Hello everyone,
I have found this forum after searching for a good place to ask for advice regarding a bird rescue - I hope you will be able to help me, as I am completely new to the world of our avian friends.
A few days ago I have rescued a great tit who climbed into the radiator from outside of the house, and have gotten himself injured. The feathers on his wings and tail were burned, but otherwise he seems to be unharmed, but as a result is unable to fly. As there are no bird rescue missions in my vicinity, I have consulted with a local vet, who checked the bird and also opined that other than his feathers, he seems to be unharmed, and said that the tit cannot be returned to the wild in his current state. We have decided that the best course of action for now would be to nurture him through the winter and see how his recovery goes.
As there are not a whole lot of resources about this sort of thing, understandably, we are talking about a wild bird, I would like to ask for advice on how to make sure that he will have the best chances of recovery and the least stressful experience.
He currently lives in about a 3x3x2 feet (H-W-D) cage where we provided him with food, water, perches, and a little foliage. He is eating, drinking, and pooping without problem, chirps a little in the morning and noonish, sleeps through the night, so he seems to be physically healthy, although I'm a little concerned about his mental health. Other than sleeping, he seems to be exploring the cage or sitting and looking around, however, at times, he seems to be trying to escape, jumping at the grills of the cage repeatedly and poking or knocking on the cage with his beak. I fear that he might injure himself this way, especially after further recovery when he'll be able to fly a little. On one occasion he even caught his legs between the grills, and couldn't escape without my help. I have put a few branches near his "favorite" jumping spots to somehow make it harder for him to jump with full force and hurt himself. Is this a serious sign or is it to be expected from wild birds and is something that he has to live with through his recovery? Also, I don't know how he deals with being isolated from his kind, and while he can hear birds outside, I'm not sure that it is enough for him. Is there anything I can do to comfort him? Should I even try to interfere somehow or is it better to just let him be? Lastly, I would like to ask for tips on the placement and furnishing of the bird cage, where would be the best place to put it and what things should I put in there to make him happier? Is it better to organize his food in a little bowl or is it more natural to just spread it around the ground? Does he need a bird bath? I have probably missed some things, just wanted to ask a more experienced community for advice on how to make this recovery the least stressful experience and give him the best chances of being able to return to the wild as soon as possible. Any advice regarding my questions or other relevant ideas are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your help,
P
EDIT: I have realized that I might not have posted this in the correct thread, if anyone could point me in the correct direction, I would really appreciate it.
I have found this forum after searching for a good place to ask for advice regarding a bird rescue - I hope you will be able to help me, as I am completely new to the world of our avian friends.
A few days ago I have rescued a great tit who climbed into the radiator from outside of the house, and have gotten himself injured. The feathers on his wings and tail were burned, but otherwise he seems to be unharmed, but as a result is unable to fly. As there are no bird rescue missions in my vicinity, I have consulted with a local vet, who checked the bird and also opined that other than his feathers, he seems to be unharmed, and said that the tit cannot be returned to the wild in his current state. We have decided that the best course of action for now would be to nurture him through the winter and see how his recovery goes.
As there are not a whole lot of resources about this sort of thing, understandably, we are talking about a wild bird, I would like to ask for advice on how to make sure that he will have the best chances of recovery and the least stressful experience.
He currently lives in about a 3x3x2 feet (H-W-D) cage where we provided him with food, water, perches, and a little foliage. He is eating, drinking, and pooping without problem, chirps a little in the morning and noonish, sleeps through the night, so he seems to be physically healthy, although I'm a little concerned about his mental health. Other than sleeping, he seems to be exploring the cage or sitting and looking around, however, at times, he seems to be trying to escape, jumping at the grills of the cage repeatedly and poking or knocking on the cage with his beak. I fear that he might injure himself this way, especially after further recovery when he'll be able to fly a little. On one occasion he even caught his legs between the grills, and couldn't escape without my help. I have put a few branches near his "favorite" jumping spots to somehow make it harder for him to jump with full force and hurt himself. Is this a serious sign or is it to be expected from wild birds and is something that he has to live with through his recovery? Also, I don't know how he deals with being isolated from his kind, and while he can hear birds outside, I'm not sure that it is enough for him. Is there anything I can do to comfort him? Should I even try to interfere somehow or is it better to just let him be? Lastly, I would like to ask for tips on the placement and furnishing of the bird cage, where would be the best place to put it and what things should I put in there to make him happier? Is it better to organize his food in a little bowl or is it more natural to just spread it around the ground? Does he need a bird bath? I have probably missed some things, just wanted to ask a more experienced community for advice on how to make this recovery the least stressful experience and give him the best chances of being able to return to the wild as soon as possible. Any advice regarding my questions or other relevant ideas are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your help,
P
EDIT: I have realized that I might not have posted this in the correct thread, if anyone could point me in the correct direction, I would really appreciate it.
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