# Baby Scrub Jay



## GimpieLover

My friends parent found a baby blue jay. I took over and am hand feeding it with kaytee exact formula and crushed cat food. There is a small white scab looking thing in the corner of its mouth. Is this canker? the bird still has a big appitite and it is not in the back of the throat. Just the corner of the mouth. I don't know if it could be anyhting else and I dont want to medicate for canker if its not. Any advice. I can get pictures up tomorrow.


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## jameswaller

keep him full of kaytee,formula baby bird food,but why the crushed cat food.??.he might be too young for solids,.and watch this sore?? might need clavamox(canker?),.sincerely james waller


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## GimpieLover

crushed up cat food for the need of protein. mortel and pestoled till powder that gets very mushy when mixed and let soak in the kaytee mix. They found the bird near there boat and no nest nor parents could be found anywhere near. The flight feathers are just starting to break through. Its being kept in a dark box and the only human contact is during feeding so it can be released. 
....About the sore. In the inside corner of his mouth(right where the fleshy part at the base of the beak meet there, but on the inside), there is a pin head sized white blemish. I do not have my camera, and am going to wait to open his mouth when I can take a picture not to handle him too much but on here I hear alot about canker, the pictures I have seem are not very similar, but it seemed to be maybe the start of it perhaps. I am not sure. I want to cure it early if it is something similar. Anyone know of anything that it could possible be. I know its going to need pictures.


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## altgirl35

could it just be some dried food from what your folks are feeding him?? you could try to gently remove it with a wet q-ti. if it isn't i would lean more towards avian pox, which is also contagious make sure he isn't near our own birds and clean up his feeding utensils well preferably with chlorhexidine or at least dilute bleach.
there is no cure for pox but you can give him supportive care to prevent infection until the virus runs it's course.
hopefully it's not wet pox (internal) hopefully it's dry pox external. work on that pic, and keep an eye on it to see if more lesions show up on his head,feet or throat


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## Skyeking

GimpieLover said:


> Any advice. I can get pictures up tomorrow.


Is it a scrub or a blue jay?

Yes, please do post a picture.


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## Ed

This baby bird is an omnivore, a member of the crow family and it's needs are very different from pigeons. A base diet of soaked puppy chow is good for starters and can be supplemented with boiled or scrambled eggs. Some fruits and vegetables can be added as well on a much lesser urgency. The soaked puppy chow needs to be offered in small bits and pushed to the back of the birds' throat in order for it to swallow it. Oftentimes, they won't swallow the food unless it's placed far enough back to the throat and might spit it out, making the care giver think it's not hungry or full.

The bird should be fed numerous times a day and around the daylight clock while watching that it's actually become full and not that the care giver is not feeding it correctly.


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## GimpieLover

It is deffinatly a scrub jay. We don't really have blue jays around here that I know of. Between the Kaytee mix, hard boliled egg yolk and the cat food for the meat portion I was told was the best before introducing ground meal worms and such. 
I have had him 2 days now and he has perked up tremendiously. It is being fed about every hour. 
I have some pictures but they did not come out very good so I took a video I am going to try and somehow post which shows the sore better. I Thought it was dried food at first to, but it is not crusty and has not gone away.


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## Charis

I would discontinue the Exact. The moistened dry kitten food is good...hard boiled eggs...grapes cut up in small pieces...pieces of berries...baby applesauce, etc.

That yellow spot does look suspiciously like canker. Any rehabbers in your area?


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## altgirl35

aww so cute, it doesn't really look like pox, and you can see it's eating into the flesh like trichmoniasis, i have never had a case of it anywhere but the throat.
can you get some flagyl or i know alot of people use spartix on here, it would be good if he could go to a rehabber


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## GimpieLover

Well heres most of the situations like this going to go, down here, we need Terry and she is still about 2 hours from here and going by her last few posts I have read, she is extremely over whelmed. Any other wild life place like the wild life waystation just euthanises. They are over run as well. Is treatment for trichmoniasis igoing to harm the bird if it not diagnosed with that? I have one bird rehabber I could call but she mostly deals with unwanted peacocks down here. Any local help chain down here would be appreciated.


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## Charis

I'll see what I can come up with tomorrow and I'll post it here and email you directly.


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## GimpieLover

I have e-mailed Terry just fyi so she doesnt get bombarded with messages. And thank you as always!


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## Charis

Check out this link. There may be someone close to you. I know you would do a good job of screening them.

http://wildliferehabber.org/st_filtered_list.php


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## GimpieLover

Those all seem to be rehabbers, from Canada, Spain, or China...?
Am I missing a seperate part?


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## Charis

Yes...there's a California section. I'll go find it.


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## Charis

Try this and put in your state or zip code.

http://wildliferehabber.org/


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## TAWhatley

Hi Gimpie,

Try getting in touch with Veronica on the wildlife desk at Pasadena Humane Society: http://www.pasadenahumane.org/site/PageServer or Valley Wildlife: http://www.valleywildlifecare.org/ .. I think these two are probably the closest to you. If neither of those works out, I will PM you my rehabber friend's name and phone # in Orange in a second.

Terry


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## GimpieLover

As always....Thank you Terry 
Savior for all feathered buddies


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## Maggie-NC

Gimpie, he is adorable. Just few suggestions.....

Pick a jar or two of Gerber #2 chicken or beef baby food. Using a 1 cc syringe, feed him about 3-4 syringes full at each feeding. Make sure you keep the baby food refrigerated and take out just the amount you will need for each feeding. You can use something like a shot glass. That way you don't contaminate the larger jar each time you dip the syringe in.

Songbirds need calcium. Usually fruit, like grapes or blueberries are sufficient but I sometimes crush a human sized calcium table or Tums tablet and dip the food in it then feed. Once a day should be enough. Songbirds are very prone to getting metabolic bone disease and this will prevent that happening.

Use a good quality cat/dog food pellet that has been soaked but is not mushy. We use Science Diet.

You mentioned "ground" meal worms. Don't know if you mean worms from the ground or not but whatever you do, don't feed them any worms from your yard or ground. You can usually pick up live mealworms at pet stores. For his size, I like to cut the heads off before feeding them.

His crop is located on the side of his neck. It needs to have a nice sized bulge after you feed him but not too large. They will continue to beg like crazy but you don't want to fill it too full. 

Baby jays make the cutest sound when you are feeding them, don't they?


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## george simon

*SCRUB JAYS eat nuts and they are fond of peanuts for this little gut you should feed unsalted nuts and peanuts. They also feed on insects.I had them at my feeders and would feed them peanut in the shell which they would bury them for later.They are a strong bird and fearless. I miss the pair that came to my feeding stations, I feel that they were victims of the WEST OF NILE VIRUS, as I have not seen them for two years*GEORGE


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## cats6birds4

Hi, I hope you found some help by now. Have you tried calling
Valley Wildlife (818)346-8247 she is in West Hills which I don't think is too far from you. Also Camarillo Wildlife (805) 482-7617 is in Camarillo. I'm a rehabber in Ventura, which is a little far, but I'd be happy to take the bird if needed!

Beth
805-320-2438


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## GimpieLover

*Regretably: as an update*

I was originally going to get the bird to a rehabber, but I lost computer contacts unfortunatly. So regretably I still have the bird. 

He is doing wonderful though. He is in a large crate able to flap his wings as he pleases. He has been on the #2 gerber, cat food, hardboliled egg, and grapes combo, and I am off to get some bugs for him. 
My questions are:
-Would he like crickets? (small live ones to get used to eating them on his own, or is he still too young for that?)
-(I have been feeding him off a long end of a spoon so he does not get used to peoples hands as a food source) so should I still use a utensil to feed the _head-less meal worms_ to him or let him eat them on his own?
-My main concern is that he will be ok to be released and do good fending for himself. I was worried about how long to feed him for before he can eat on his own. 
The jays I have seen in the wild still seem to feed there young after they can fly. 
This young-in is close but not quite there. 
His little tail is finally starting to come in =)
(And yea they do make some of the most precious noises when they eat) =)
Also, Is a rehaber still recommended, or does it seem like I am doing things well enough? Because the closest rehabber is a bit far, and I would prefer to not make that drive (sadly due to raising gas prices and a kicker of an economy!) but I will if you guys recommend still.


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## GimpieLover

*How could I forget!!!!*

I really feel stupid for all this, I apologize for my lack of knowledge here over the years, but I really have learned alot. I promise I really do have the best of intentions.
But I did forget to add that the bird DOES NOT have canker nor pox! ...It was a piece of food or something that came off.......(How embarassing)
There is no sore, wound, nothing on him. He is a healthy spunky little fella getting bigger every day.


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## Charis

I think you are doing a great job. The advantage of a rehabber is that they may have others of the same kind, that all all be released together. It would increase his odds to survive.


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## TAWhatley

Hi Gimpie,

Valley Wildlife in West Hills is probably less than 10 miles from you. I'd really suggest getting the bird there. You've done a fine job of raising it, but the final touches need to be done now in order to get it successfully released. While this all might seem pretty simple, it really isn't, and if you were to keep this little bird and make a mistake, you could cost the bird its life. I know you wouldn't want this. 

I just recently came across Valley Wildlife and never knew they existed. They've helped with a couple of birds since I "discovered" them. Since Beth suggested them also, I would really feel OK in giving them a call.

Terry


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## Margarret

Hi Gimpie,

Just thought I'd add a bit. You have done a terrific job with this little jay. But now he needs to be with other Jays. Most of the rehabbers keep a couple of non flying adults as surrogate parents. They teach the young how to be jays, or crows or whatever breed it is. Also this time of year, the rehabber will most likely have a couple more jays about the same size as yours. They put them all together with the adults, wait until they have several ready to release, and then release them together.

I took in a lovely band tail pigeon a couple of months ago. It was a squeaker, cat caught and pretty torn up. I got it healed up and growing like a weed. Then took it and a rescued crow to the rehabber. She had two more band tails, and my little guy rushed right over and tried to duck under the larger of the two. They just need to be with their own kind if it is in anyway possible.

So I would very much encourage you to get your scrub jay to one of the rehab places for his * how to be a jay* lessons. He will have a much better chance once released.

Margaret


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## GimpieLover

I have called Valley Wildlife and left a message to see if they have other blue jays. I have decided to make sure I find a center that has other of the same species no matter the drive


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## GimpieLover

I had no idea how difficult it would be to get the bird to a wildlife center. It is all done by returning messages, and you can't bring the bird in, you have to make an appointment, and It's proving quite difficult to even get a hold of these people.


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## spirit wings

GimpieLover said:


> I had no idea how difficult it would be to get the bird to a wildlife center. It is all done by returning messages, and you can't bring the bird in, you have to make an appointment, and It's proving quite difficult to even get a hold of these people.


If no none is calling you back, I would just take the bird in then. is'nt that irritatating....


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## GimpieLover

There web site says to not take the birds to the address they give on the site. its just there mailing office.


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## cats6birds4

Hi,

I'm sorry you are having trouble gettting a response, I'm sure you must be frustrated! It may be that you'll need to get the bird somewhere else. If you would like to bring the bird to Ventura, I would be happy to take him anytime. Just give me a call, 805-320-2438. I do think although it sounds like you're doing a great job, it is time for him be around other jays so that he does not become tame, and we should make sure he is healthy. Jays are slow to mature and releasing him too early would be dangerous for him. There is also California Wildlife Center 818-591-9453, they are in the Malibu/Calabasas area. They have a website you could check out. I'm not sure how close they are to you. I may be in the L.A. area on the 27th, but I'm not sure yet. If so, maybe we could arrange a place to meet.

Beth


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## GimpieLover

Hey Beth
I think I need you, Valley called my back today and left a message saying that they are over run with birds and since the bird is over 3 weeks old and I have had it too long, they will not take him. They said there will be too many nutritional problems to fix so they don't have the time...(He seems very healthy to me) 
Anyways I do want him to be around other jays so I want to make the drive to you. Are you with an organization or just a home rehaber?


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## Charis

GimpieLover said:


> Hey Beth
> I think I need you, Valley called my back today and left a message saying that they are over run with birds and since the bird is over 3 weeks old and I have had it too long, they will not take him. They said there will be too many nutritional problems to fix so they don't have the time...(He seems very healthy to me)
> Anyways I do want him to be around other jays so I want to make the drive to you. Are you with an organization or just a home rehaber?


Holy Sheep! What a bunch of bunk they gave you!!!
I admire your dedication to do what's best for this baby and get him to a rehabber. Gold Star form me to you.


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## cats6birds4

Oh that is ridiculous. What is a rehabber for if they won't help a bird! Geez. I'm sorry, if I knew you would get that response, I would not have given you the number! 

I will be happy to take the bird. I am a subpermittee of the Ojai Raptor Center and I rehab out of my home. I rehab the non-raptor species. I currently have one injured adult jay, and 4 juveniles getting ready for release, so your little one will have some buddies to show him the ropes. 

I don't get a chance to check my email super often, so the quickest way to reach me is my cell 805-320-2438, and I'm pretty much always available. If you happen to get my voicemail, I will call you back as soon as I get the message. Lets talk and see if we can make arrangements. 


Beth


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## cats6birds4

Hey Gimpie,

I haven't heard from you, how's your little one doing? Let me know if you found somewhere else to take him. Hope all is well 

Beth


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