I have come to this large forum in need of help.I live in southern Missouri and My girlfriend and I found what we think is a baby starling, we know for sure it's some sort of wild black bird. He is a youngling, now starting to fly more. My girlfriend has been taking care of him for about a week and a half to two weeks. He was a baby when we found him, with very few feathers.
We fed him soft dog food, until he was able to eat worms, which is what he now eats. We slowly started included insects as he can barely peck. Recently, he's been sneezing, for the past 3 days, on and off. Multiple sneezes at a time. And just today, he has been puffing up a lot, and really calm, sitting still and quiet and closing his eyes. Sometimes he will cock his head to the left. But when someone makes noise, or calls his name (Hank ) or gets him out of his cage, or when hes ready to eat, he makes noise and is his normal self.
Symptoms uffed-up feathers,Half-closed or closed eye(s) for much of the time,Sudden temperament change, he is taken from my house that has air conditioning to my girlfriend's house which is usually warm most of the time because he needs constant care being a wild bird.
I don't need any criticism on an amateur taking in a wild animal, I know he should be brought to a correct conservation or rehabilitation center, but me and my girlfriend have become attached, as we did the last baby bird we found last year, who coincidentally passed at the same age as Hank, who was sneezing and sleeping just like Hank is.
Please could someone tell me what is wrong?
We fed him soft dog food, until he was able to eat worms, which is what he now eats. We slowly started included insects as he can barely peck. Recently, he's been sneezing, for the past 3 days, on and off. Multiple sneezes at a time. And just today, he has been puffing up a lot, and really calm, sitting still and quiet and closing his eyes. Sometimes he will cock his head to the left. But when someone makes noise, or calls his name (Hank ) or gets him out of his cage, or when hes ready to eat, he makes noise and is his normal self.
Symptoms uffed-up feathers,Half-closed or closed eye(s) for much of the time,Sudden temperament change, he is taken from my house that has air conditioning to my girlfriend's house which is usually warm most of the time because he needs constant care being a wild bird.
I don't need any criticism on an amateur taking in a wild animal, I know he should be brought to a correct conservation or rehabilitation center, but me and my girlfriend have become attached, as we did the last baby bird we found last year, who coincidentally passed at the same age as Hank, who was sneezing and sleeping just like Hank is.
Please could someone tell me what is wrong?