# Sticky  Springtime Reminder - Baby Birds and Mammals



## TAWhatley

Hi All,

Please, please, please keep in mind that there are laws and reasons for these laws about birdnapping baby birds that you think are in need of your care. Many species of young birds =have= to spend a few days basically on the ground while learning to fly and forage. Their parents are almost always right there with them. Please don't be rescuing these babies .. they don't need to be rescued.

Also keep in mind that at least in the United States, it is illegal for anyone to possess a wild bird of any species aside from European Starlings, English Sparrows, and Rock Pigeons (note that Rock Pigeons are protected in some states). Thus, unless you hold the necessary state and federal permits, you could be subject to very large fines and jail time for having any protected species of bird. Also, don't be going out and getting non-protected species of baby birds that really aren't in need of your help .. trust me .. you can't raise them as good as their parents will. Sparrows, Starlings, and Pigeons have very different dietary needs, and if you don't know how to care for them, don't even attempt it .. find someone in your area with experience and turn the little ones over to them. If you've never raised a hatchling songbird .. get ready .. feeding every 15-20 minutes from daylight to dark .. if you aren't up to it, then don't do it.

Certainly, this does not mean that you should not assist any bird in need of help. Just be aware that if it is a protected species of bird, you are =required= by law to take the bird to the nearest state and federally permitted wildlife care facility that accepts such birds. Same goes for baby mammals such as jack rabbits, raccoons, and opossums. Just be very sure that you are truly "rescuing" a baby and not kidnapping it.

These tiny and fragile little creatures all require very special care and many require a diet that is completely unique to their species. If you feed them the wrong diet, you will end up with a very unhealthy youngster who will be suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease or other maladies that will cost the baby its life. 

Use your head, use your heart, and don't undertake something you aren't qualified to do.

Terry


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## christina11

Thanks for that note.


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## pdpbison

Hi Terry, 


Yes...


Too, even 'if' for raising them, they will still need the necessary introductions for them to their wild fellows, and or their socialization into their wild fellow's society and economy and territories and so on...and all this requires it's own requires special efforts and understandings for each specie's particulars.

And for some species, it is pretty close to impossible to do, or to do very well.

Probably it is good to plan ahead, and at liesure, find out 'who' there is in one's area who has the Licenses and or who works under the license holders for various species, as well as who as a private or Lay practioner person, might do similar things with some species, in association or co-operation with various Vets and License holders.

It can be hell trying to find out this stuff when one is holding the fadeing Baby Bird with one hand, and on the 'phone with the other, on a Friday night, of a holiday weekend...or as may be...

Mocking Birds particularly, as older 'Babys', long before they fly, spend their time in little bushes and on the ground and have almost no fear of anyone. 
One can walk up to them, talk with them, pick them up and so on very easily.

This is their normal recourse, and their parents look out for them from above. But most people would assume the Baby 'fell out of it's nest', when that is not the case at all...


Love,

Phil
Las Vegas


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## TAWhatley

Very good points, Phil. Thank you!  

I would add to my original post that there are times when you may have no choice but to do your best with an orphaned or injured bird or animal because there are no other alternatives (no rehabbers or vets that can or will assist, for example). I feel for anyone finding themself in this position.

Terry


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## pdpbison

Hi Terry, 


Ohhhhhh, so true!

Maybe we could run through a general list of all-'round Good Supplies to have in ready...

Spring...is juuuuuuuuust around that corner...!

Lord help us!

Phil
Las Vegas


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## Happy

Great Post Terry & I know you do this at least once every yr.. I tell so many people of this same thing, as the Fish & Game etc. does, but sometimes I feel it's like telling people not to try & beat the Train over the tracks, my Dog won't bite, or don't leave babys/children in a car in the Hot Sun, but every yr. it happens over again. A must post many times as I forget that younger people are born everyday that have never seen these things happen... Glad there are people like you..... Happy


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## TAWhatley

Bumping up as a reminder for the 2007 baby season.

Terry


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## TAWhatley

*Helpful Information Regarding Baby Birds & Animals & Wildlife In General*

http://www.wildliferehabber.com/

http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=94

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

http://www.wildlife-international.org/

Terry


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## littlestar

I'd like to add, please if you have Chimney Swifts in your chimney let them be. If you can't stand the noise you can put insulation in the bottom of your chimney to muffle the noise. These little guys are the hardest to rehab because they have a total different diet than all other birds and are hard to rehab, most don't make it. I had a guy where I used to live remove baby Chimney Swifts and bring them to me, I wasn't very with guy but I had them eating and very healthy until I let a friend of mine take over. She rehabbed many more years than I did and lost every one on me. It's also against the law to remove them from your chimney, so please let them be and let the parents raise them until they are old enough to leave. I'm in the mist right now of rehabbing 9 baby starlings and not sure how many more I will be getting, but I use a diet that comes the closest to their diet in the wild. I know when they are released they will be healthy. It's not an easy job feeding babies because they are so demanding.


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## Maggie-NC

Maryann, I am glad you brought this up about chimney swifts. Not only do they have some different diet requirements but I have always been told that there is a point in caring for them that they need to be released or they will die. It is a fine line there because sometimes you can release them too early. I did that one time and had to retrieve 4 from our yard because they were not quite ready.

Chimney swifts are really unique and so very helpful in catching flying bugs. They are close-knit and when you release babies (and these are the exception in that you try to release them late in the afternoon when the adults have come out to forage for food - other songbirds should be released in the mornings) even though you may not be able to see adults in the sky, as soon as the babies take wing, many adults literally swoop down and take the babies with them. It is an awesome sight.

Another thing, baby wrens are, to me, the hardest to raise because they also require really special diets. Don't attempt to try it.


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## TAWhatley

*The 2008 Season Is Upon Us In California ..*

Just bumping this up to remind everyone to be responsible and to do things within the law.

Baby bird season started with a peep on Thursday last week but has now come ROARING in over the weekend. It seems that once the first baby sparrow of the season comes in then the flood gates are open and it is baby season flat out .. we're there at this point. From one call on Thursday about a baby bird, I'm up to now 8-12 a day .. truly .. baby season has arrived here! I've got baby birds and will post pics when I can.

Please folks .. let's be responsible about any baby birds that are found.

Terry


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## littlestar

Thank you Terry for bringing this back up. 
Our baby season will be starting soon and have put the word out if they find any baby birds to get them here to me because of the diets they need and the laws protecting most birds. I know everyone means well, but most don't know right diets they need, they have to be fed all day long and can't skip a meal, they are very demanding and require a lot of care, plus babies with no feathers need heat, and what ends up happening is they lose the babies. Remember there are many of us on this board that can help you, so please ask. I might not be on much being I have so many things going on, but email me being I always my outlook express open.


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## jenzizcool

thank you for this post i wish i had a printer i would print it out and pass around flyers with it on them lol. and i am sad that i didnt see this eirlier but i still think me taking the fledgling was the best course of action due to all the cats and the fact that is was in a busy allyway/drive way for the building and even when he was moved he would go right back there


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## TAWhatley

Bumping up for this year .. baby bird season is well underway in Southern California.

Terry


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## ellen lawson

*baby finch*

Yes spring is here! I have raised a partialy blind baby finch that was chucked from the nest. She /he has a spastic neck that seems be getting better, and cannot see well. I'm sure she sees colour and shapes to some digree but has no depth perseption. I had a dickens of a time getting her started on the feeding seringe, and then because of her spastic movements I had to guide her head at each feeding even though she wanted the food. She seemed dizzy as well as spastic, so I bought a naturopathic product called "vertigoheel" and put it in the formula. It has been a wonderful aid in the birds own ability to control its her self. When she becomes disoriented now she doesn't panic she just focuses on finding her perch and once on it immediatly calms down. I help by putting everything that has to be moved back in the exact spot. 
It was way past the time of self feeding and she was still not exploring for food simply because she didn't know were to look. So I hung a sprig of millet right in her way on her perch, so that she would bump into it as she moved about. Then I put a bit of formula on the millet at her head hight so that she could smell something familiar. This worked. Then I put a food dish at het perch so that her toes would touch it, and placed a bit of the formula on top of some of the seeds. the hardest part was listening to her yell for food and wishing i could relent and feed her! I held out and within an hour she was paying attention to the dish at her feet. When she figured out it was food she started eating and didn't stop for ages. I think part of it was the fun!
She has found her water dish (small so she won't fall in )with the virtigoheel and vitamins. Even though she can drink from the dish, I am going to put a small critter drip water bottle next to her perch so that the shinny metal end will attract her and she will (hopefully find the water) this way I know that wherever she is she can find one or the other. I'l keep you posted but I think we (the finch now called "Piper") will win. She likes all the house sounds and enjoys herself even if her life activities are limited. She doesn't know any other life anyway. 
She knows our voices and likes to hear us talking, birds do love crowd sounds and her's are people! 
Cheers and happy spring! Ellen


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## lindylou

Wow, Ellen1 What a wonderful story and how ingenious you have been in designing things that will assist the little finch to become more adapt at doing for herself. I love the name Piper. She is a tough little girl. Do keep us posted on her progress, Ellen. LOL - Lindylou


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## ellen lawson

*Baby Pigeons*

Hello all! 
I have raised many pigeons over the years as a member of Wildlife Rescue group. I received in my home all sorts of babies, and back then (it’s been a few years) we had a network of people, not just one centre for all the birds. The Government wasn't so involved then and the system we had was terrific. Anyway I happened to have a nack with babies and some others as well. 
About Baby pigeons.....They, like all baby birds cannot maintain their own heat. People are under the impression that quote" the nest isn't heated!!!" unquote. Well that is true but when there are no feathers at all the hen/cock --depending on species --is on the nest. When there is down on the chicks there are generally more than one and they literally keep each other warm, plus of course the material of the nest. Underground birds have a similar/slightly different system, and of course the birds that just make an impression in the sand etc. rarely leave their babies due to predators etc.
I always kept my babies warm from underneath using a heating pad. When I had to go out, I put a hot water bottle in my bag and the babies on top with sufficient material between the bottle and the container to insulate them from too much heat. (the bottle can always be filled with hot water as needed) It is always good to put a light piece of tightly woven fabric or a paper towel over the babies so that they settle and conserve heat and energy when the are very young. After all they would normally have their parent sitting on them for that purpose. Note if you have to use a light bulb, check the distance from the chick so that you are not frying it! Also, if the chicks have no down and are naked put some olive oil in your hands and rub them together to warm the oil then handle the babies like you are oiling a potato for baking….this keeps the baby’s skin from drying out. Please get a heat source for under the chicks as soon as possible as this is the safest way to keep them warm.
Baby pigeons need to be fully fed about three to five times a day depending on their age. I fed my babies chick starter, cooked egg yolk, a liquid vitamin, and cooked porridge. We didn’t have pre made formulas back then. (Dating myself aren’t I!) This was blended well and delivered warm and in my fist. I curled my hand so that the baby sucked the food from between my baby finger and the side of my fist. Baby pigeons suck their food! This was very acceptable to the babies and made the whole process messy but efficient!
When it came to weaning time I simply started adding pigeon grain to the mix and gradually the fist was full of grain. Then transferring the grain to an eggcup in my hand. Very quickly the babies were eating out of any container I chose. Water was the same process to although water was only introduced, as the grain became the dominant food. Always deliver water in a deep heavy container as pidgeons suck water; this is why pidgeons are found near town squares and fountains etc. 
It is important to get a baby pigeon to a domestic flock as soon as it is able to fly…….It should be a domestic flock because the baby will have been imprinted and not very safe in a wild flock.
PLEASE NOTE: that some babies will come to you having been poisoned inadvertently but their parents. (Depending on the laws where you live) 
You can’t help the parents, but you can help the baby. First you invert the baby and squeeze as much of the poisoned grain out of the crop as possible, then, you mix some crumbled fish tank type charcoal and honey and feed this to the baby. The charcoal absorbs the poison and the honey has an astringent effect on the digestive system. I have had this work more than once and the recovery is varied depending on the amount of poison that got into the birds system before your intervention. Most babies that survive are able to participate in a flock.
My best buddy as a child was a pigeon I called Sam who followed me to school and found the window of my classroom. They have great hearts these birds and always warm my heart when I see them.
Cheers, Ellen


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## Seijun

Regarding the original post, Eurasian Collared Doves aren't illegal to keep in the US, are they? I only ask because they were not mentioned on your "list".

Also, regarding rescuing baby birds: I think the only time a baby does need human help is if it is obviously sick/wounded, or has little or no feather cover. A chick out of the nest should have sufficient feathering to be able to at least lift off the ground a little bit.


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## TAWhatley

Seijun said:


> Regarding the original post, Eurasian Collared Doves aren't illegal to keep in the US, are they? I only ask because they were not mentioned on your "list".
> 
> Also, regarding rescuing baby birds: I think the only time a baby does need human help is if it is obviously sick/wounded, or has little or no feather cover. A chick out of the nest should have sufficient feathering to be able to at least lift off the ground a little bit.


No, Eurasian Collared Doves are not illegal to be kept in the U.S. .. they are considered a non-native and invasive species when found in the "wild" here in the U.S. I call them ringneck doves (Streptopelia Rosaria and Streptopelia Decaocto).

It gets a bit tricky with baby birds that are found, but your take on it is basically correct.

Terry


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## Seijun

You are right, it is species dependent sometimes. Quail chicks and other ground birds for instance won't have feathers immediately but live life on the ground from the start.

Here are some things a person might go by to tell if a baby needs help when there is no obvious injury. Most of this applies to mammals too.
- Baby should be warm, not cold. 
- Baby should be active. Not all babies know to fear humans, but they should still react to touch and movement. 
- A full crop is a good sign, but it's not bad if it's empty.
- Eyes should be open. A baby bird that hasn't opened its eyes yet shouldn't be laying on the ground (unless it's nest is built on the ground). Some mammals, like rabbits, (and also some birds) may nest outside on the ground but they will have plant cover around them at the very least if they are decent parents. 
- If the baby is able to flutter or run away, chances are good that it's doing just fine on its own (when you have to chase a baby animal around to "rescue" it, then it probably doesn't need rescuing!).
- It never hurts to go a safe distance away and watch the baby with binoculars if you are unsure. The parent will still be in the area if it's still caring for its baby.


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## TAWhatley

Seijun said:


> You are right, it is species dependent sometimes. Quail chicks and other ground birds for instance won't have feathers immediately but live life on the ground from the start.
> 
> Here are some things a person might go by to tell if a baby needs help when there is no obvious injury. Most of this applies to mammals too.
> - Baby should be warm, not cold.
> - Baby should be active. Not all babies know to fear humans, but they should still react to touch and movement.
> - A full crop is a good sign, but it's not bad if it's empty.
> - Eyes should be open. A baby bird that hasn't opened its eyes yet shouldn't be laying on the ground (unless it's nest is built on the ground). Some mammals, like rabbits, (and also some birds) may nest outside on the ground but they will have plant cover around them at the very least if they are decent parents.
> - If the baby is able to flutter or run away, chances are good that it's doing just fine on its own (when you have to chase a baby animal around to "rescue" it, then it probably doesn't need rescuing!).
> - It never hurts to go a safe distance away and watch the baby with binoculars if you are unsure. The parent will still be in the area if its still caring for its baby.


That's a good post, Seijun! Thank you!

Terry


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## Seijun

For reference, here are some baby quail:
http://viewsfromtucson.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/stickingclosetomom.jpg
They very small but are able to walk and run almost immediately after hatching. Same for pheasant and killdeer, which also nest on the ground.

These robin chicks need to be in their nest still:
http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Birds/Home/bird-feeder-Robin-chicks.jpg
http://www.photos-from.us/Birds/Robin_Chicks_5days_6459.jpg
As do these doves:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/441274602_bc1b0ea4bb.jpg?v=0
http://www.treehugger.com/mourning-doves-Fluffy-Puff.JPG

These babies still look kind of helpless but they are ready to be out of the nest:
http://mossatlas.com/images/20080522183933_dsc03766_2.jpg
http://www.franklinis.com/uploads/winner_3(1).jpg
http://www.grit.com/uploadedImages/GRT/blogs/Lori/mourning-dove-fledgeling.jpg
http://www.birdcrossstitch.com/garden/habitatphotos/P6230014doves_smaller.jpg


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## TAWhatley

Those are great links, Seijun! Thank you!

Terry


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## sport14692

Thanks For The Info


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## pigeonmama

I had a little visitor over night, a prickly little fellow (actually, a little lady), the teeniest, tiniest little porcupine. Mom was a road kill the end of last week (I figure that dead quilly was mom) Poor little kid is so small she fits in my 2 hands, now gone to rehabber, who has another baby porky. They will be rehabbed and released together later this year.


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## November-X-Scourge

good thing I can have street pigeons, both of mine were/is one!!
I was reading and after the part about keeping sparrows and panicked 'cause it didn't say pigeons
lol


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