Seeing a hungry bird could touch you deeply. Ideally, feeding a nestling should be entrusted to parents or wildlife recovery experts. However, you may need to take care of this if you see that his parents do not return after several hours and you are unable to immediately take the little one to an ornithology center.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare Emergency Food
Step 1. Find out what kind of food you can feed a nestling
Since there is a wide variety of bird species, it can be difficult for an ordinary person to know the nutritional needs of a particular bird. Fortunately, some foods are generally acceptable and you can use them in an emergency situation. For example, dry food for dogs and cats soaked in water may be suitable for a nestling.
- Pet treats for baby pets are very high in protein, an essential nutrient for small creatures.
- If you don't have dry food for dogs or cats, canned food is fine too.
- If you need to feed a baby bird urgently, you can also use insects and meal moths, both of which are excellent sources of protein.
- You can also find ready-made food specifically for birds at pet stores; it is relatively small in volume but high in calories and you can add it to dry food for dogs or cats as a supplement.
- Powdered seeds are also an appropriate food in case of emergency, but only for pigeons, pigeons and parrots, as these species do not eat insects.
Step 2. Find out what you shouldn't give to a bird
Milk should not be considered as an emergency food to be prepared for a nestling. The little ones are not breastfed, this food is therefore not part of their normal diet. Bread is also another food to avoid when the specimen is small, as it does not provide enough nutrients and could cause an obstruction in the digestive system.
- Commercial pet bird food is another food not recommended in this situation, as it does not meet the nutritional needs of a wild specimen.
- The chicks get their water from the food itself, so it is not necessary to supply more separately.
Step 3. Purchase meal moths and / or crickets
You can find these foods at pet or fishing stores; crushes the heads of moths before feeding them to the birds.
- Go to the pet store to purchase live crickets.
- Before giving them to the creature, you should close them in a sealed bag and place them in the freezer for 10 minutes; after this time, the crickets are dead, but to the sight and palate they still look alive and are not too frozen.
- They are also an excellent source of water for nestlings.
Step 4. Prepare dry food for dogs or cats
You can give this food to the birds in very small portions to avoid the risk of suffocation. The treats are too big to be offered as they are to these little creatures, so some changes need to be made; you can grind them in a blender or food processor to get really very small morsels. You should also moisturize them with warm water until they take on the consistency of yogurt or become spongy.
- Another possibility is to wet the biscuits first and then break them in half with your hands; however, it can be a rather tedious method and you may choose to grind them while they are still dry.
- To get the right degree of humidity and compactness, use one part of food and two parts of water; it may take up to an hour for the kibble to reach the proper consistency.
- Dry food that gets too wet can choke the bird, so it is very important that it reaches the correct hydration level.
Part 2 of 3: Feeding the Bird
Step 1. Heat the nestling
It is important that it is warm before eating. Fill a jar with hot water and place some fabric on the container; then wrap the bird in the fabric and let it warm up.
- Since it is so small, it can take a few minutes for it to warm up properly and be ready to eat.
- If it still has few feathers or none at all, use a small plastic container (such as an empty margarine jar) as a nest and fill it with kitchen paper or toilet paper. you can also lean it against the jar of hot water to help it warm up.
Step 2. Encourage the animal to open its beak
Once it feels warm, the nestling is able to open it by itself and eat; otherwise you have to stimulate it. Lightly whistling or patting him on the chest are great ways to cheer him on.
- You may also need to pry with your thumb to gently open its beak.
- Keep in mind that you could hurt him when you handle him, so you need to be extremely gentle while tapping his chest or "forcibly" opening his beak.
Step 3. Give him food
Take a very small tool to feed it; tweezers, cocktail sticks, plastic coffee sticks and pediatric syringes are all perfect accessories for this purpose. After placing a small amount of food on the utensil of your choice, insert it into the right (to your left) side of its throat.
- To the left of the throat is the trachea, and just like people, food must not enter the respiratory system.
- Hold the tool at the ideal height to allow the creature to easily grab food.
- Make sure the morsel is at room temperature.
- If you have chosen crickets or flour moths, you need to break them into small pieces before feeding them to the bird.
- Feed him until his crop is full.
Step 4. Feed him at regular times
This is perhaps the most difficult part of the whole process. In nature, nestlings eat every 10-20 minutes during the day for 12-14 hours; for most people it is certainly not an easy schedule to follow.
- Contact the wildlife recovery center to get the creature to their location as soon as possible.
- You should only feed her emergency food until you can arrange for her to be transferred to the center, where they can take care of her.
- Throw away any wet food left over after 12 hours; at that point it begins to deteriorate.
Part 3 of 3: Know What To Do If You Find a Bird
Step 1. Determine if it is a nestling or a juvenile
In the second case, it already has some feathers or is completely covered with them and has probably already come out of the nest, can walk on the ground or fly on low branches before being able to fly perfectly. It still needs to be fed by the parents, but it is not entirely dependent.
- If you find a young bird, you should leave it where it is, so that the parents can find it and feed it; you should only move him if he is injured and needs to be taken to a wildlife recovery center.
- The nestling can have some feathers or be completely devoid of them; if you see one outside the nest, you should put it back inside; if the nest has fallen from the tree, put it back on a branch and then place the bird inside.
- If you can't see the nest, make one yourself by placing some torn kitchen paper in the bottom of a can of margarine and use a nail or wire to pin it to a tree near where you found the nest. volatile; put the creature inside.
Step 2. Determine if she needs expert care
If its parents do not return within an hour or two or you know that the mother is dead, the chick must be taken to a recovery center; he needs attention from competent personnel even if he is injured or looks sick.
- Don't waste time and call the recovery center as soon as possible; the sooner you can bring the bird, the more likely it will be saved.
- If an attendant is coming to pick up the nestling directly on the spot, keep the animal warm by wrapping it in fabric over a jar of hot water.
Step 3. Don't assume you need to feed it
Even if you have the best of intentions, you may actually be doing more harm than good by feeding a wild nestling; in fact, most wildlife recovery centers recommend not feeding these specimens. It's best to leave him alone or deliver him to an ornithology center as soon as possible.
- Parents are likely to be around and will be back within hours to care for the baby.
- If you mistakenly pick up the wild creature to feed it, you may be depriving it of the parental care it needs.
Advice
- If you have to handle a bird, wear gloves to prevent it from infecting you or other pets.
- It is a popular misconception to think that if you handle a nestling, it is then rejected by the parents; these animals have a poor sense of smell and therefore parents hardly perceive the human smell on their creatures.
Warnings
- If you feed a bird the wrong food or prepare it improperly, you could choke or even drown.
- It is illegal to keep a wild bird in captivity unless you have been authorized by the relevant agency.
- Do not force a nestling to eat, otherwise it may inhale the food instead of ingesting it, with the risk of pneumonia or asphyxiation.
- Handling a bird can cause some injury; if you find yourself having to feed it before entrusting it to an authorized center, try to pick it up as little as possible to reduce the risk of harming it.
