time - maybe 3-4 pellets per feeding.

You can also purchase Gerber's #2 chicken baby food, pull it up with a 1 cc syringe and give it that. Also, depending on its age, give it a few little pieces of cut up grape. 

Try to get it to a licensed rehabber as quickly as possible. Robins are notorious for getting metabolic bone disease if they don't get the right amount of calcium and you don't want that to happen because it "ain't" pretty.

A picture will help.


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## kittypaws (Sep 18, 2005)

Yep defintely a baby.

What BaggYagga advises is good as she/he is in the USA whereas I am in the UK and have different foodstuff etc.

Looks like he's going to need feeding every 30-45 minutes then from sort of 8.00am in the morning until 8.00pm at night. If that is not going to be possible, then you should try and find a wild bird rehabber who has the time - baby birds are lovely but they are a lot of work..... 

Good luck and well done for rescuing him - poor little mite - they always look terrified!! 

Tania x


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

BabbaYagga 
It’s a baby not oldenif to fly he/she just hops all over. It dose act like its one foot is hart and is just laying not really moving that much.

Lady Tarheel i guess you did not see the pic befor you posted but its up now 

kittypaws i have the baby dove that i fond wich i am also feeding. i have sparrows befor, and pet pigeons and dove.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

OK - just saw the picture so this is a young fledgling who should be easier to feed than a baby. Try the soaked dry dog/cat food with grapes until you can get it to a rehabber. I can't stress to you how important this is to get it to someone who knows what they're doing.

I still say no to the exact because that is a grain based formula. Also, make sure you do not give it any worms from the garden. Mealworms are fine and I usually cut the heads off before feeding them any.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

I am worried now that the bone disease may already be setting in because of the way he is laying and also from your description. If you can get some bing cherries feed him small pieces of those too which will help fight the bone disease. 

Do you have any calcium at your home that you use for your pigeons?


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

Lady Tarheel i do not think i have calcium. all i have right now is meds, food, and grit. i will try to find a rehabber but i have had not luck in the past with fonding one.


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

Lady Tarheel the olny Calcium i have right now is for reptiles.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Michelle, I am not sure about the calcium for reptiles being used on a bird but I've PM'd someone to see if they know. What do you have to feed it?

I'm in and out so if I don't respond right away just know I'll be back on when I can.


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

ppl said i could use it for my parakeets. and all so said the what could be used on a reptile could be used on a bird but.... 
what do i have to feed it; well the exact but you said no to that, chef's blend (cat food), o and i do have some Chicken soup for the cat lover's soul adult cat light from win i was feeding my sparrows but not shor how good it is


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Michelle, it probably will be ok so sprinkle some on his soaked food each time you feed it - about 1/4 tsp each time.

Also, if you have a cuttlebone you can grate off some of that and sprinkle that on the food. Only, don't use both.


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Great advice from great people.  If you follow the advice the baby should be well fed and have a fighting chance at being rehabbed, though sometimes they do get attached. I recently had to SOFTLY correct a few well-meaning birders who were feeding a baby robin kaytee exact handfeeding formula with a syringe, like one would feed a baby parrot. There is such a chance of aspiration when you feed liquids like this, especially so much at one time that it completely coats the tongue, as the entrance to the trachea is just at the back of the tongue. Their parents do not regurgitate food for them, instead bring some chopped up, dead worms and insects for meals and some berries, I'd assume. Dog/cat food is a good idea because they are mainly insectivores, but with a baby that size, it will appreciate mealworms with their heads crushed and cut into small, bite sized pieces.

I have not much to say about the calcium problem other than that birds can be quite weak without it. My female pigeon has often had trouble flying and jumping to her perch after she's laid eggs if she doesn't have her oyster shell. Calcium is important for proper bone growth....

Good luck!


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

wich is best the cuttlebone or the other?


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Michelle, I think either one would be fine. Try the cuttlebone first.


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

Vasp i have oyster shell for my birds but i just do not have any calcium that i think could go in his/her food. other them the reptile calcium and the cuttlebone i did not think about.

ok Lady Tarheel cuttlebone it is well i have to go feed him he is holding his head up like he needs some food so i well be back in a little


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Yes, I don't think oyster shell would be the best idea for a baby robin at this point. However, it would be a good idea to go to a health food store and get some simple calcium powder... I know I've used it in a mixture I used to feed to baby pigeons. It wasn't calcium magnesium but just calcium. I forget the exact name but if you look and ask around, you should be able to find it in rather large bags. I'm not sure, but it might be better than cuttlebone, and worth a shot.

Here's hoping the little one does well.


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

Vasp i well have to ask my mom about that see if she can fond it.
the little one is hoping all over. he/she would not stay still longenif for me to feed him. i did get some food in him and well have to try again in a little.  

Lady Tarheel he keeps laying the way he is in the pic cuz (i think) he hurt his lag win he fell down i fond him the same plac i fond the dove wich is under the pin tree.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Michelle, hopefully his leg is just bruised. I don't think he would be able to hop around at all if it were broken. Often, when they come down with the bone disease one or both legs will just buckle on them and I have seen some we've gotten in that the disease is gradual but they will get to the point they can't walk at all unless you do something to stop it.

Fruit can really help and we have seen mockingbirds with this disease who were totally unable to walk recover after giving them fruit and calcium.

I know he is cute. Young robins can have an ATTITUDE.


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Certainly sounds like he just hurt his leg. Birds can quite easily recover from broken bones, given time, but it might just be sprained or bruised.


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## Chris Y (Mar 5, 2007)

That doesn't look like a robin to me - looks more like a starling..

Also, I use Kaytee Exact extensively on my rehabs. I've raised dozens of youngsters on it - several robins, blackbirds, dunnocks, blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, wrens + others. None of them have suffered from any deficiencies - they've all developed very healthy strong bones and have been in tip-top condition when released. 

Exact probably contains more vitamins and minerals than a lot of puppy kibble you can buy in the shops, and I trust it more because it has been specifically formulated for hand rearing all baby birds, not just parrots.


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## Chris Y (Mar 5, 2007)

I should add that I do supplement the Exact with mealworms and things like that for insectivores such as dunnocks, robins, etc. But the Exact provides a good stable 'base'.


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

ok thank you Chris Y.
also i and 100% shor on the type of bird cuz i saw its mom or dad win i fond it, but they would not feed it then is started raining so..... it is the type of robin they makes it look like it dose.

and again thank you everyone


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## Chris Y (Mar 5, 2007)

Ah. American robin then  Looks a little strange in the photo, but perhaps that's just how it's sitting.


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

well i just fed him/her and he wint back to sleep. and i would say your right it is a American Robin just googled it and the birds mom look just like that.  i new it was a robin but i did not know the types name lol


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

here he is sleeping after his feding


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## vegeta2802 (Sep 24, 2006)

Well Chumper is good in the Story and Picture Sharing i have pic of him and how he looks now. 
I have a ? for you guys tho. My mom would like to know if he/she could have Raisins (the one you buy in a box). 
Also what eals can i feed him?
he likes his baby food, milworums, and also apples.


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