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My foster baby birds are suffering from splay legs and weird poop. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Tanya22
- Start date
Yeah... guess I was being ultra-cautious.
Are any egret/heron species fresh water feeders only? I wasn't too sure on this point.
dantheman
Bah humbug
I think that any salty water on wild caught prey will be relatively low in amount, whereas if foodstuffs are heavily salted for preserving or quicker drying there can be a lot of salt involved, so I wouldn't be so sure. I'm not sure that birds such as herons excrete excess salt that heavily. And we know that salt is toxic in quantities.
I'm no expert, but I don't think it would be at all good to feed them fish that is reasonably well salted, even if not harmful per se it will be another stress.
Delia - do you think Tanya22 is getting sufficient care advise and there may be a better subforum for the question?? Not sure ...
(As long as not packed in salt , I would agree that a soak and quick rinse should be sufficient generally though)
I'm no expert, but I don't think it would be at all good to feed them fish that is reasonably well salted, even if not harmful per se it will be another stress.
Delia - do you think Tanya22 is getting sufficient care advise and there may be a better subforum for the question?? Not sure ...
(As long as not packed in salt , I would agree that a soak and quick rinse should be sufficient generally though)
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I had been wondering that actually DantM! I think, maybe, the Information Wanted forum might be best?
I'll move there shortly.
Ummm.... I don't think I really mean "I'll move there" do I?:-O
Borjam
Well-known member
At least where I live (Getxo, Northern Spain) little egrets are a frequent sight at the shore, especially on tide pools in rocky areas. And the food they can capture there are crustaceans and small fish.
And I've seen also grey herons.
Best place for you Delia 😄
Hi everyone!
Okay, so I soaked and rinsed the dried fish and prawns 5 times and then soaked them again (for around 10 minutes) and the babies didn't even look at it.. they just peeked once at the food and then moved their head away.
I kept the food in front of them for 2 hours, but it remained untouched. Ultimately, it was boiled egg for dinner (which they wolfed down like mad!).
They love thawed raw fish and boiled eggs only sigh... Fruits (for now I've only tried apple a few times) are being rejected and so are corns.. is there anything else that I can give to provide their body with roughage and different vitamins?
Also, since yesterday, I'm making them practice perching for half an hour and they are doing it (fingers crossed)! Chand sits on it mostly (his legs are not strong enough right now to make him stand) and Tara stands on one leg (but he is comfortable) only since the other is broken.
Okay, so I soaked and rinsed the dried fish and prawns 5 times and then soaked them again (for around 10 minutes) and the babies didn't even look at it.. they just peeked once at the food and then moved their head away.
I kept the food in front of them for 2 hours, but it remained untouched. Ultimately, it was boiled egg for dinner (which they wolfed down like mad!).
They love thawed raw fish and boiled eggs only sigh... Fruits (for now I've only tried apple a few times) are being rejected and so are corns.. is there anything else that I can give to provide their body with roughage and different vitamins?
Also, since yesterday, I'm making them practice perching for half an hour and they are doing it (fingers crossed)! Chand sits on it mostly (his legs are not strong enough right now to make him stand) and Tara stands on one leg (but he is comfortable) only since the other is broken.
Hi Delia! I actually started this thread in the Information Wanted forum only.. I'm still new to the site though, so please let me know if I've made some mistake with the posting.
Noo... no mistake made by you Tanya. It's just there's more likelihood of people with more knowledge seeing your predicament in the wider area of the forum (they're more likely to read threads in Information Wanted than in Hello).
We all said Hello to you long ago, but you're now needing more expert advice (and the more ideas the better), so thought it time to move it.
I don't see any sign that this thread started off anywhere but in Say Hello?
We all said Hello to you long ago, but you're now needing more expert advice (and the more ideas the better), so thought it time to move it.
I don't see any sign that this thread started off anywhere but in Say Hello?
Borjam
Well-known member
Borjam
Well-known member
Do they beg for food?
I would try to avoid keeping food around them and wait for some time (say, 30 minutes? before feeding them. begin by offering pieces of the fish they already eat by putting it close to their beaks, and alternate with rehydrated shrimp and fish. They must learn that it’s food.
I imagine that fledglings learn what real food looks like and where to find it when they spend time with their parents before living on their own.
And you might try some theatre Make them believe you are eating it. You are surely their role model now Act like you are earting their favourite fish, make sure they see you doing it, and then pick do it with the shrimp.
I am no expert but I think it might work. That’s what I would try.
I would try to avoid keeping food around them and wait for some time (say, 30 minutes? before feeding them. begin by offering pieces of the fish they already eat by putting it close to their beaks, and alternate with rehydrated shrimp and fish. They must learn that it’s food.
I imagine that fledglings learn what real food looks like and where to find it when they spend time with their parents before living on their own.
And you might try some theatre
Make them believe you are eating it. You are surely their role model now Act like you are earting their favourite fish, make sure they see you doing it, and then pick do it with the shrimp. I am no expert but I think it might work. That’s what I would try.
dantheman
Bah humbug
It's all a bit awkward isn't it?!
I suspect the food didn't have much smell or flavour at that point? ie they didn't recognise it as food. I'm sure one trick would be to mix some with their egg and 'wean' them onto the alternative. (Birds do get trained onto certain food types, not recognising similar items as food - if they are ever to be rehabilitated into the wild of course they will have to recognise many more and live food).
I also think a single soak and rinse would be sufficient. Of course it's a bit awkward if as a vegetarian you can't taste it, but I'm sure that would be fine.
I suspect the food didn't have much smell or flavour at that point? ie they didn't recognise it as food. I'm sure one trick would be to mix some with their egg and 'wean' them onto the alternative. (Birds do get trained onto certain food types, not recognising similar items as food - if they are ever to be rehabilitated into the wild of course they will have to recognise many more and live food).
I also think a single soak and rinse would be sufficient. Of course it's a bit awkward if as a vegetarian you can't taste it, but I'm sure that would be fine.
Borjam
Well-known member
I forgot, corn would be a no no. Predator birds will not eat cereals as far as I know it may be detrimental. For many fishes, even vegetarian ones, it can be outright dangerous.
As for vitamins, several years ago I attended an aquarium maintenance course at the Madrid Zoo and one of the vets explained us that in order to enrich the diet sometimes they hid small portions of vegetables and fruit within bigger pieces.
But not cereals
Do they beg for food?
I would try to avoid keeping food around them and wait for some time (say, 30 minutes? before feeding them. begin by offering pieces of the fish they already eat by putting it close to their beaks, and alternate with rehydrated shrimp and fish. They must learn that it’s food.
I imagine that fledglings learn what real food looks like and where to find it when they spend time with their parents before living on their own.
And you might try some theatre
I am no expert but I think it might work. That’s what I would try.
Ooohh they look at me and open their beaks! I sometimes give them a bit of water from the dropper (once or twice a day since they still have trouble walking and I don't want them to get dehydrated) and they create such a ruckus!
Also, I think Tara has started to understand his name. When I call him, he raises his head and looks at me (not very often though). I make it a point to hold one bird at a time in my hands and call out their name softly to them.
And don't worry.. I don't keep food with them all the time. My feeding way is like so:
Breakfast, Lunch, Supper and Dinner. They generally get their vitamins or cod liver oil after their supper. However, a water bowl is present near them all the time.
As for food.. these birdies have very good instincts and I guess the nose for it.. the first time I brought fish fillets for them, they jumped at it! I'll definitely try the method that you have suggested. Let's hope they eat it!
I forgot, corn would be a no no. Predator birds will not eat cereals as far as I know it may be detrimental. For many fishes, even vegetarian ones, it can be outright dangerous.
As for vitamins, several years ago I attended an aquarium maintenance course at the Madrid Zoo and one of the vets explained us that in order to enrich the diet sometimes they hid small portions of vegetables and fruit within bigger pieces.
But not cereals
Sorry! I didn't specify which corn I was talking about. I meant those frozen sweet corns. My rooster goes crazy for them, so I thought maybe they would like them too.
I like the idea of hiding the veggies and fruits whithin bigger pieces. There was something I used to try with my other chicken.. I would make a smoothie of any vegetable or fruit for her and then give it to her from a dropper. Can I do that for these babies as well?
Yes, I will try mixing it with their eggs. Hopefully, that helps. What I had done today was, I had let the fish and prawns float in the water and offered it to the birds. I was sort of trying to replicate a water body type of environment. When that didn't work, I drained the water and gave it to them just like that, but that didn't work either.
I hope mixing with their egg works.
It really is awkward as a vegetarian, but I know it's their natural diet
Home > Forums > Birding > Information Wanted > My foster baby birds are suffering from splay legs and weird poop.
This is the headline at the top of the thread.. though I'm still trying find how I can shift it to the information wanted part..
