Adopt An Orphan Bird

Should You Adopt An Orphan Bird?

You see the animal lying on the ground, but should you take it in? What precautions should you take?
It's early summer and you've found a small baby bird fluttering in the grass by a tree in your yard. Though you're not a certified physician, your conscience and your 5-year-old child both insist that you should do something to help the fledgling.
What should you do?

• The best thing you can do for the bird is to leave it alone. Most likely the bird is still learning to fly and its mother will help it along.
  
• However, if the baby bird is in danger of becoming lunch to somebody's pet, then you should try to return the fledgling to its nest. The mother bird will have no negative reaction to the human smell of the baby bird. However, use extremely gentle care when handling the baby.
• If you can't find the nest, make one. Poke holes in a small container (so the nest won't fill with water when it rains,) and fill it with small scraps of old clothing. You can nail the nest to a nearby tree, and if the parent birds hear the baby chirping they will probably go ahead and feed it.
• Make sure the bird feels warm. If it doesn't, you should take it indoors and care for it. Place the bird in a small container with athermometer and use a heating pad or a lamp to keep the temperature at 95 degrees. Once it is warm, you may return the bird to its nest.
• If the bird is weak and cold it would be a good idea to call your local wildlife rehabilitation center. If you attempt to feed it, make sure the bird is warm first. You can feed it meal worms or earthworms. Make sure the food is soft and soaked in water.

Bonding With Adopted Older Birds

Bonding With Adopted Older Birds


How should you bond with your adopted older bird? What precautions should you take?
If you are unfamiliar with birds, you may neglect to notice certain behavioral problems that can cause trouble. Shelters are overrun with birds that were adopted by people who didn't know how to care for problematic birds. Find out as much about the bird as possible. Birds are taken to shelters for a variety of reasons. Find out why it was put up for adoption or what its background is like, if you have access to that information. This all aids in understanding your pet.

What should you do to make the bird's transition easier?
The thing that you cannot avoid doing is the quarantine period. This should last about three months. By leaving the bird in its cage, you allow the bird to acclimate to its new surroundings. If possible, maintain the bird's previous cage, old toys and same treats, to provide the bird with some sense of familiarity.

How to begin the bonding process?
When you begin bonding with your bird, take it slowly. When you approach the cage, move slowly and keep your hands behind your back. It also helps if you kneel down. If you stand over the cage, the bird can feel threatened. Anything that threatens or scares the birds adds delay to the bonding process.

After the three-month quarantine period, you can begin taking the bird out of its cage for short intervals. Do this gradually. As you gain trust with the bird, you can allow it to stay out longer. All birds must know the "step up" and "step down" commands. This gives the bird a sense of position. And make sure your bird knows who is in charge. If you don't establish yourself as the boss, then the bird will be unresponsive to commands and fly about at its own will.

How long should it take?
Let the bird decide the rate at which the bonding will follow. If you force interaction with the bird, it may reject any approach. It is also a good idea to keep its wings clipped. Unclipped wings give the bird a feeling of superiority and training will be useless.

Know a bird's likes and dislikes from the beginning to avoid angering the bird. You can find out information on the bird's previous owner, if it is banded or micro-chipped.

The main thing is to realize that each adopted bird is uncomfortable at first. It will take awhile to adjust. Patience and understanding will help to build a strong relationship with your new friend.

Bird Raising For Baby Birds

Bird Raising For Baby Birds

Raising baby birds is easy with these tips.

• Ask your vet or another pet expert what temperature would be right for your animals, and heat them appropriately. You'll want to get a thermometer so you can monitor the temperature daily. Also, it may be a good idea for you to create a place your birds can perch.
• Keep babies away from other birds. Keep babies of the same species separate from those of other species and from other birds altogether. This will protect each group of birds from bacteria and diseases that other birds might carry. Be sure to wash your hands before you handle each given group of birds.
• Feed your baby birds. How you feed the birds should be based on what you feel most comfortable with. If you are an inexperienced bird handler, you may want to spoon feed your babies, rather than feeding them via syringe. Syringes can choke a newborn if they're not used correctly. When feeding by spoon, place the utensil inside the bottom rim of the animal's mouth and tilt the food in.
• Use shredded paper as bedding. Shavings can get caught in a bird's air passages or throat and can be hazardous.
• Clean the pen daily. You want to remove any excrement as soon as you can. It contains bacteria. Baby birds may be curious about it and you want to keep them from eating it. If ingested, it can disrupt a bird's digestive system.
• After babies reach about three-months old, they'll be about ready to make the switch from formula to adult bird food. Put some formula on top of adult food, perhaps with a vegetable to lure it.
• To properly socialize baby birds, you'll want to handle them often, regularly and carefully. Play with each bird for about 15 minutes several times a day. The more you handle your pets, the faster they'll get used to being around you. This is important for proper domestication.
• Teach them to fly. When your birds appear that they are interested in trying to fly, find a room with soft flooring to help them practice. You'll want to remove any pictures and mirrors from your walls, because they will be appealing for your birds to fly into.
• Trim their wings. Use young bird clips to keep your birds from escaping and will also ensure the tameness of your animals.