Help me help an injured juvenile chickadee

September 1, 2014 10:58 AM

We found an injured juvenile chickadee. I had some wildlife rehab training decades ago. I have worked with juvenile birds and injured birds, but never with injured juvenile birds, and never anything so small. Any advice or suggestions from rehabbers, vets, knowledgable people would be helpful.

We found this bird. It is flopping on one side. The injury seems to be to its wing, and not to anything else. I've put it in a box on a towel. I can give it water. Do not know what to feed it. We used to feed birds slightly heated cat food. But those were bigger birds.

I have looked up wildlife rehabbers in the area. There are none that handle what they call "dickie birds."

So...keep it warm, give it water, feed it what? The goal is to keep it alive until I can get it to a vet tomorrow. Will a vet take it? Can a vet help it? Any advice or suggestions from rehabbers, vets, knowledgable people would be helpful.

posted by clarkstonian to Pets & Animals (2 answers total)

The wildlife rehabbers or local bird societies or wildlife/nature sanctuaries might be able to suggest a vet that is sympathetic to wild birds. Here's a site with suggestions about how and what to feed (further down the page). The one time I helped out a wildlife rehabilitator, I fed a fledgling blue jay bits of dry cat food soaked in water and mashed up. Out of curiosity does "dickie" bird mean fledgling/baby bird or just any small species (like a chickadee) even if it's an adult? I'm surprised no local rehabbers will take it either way. Maybe those bird watching clubs/places/people would have some suggestions about a rehabber who is more amenable to small bird rescue. Audubon in your area?
posted by dahliachewswell at 1:09 PM on September 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

What do you consider your "area"? When my husband's friend found some injured grackles, I called my state's wildlife center and they referred me to a rehab center that took that sort of bird. It was 70+ miles away but worth it to put the bird who survived the night in good hands, IMO.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:57 PM on September 1, 2014