baby robin found

[kingrattus]

I was walking to the hole in the fence & I just happened to kick a baby robin in the beak. I know there r tons of cats in that ally, so I decided to give him a chance at life & take him home. But I'm gonna see if the wild bird place will take him in, because I don't have the funds to care for him at this moment. If the bird place says no due to being full, I'm gonna beg my parents for money, all I need is $20.00 & I can feed & care for him for a very very long time (several months).

the only thing I don't remember from my past baby pirds is how often do they need to eat??

& this is my first robin, so I need to know how much he needs to eat per meal.

So far he is eating, I can just get him to open his mouth & slop a bit of food down there, its runny, but not soupy! I even got to see him swallow it, that was cool.

& today I was thinking about Peetree, hes the starling I raised from a naked chick to a young adult, then he was hit by a car

I was remembering him beging for food by sticking his beak between my fingers & opening his mouth, & him dive bombing me while I opened the fridge to get his food. Damn I miss him

[popcornbird]

First of all, glad you could save this bird.

I have no clue how often baby robins should be fed, but I believe it also depends on its age. You can get a handfeeding kit for baby parrots at most pet stores. Perhaps, if you ask them, they may have one for wild baby birds too. I know that baby parrots need to be fed every 2 hours until they are weaned (yes, even at night), so I would assume its the same with the robin. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[kingrattus]

so far I've fed him 3 times, in the past 20 mins, I want him to eat as much as he can, he is slightly weak.

u can see the hard part of the feathers comming out of his wings & he has black spots all over the top of him... I will take photos

[wolfsoul]

Good for you

I'd suggest buying some meal worms (If that's too much money, maybe just find some? I know how much the worms cost here, it's ghastly) and blending them or atleast mushing them up, cuz I know that robins regurgitate thier food, and just feed him that

My aunt has a bunch of baby robins where she lives, and I've watched them being fed. It didn't take much, they are always hungry

[kingrattus]

no meal worms here, but there r dew worms, I will hunt for those a bit later, right now hes enjoying his waterdown cat food, yum. This is what I have been told to feed him before, but it needs to be mixed with scrambled eggs, but I don't have eggs right now, but this is very pricy & good cat food so it'll be ok for the time I have him tonight.

[popcornbird]

Its good that you are feeding him, but be sure you don't over-feed him. From what I've heard, its better to slightly underfeed than to overfeed. Baby birds don't know when to stop, so if they eat too much, it can be hard on their crop. I'm sure you're doing great though. Maybe you can call the vet and ask how often you should be feeding it. They would probably know. Good luck!

[moosmom]

How about finding the nest he fell out of, putting on a pair of rubber gloves and putting him back in his nest???

[kingrattus]

the vets r closed during the weekends & the only vet that is opened to calls doesn't have their # in the book, so I have no idea what it is... the vets out here kinda suck after hrs

[kingrattus]

there were no trees near by, only 1 bush, & I didn't see anything, & if I left him there the cats would have eaten/killed him. I don't even know how he got there, my friends dog could have picked it up & moved it without harming it, but I really don't know where its nest is. & its not like I don't have a clue how to care for him, hes just a smaller breed of bird I'm use too.

[kingrattus]

I found this on the net:
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Don't give them water except as part of the food as they drown easily, don't use milk, birds can't tolerate lactic acid, nor worms as most birds cannot tolerate the parasites associated with them, (not even Robins eat them all the time.). Don't use sugar (except dextrose) or salt, birds have no use for them.
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I guess I wont be giving him worms yet.

[kingrattus]

Should I put dog fur in its nest? would it help keep him warm & be softer for him?

Hes just so tiny, I want him to be super comfy.


OH!!! & one of his eyes is opening up!!!!!! theres a tiny tiny gap in his right eyelid... I missed Peetrees eye opening, but I wont miss this ones if he gets to stay here. In a way, I hope they can't take him, I love being a mother bird, its a blast & soooooo rewarding.

well in the mean time, I want to name him, can u guys help me name him???

[luckies4me]

Can you tell how old he is? In the wild they are fed every 8 minutes, but in captivity that can rarely be duplicated. About every 15 minutes at the least, during the day is sufficient.


Earthworms should not be given. Other worms are fine and a regular part of their diet. Wax worms are great because they are squishier than most other worms. Mealworms can be hard to swallow, especially for a tiny baby. We also offer berries and soaked Nutro dog food. We usually blend up the worms, berries and a little dog food and feed that to them in a syring. sp?

[kingrattus]

what kind of berries??

I have no idea how old he is. if u can find a growth chart I can try to figure out his age. I've looked on the net for more info, but I don't get anything useful.

[Twisterdog]

You can get a handfeeding kit for baby parrots at most pet stores. Perhaps, if you ask them, they may have one for wild baby birds too. I know that baby parrots need to be fed every 2 hours until they are weaned (yes, even at night), so I would assume its the same with the robin.

A wild bird, especially a robin or starling or other insectivorious bird is nothing like a parrot. Parrots, finches, etc. are seed eaters. Robins, starlings, etc. are meat eaters. Big difference ... like the difference in raising a calf and a puppy. The parrot formula you buy at a pet store might be alright to raise some wild birds on (for example, pigeons and doves can survive on it), but it very wrong for robins. Robins should eat a mixture of soaked dog food, applesauce and poultry mash ... with a good portion of insects, if you can find or buy them. Crickets, moths, and grubs are good, as are waxworms. Mealworms are earthworms are not good.

You don't need to feed a baby robin at night. Mother birds sleep all night ... they aren't up feeding their babies. Feed your baby robin from first light in the morning until darkness, and he'll be fine.

I put all the baby birds I raise in a margarine dish wrapped in a dishtowel and lined with tissues. Make sure to pad the dish with tissues until the baby fits snugly with no extra room. If you keep a baby bird in too large a container for a "nest", his legs will spread and he will develop splay-leg and not be able to stand, walk or perch properly. Keep a heating pad on low under the box you have the bird in until it gets feathers. When birds get feathers or down, they are then able to regulate their own body temperature.

[kingrattus]

thanks alot twisterdog, I can go to sleep atlast..

When I had my baby Starling, I put him beside my bed so if he woke up during the night & started to chirp (which was bloody loud) it would wake me up & I would feed him, but sometimes he only wanted to know if I was still there. After a while I had to put him in the front room because he thought it was funny to wake me up throughout the night for nothing. My dad agreed to feed him just a bit when he got up at 6-9am so I could sleep. Peetree lived in a rabbit cage (that was all I had at the time).

Right now (for the robin) I have an inqubator type thing set up, I set the same thing up for Peetree when he was a baby. I take a container of some sort, fluf up the tissus at the bottom, then put a flat cuped piece of tissue ontop of the fluffed up stuff, I make a thick cuped tissue lid, then use a warm lamp to keep the tissues warm, & it works very very well, but it takes a very long time to set up, don't want it too hot or too cold. But I check his temp every feeding by setting him in my hand right after I feed him. he usualy poops in my hand

If I'm not able to get him into the shelter tomorrow (well today) I'm gonna buy a couple of eggs & more tinned cat food.

I hope I get him in, cause taking him to work is gonna be fun.