Three Baby Robins fell out of nest... help!

[Aibetsu]

Hello everyone,

I am in desperate need of help. Today I found that a robin's nest had fallen out of a tree next to my house along with three baby robins. Upon further inspection I found that the robins were very cold and weak, so I took them inside and put them in a basket with a warm heating pad underneath them and a lamp above them to try to warm them up. They are very weak and can barely move and are shivering a bit, and they cannot hold themselves up. They are very young and only have a few feathers ... they are breathing heavily as well. I am concerned and it is getting dark and cold out and I am unsure if I should keep them inside overnight or try to put the nest back up and pray that the mother comes back.
They are also not opening their mouths to feed, and I have no idea what to feed them, but they have no interest in food even when I tap their beaks.
I really want to help these birds but I don't know what to do! Please respond quickly! And I am sorry if what I wrote is a huge confusing mess, I really want to save these birds and I am unsure of what the best thing is to do.
Thanks everyone,
Andrea

[Jessika]

PLEASE contact a wildlife conservation place near you!!! I too found a baby bird that had fallen from the nest and he did not live... however if I had contacted them, they would have taken him in and rehabilitated him and he would be alive and flying today!!

Do you see the mama outside looking for them? Is the nest in the tree or completely fallen on the ground with the babies? If so I would try placing the babies back in the nest (or place the nest in the tree and put them in it) and the mama WILL care for them.... its a wives tale that if a human touches a bird the mama can smell it and will abandon them.

Your best bet if you have never rehabilitated baby birds before is contact your local wildlife rescue or conservation place...... try also calling your vet, they should have numbers of places you can call also!

Please move fast, though -- baby birds are SO fragile!! For the time being keep them in a QUIET, LOW TRAFFIC area, keep other people and animals AWAY. If they get stressed they will die (and they get stressed VERY easily).

Good luck, and keep us updated!

[Karen]

Yes, if you can put them outside near where the nest was found, but in a place safe from predators, do that. Momma bird will likely hear their cries and return for them. Though if you can find a wildlife or Audubon Society rehab center near you, that's your best chance to help!

[pitc9]

I agree, putting them somewhere safe outside where mom can find them and take care of them would be best!!

[arthuroscar21-23]

ah poor robins

[TamanduaGirl]

Normally the best thing to do is put the nest back somewhere high and hope mom comes back but if they were so cold already maybe she was already gone and if it's dark she is probably settled down somewhere and they wont make it through the night. You could try putting them out in the morning if they make it.

They need liquid most. You can pry the mouth open gently and put some in a drop at a time. All food should be mixed with water but they must be warm and hydrated before giving them food. You will kill them by putting food into a cold bird.

Then the best food for song birds is dog food watered down.

See here
http://www.starlingtalk.com/babycare.htm
http://www.starlingtalk.com/dogfood.htm
About starlings but true of most all native song birds

[Twisterdog]

It's hard to raise baby birds, especially very young ones, especially if you have never done it before. So, if they don't make it, don't beat yourself up about it. I assure you, everyone that has rehabbed baby birds has had some die.

However, on the plus side, robins are easy birds to raise, compared to most others. They are good sized babies, and voracious eaters, once you get them through the inital difficult period. I've raised a lot of robins to release.

Indeed the best thing to do is put them back in the tree, in the daylight, of course. A good way to do this is to get a shallow plastic dish, like a small margarine tub. Punch a few holes in the sides and tie pieces of string in the holes. Put the remains of the nest inside the dish, then tie the string to the tree branches. This will keep the nest securely in the tree. Just setting it on a branch won't work, it will likely just fall out again. Robins are very devoted mothers, and wil continue to look for their babies for days. If the mother is alive, she will most likely come back and care for them. She won't mind your modifications to her nest, I've done it many times with success.

If the mother doesn't come back within a few hours, you should take them to a licensed wildlife rehabber.

But, you need to get them through the night, now:

Very young baby birds actually don't need, and shouldn't have, water. Their mothers don't bring them water. They get all the liquid from the insects, fruits, etc. that they are fed. Soaking dog food in water will provide them all the water they need. It is very easy to get water in a bird's lungs and kill them, as the opening to their windpipe is directly beside the opening to their stomach. With experience, you learn which is which and how to avoid a problem, but it's best by far to avoid water if you don't know.

Keeping the warm was a very good idea. But they must eat, too. If they are not opening their mouths for you, and are warm, that means they are weak from not eating for too long. You can try force feeding them, but it's stressful and scary if you are not used to doing it. If you want to try, PM me and I'll walk you through it.