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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Birdsanction" data-source="post: 913844" data-attributes="member: 56249">I feed abandoned baby blue jays dog food chunks soaked in water. I use blunt ended tweezers and offer small bites of food, it's not necessary to poke the tweezers down the throat as they will go after the food. Feed every 30 minutes until bird becomes a fledgling then about every hour. Getting the tongue caught in the tweezers can be a problem so be careful.Don't worry about over-feeding, the bird will stop eating when full. Avoid feeding worms or live insects as this will cause an internal parasite problem for the animal. As the bird grows and can get about within it's cage begin introducing small bites of fruits, nuts, and seeds. I've seen jays amuse themselves between feedings with these offerings. They do get bored when confined but try to resist handling them anymore than you must.Remember, your job as the caretaker is to prepare the bird for a successful release. This also means keeping a bowl of water in the cage; bathing induces preening which will waterproof the feathers. You can put pebbles and rocks in the water bowl to prevent drowning when the bird is small.Provide a good area for practice flying. The bird needs to exercise its wings to prepare for outdoor life. We take our birds outside and allow them to practice and scratch around on the ground. Don't release the bird too early. Make sure it has a good tail growth. Also treat the bird for mites before release to avoid mite molt which can end in the birds death from overexposure in some areas. One other thing, keep the bird's area clean. That means change the lining of the cage at least twice daily and provide things for the bird to play with, as I said, they do get very bored.If I can be of further help please email me.</blockquote>

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