>From:    Shelley Abare <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: off topic but can any one out there help me with this?
>
>I have found a baby bird.  I found it thursday afternoon... It was
>too week to move, so I put it in a box and am currently feeding it
>moistened dog food.  This at the recommendation of a Pet Rehabilitator
>in Greensboro NC that I found on line.  Has anyone else out there had
>any experiance in raising "wild" baby birds?  ...
 
I don't know an extensive amount about birds myself, but here are a
few suggestions that may help.  First, be sure to keep the baby well
hydrated, as dehydration can kill a bird as quickly as it will a ferret.
Second, here's how to check for temperture tolerance: if the bird is
holding its wings out from its body and seems to be panting with its beak
open, it's too hot.  If it huddles up with what feathers it has fluffed
out and its head and feet pulled in, it's too cold.  Third, depending on
the species of bird, its age and what it's being fed, you may need to
check up on whether it needs to have grit available for ingestion.  Last
but not least, as birds are tempermentally different from mammals, be
sure to be gentle and nonthreatening when you're around it, as birds
get frightened by us big predatory types rather easily.
 
Do you know what kind of bird it is?  Are its feathers out yet?
[Posted in FML issue 4564]