Wild Bird - Urgent Help Please

Whispered

Hi, I badly need help. A wild bird ran into my kitchen this morning, followed closely by my cat I hate to admit, the poor thing had been in the garden yesterday my OH told me, but had vanished into our neighbours garden while he had gone to get a box for it. Anyway it has lost a few of it's tail feathers and can barely stand, I dont think it's leg is broken as when i picked him up he gripped my fingers with both feet. I think he might just be tired and in shock. I have it in a small box with water and sugary bread & milk. His eyes seem very alert and he looks around when you take the lid off the box, I'm not sure if he has eaten. He has done a poo but it's very dark, I dont know if thats normal, I thought there was usually white in it too, but I could be wrong. He's tried to flap around and both wings seem fine, he just doesn't have much energy. I dont want to put him outside again just yet there are cats everywhere. What should I do? Thanks for your help.

BTW, without being over-defensive, I dont need a lecture about cats and birds please. Feel free to start another thread but in this one please just help me help the bird.

Thanks

doctor evil

Stick the box somewhere warm and quiet for an hour or two. Hot press would be ideal.

When releasing it make sure the cat is not there. Fair play for catching it.

Whispered

Thanks Dr.Evil. Bit of an update, I had him in a shoe box by a rad in my spare room, when i went back up to check on him he had pushed his way out!! Now I'm really in trouble coz he's trying to fly then collapsing when he lands so i think he's still tired. I cant get him back in the box and I'm not really willing to let him out yet as it's very windy here today and starting to get dark, so if he's weak he might be hurt. Plus I can keep my two evil cats in but there are loads on the road and birds are most vulnerable at twilight. Did you ever hear that getting poo-ed on by a bird is lucky?? Well if it's true, then my spare room is the luckiest room EVER. It's everywhere! haha.

Our man in Havana

I would say take him to a vet NOW! If the cat has bitten it at all the bird will die!

A bird that keep collapsing would worry me a lot - they are so fragile that the vet is the best thing for the bird - a bird or wildlife vet would be preferable.

Whispered

Well I now have more of an update. I couldn't catch him again without really scaring him, I didn't want to chase him around the room, so I spent yesterday evening sitting in the room reading a book (out loud) he was soooo curious and stopped flapping around whenever I went into the room, he kept an eye on me but started eating while I was there. I left him overnight and this morning heard him chirping!! Responding to birds outside, so I opened the window as wide as I could and left the room, ran downstairs and stood outside under the window. After a min he hopped out onto the windowsill and flew away, not a bother on him. I think he needed a good rest and some food.

I was on the net yesterday looking for info on caring for an injured wild bird, who to call etc. I got loads of info on how it's illegal to trap a wild bird, even if it is injured etc, but no details on who to go to for help. Is it illegal, what I did? Should I have just put him somewhere high a left him to fend for himself? And if not, who do you go to with injured wild animals, ie. hedgehogs, squirrels etc? (Just in case I find myself in a similar situation)

doctor evil

No one is going to get you for it!, don`t worry sure it was the cat who brought it to you.

If it happens again I find using a sheet or light towel to throw at the bird tends to work, or washing basket.

Hypnotoad

Well done
You handled it well.

Whispered

I am so delighted he was ok, I just hope he'll stay that way. To think that this time yesterday he was nearly dead and now he's fine (the power of reiki BTW) I skipped into work this morning thinking I had made a huge difference to his little life.

echosound

Aw, that's great! Well done you!

Wild birds can be given a new lease of life if tended to when injured. Mate of mine had a crow living in his bathroom for a few months til the infection in his eye cleared enough for him to fly - mental setup - had a broomhandle across the bath for bird to perch on and poo, fed and watered it, and cleared the pus from around his eye with a dry uncooked stick of spaghetti!! (vet's instructions). Crow still "lives" nearby so visits daily to his back garden.

However his charitable deed did not do a friend of his any good - the friend had come to visit after getting the all clear to go off his meds, friend went to loo in this guy's house, came back down whispering to his carer about a crow in the bathroom, carer gets all worried and brings him back into hospital and gets him put back on meds again until mate with crow finds out what happened and explained that there was actually a crow in his bathroom, the carer had assumed the poor guy who had seen it was raving about a giant human sized crow sitting on the loo reading a newspaper or something. Moral of the story - tell any houseguests you are caring for a wild bird before they get a surprise when using the bogs

bronte

That's very kind of you op, i'm glad it all worked out
Lol at echosound that carer must've been baffled!

Whispered

OMG echosound are you serious?? Thats so funny! The poor guy. I heard crows are very smart, ravens too apparently. Mad isn't it that they're everywhere and we just ignore them! Did the crow come to trust him, and allow your mate to handle him?

echosound

True story! Funny when I heard about it, died laughing, but not so funny for the poor guy with everyone thinking he was going mad again and getting put back on the meds. Poor chap - at least it got sorted quickly enough though
The carer should have known it was no stretch of the imagination for my mate to have had a crow in the bathroom anyway, this guy has the oddest stories and experiences I've ever heard, he's like a walking calamity of wierdness.

Yes, the crow became very friendly towards my mate, would sit patiently for him to tend to the infection even though it probably was the last thing a bird would want to do but it obviously copped it was being done for a reason. Perched on the shoulder too when he was walking round the house, and fierce interested in whatever my mate was up to, following him round and getting his beak into everything, sounds nutty but the bird was there months so I guess he just got comfortable with being round humans (well my mate at least).

He still comes back to the garden to hang about and get a few crumbs, but has lost the "ok with being handled" thing, he's ok with my mate walking up to him but is wary of being picked up, probably just as well some of the natural wild instincts came back to him though in fairness. Crows are one of the smartest birds going alright, I've read quite a few articles about studies done on crows and ravens etc, and they are quite amazing creatures.

tallus

Well done op
Ok slightly off topic but here's the cleverness of crows in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P8Nwl7FAJk

sillymoo

Thats excellent! I have often seen them in the garden teasing my blind dog very cleverly but thats priceless!

Whispered

Thats brilliant!! I have one somewhere of a seagull or pigeon who runs into a shop and robs a packet of crisps (I think it's green hunky dorys) it's always the same packet and he goes back every day. He's so famous that customers pay for extra packets so that the shop keeper doesn't try to stop him. I wish I knew how to load it on!!!

tallus

helena.ryan wrote: »

Thats brilliant!! I have one somewhere of a seagull or pigeon who runs into a shop and robs a packet of crisps (I think it's green hunky dorys) it's always the same packet and he goes back every day. He's so famous that customers pay for extra packets so that the shop keeper doesn't try to stop him. I wish I knew how to load it on!!!

Here's a link to the vb list, I used it to embed that video.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/misc.php?do=bbcode#url

Trojan911

Think this might work...