Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Determining whether the bird needs help
• Part 2 of 3: Know when to get help
• Part 3 of 3: Determining what kind of bird it is and feeding it
• Warnings

Most people forget that young birds they find in the wild are actually wild animals. Leaving the wild animal alone is in most cases the best solution, as it is also prohibited to have wild birds in your possession. However, if you don't see any solution other than taking it home or feeding the bird, this article will provide you with the information you need to properly care for it.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Determining whether the bird needs help

1. Put on gloves. If you plan to touch the bird, you should wear gloves. Gloves will protect you from the bird. Even young birds can use their beaks for biting.
2. See if the creature has feathers. If the bird already has feathers, it is a nest bird. If, on the other hand, the animal has hardly any feathers, it is a nest keeper.
3. Leave nesters alone. Nest flyers have good reason to no longer be in the nest. If a bird has full plumage, it will likely learn to fly. These birds must therefore be outside the nest. The parents will still feed the bird even if they are on the floor.
4. Put a nest-keeper back in the nest. Nest keepers, unlike nest fugitives, probably need some help. If you find a nest resident, you can return the animal to the nest. The nest is most likely nearby. If you can't find the nest, you may need to find help for the bird.
   • Try to hear if you hear other young birds nearby. When the parents return with food for their young, you should be able to locate the nest quite easily by following the chirps of the young.
   • Pick up a nest keeper by placing one hand over the head and back and one hand under the belly and legs. Do not worry that the mother will reject the bird if you touched it with your hands. The mother will no doubt accept her young back into the nest.
   • Try to warm the nest-keeper by holding it in your hands until it is no longer cold to the touch.
5. Check the other birds. When you have found the nest and the other nest-keepers are dead, you can conclude that the nest is abandoned. In this case, you will have to take care of the nest-keeper (or several) who survived.
6. If in doubt, do a little test. If you are unsure whether you are dealing with a nest-keeper or nest-float, you could try getting the bird on your finger. If the bug has a reasonably good grip, it is probably a nest bird.
7. Keep an eye on the nest. If you'd rather not leave the bird alone in the nest, you could check that the parents are returning to the nest by monitoring it for several hours. However, you should make sure that you are at an appropriate distance, as the parents may not return if you are too close to the nest.
8. Make a nest yourself. The nest may have been destroyed by a storm, predator or humans. If you can't find the nest, you could make your own. You could use a small plastic container. Cover the inside of the container with a soft layer, such as a washcloth, small towel or blanket.
   • Place the nest in a shady spot near where you found the bug. You could nail the tray to the tree. Place the bird in the nest and make sure that the legs are under the body of the animal.
9. Wash your hands. Always wash your hands after coming into contact with a bird. Birds can carry disease, so it's a good idea to wash your hands properly when you're done.

Part 2 of 3: Know when to get help

1. See if you see the bird's parents. If the parents do not return to the nest within a few hours or if you are sure that the parents are no longer alive, you should seek help for the poor little creature.
2. Try to determine if the bird is injured. If the bird appears to be having trouble moving or unable to use its wings, it is probably injured. Even if the bird seems to have chills, it may be in trouble. When you're dealing with an injured bird, you have good reason to call for help.
3. Do not try to raise the bird yourself. It is forbidden by law to keep and raise wild birds. You need a special permit to keep and raise wild animals. This is laid down in the Flora and Fauna Act.
4. Contact a bird sanctuary. Such shelters have the knowledge and skills necessary to care for young birds. Search the internet for a shelter in your area, or contact a veterinarian or animal shelter near you to inquire about a suitable shelter in your area.
   • Ask for advice on how to provide the bird with food and water and how to keep it warm. Be patient with your questions, and ask for additional advice by saying something like, "Is there anything else I should consider (or be extra careful about)?"

Part 3 of 3: Determining what kind of bird it is and feeding it

1. Understand the risks. Keep in mind that in keeping the bird you are doing something prohibited by law. You also don't have the expertise to feed the bird properly, so chances are the bird will die if you take care of it. It is also quite a challenge to take care of a very young bird, since the animal has to be fed every 20 minutes. The bottom line is that eventually you won't be able to teach the bird what it would learn from its parents. Just think about finding food yourself and being on the lookout for predators.
   • The bird could also become very accustomed to humans that it can harm him, as the bird does not know to flee from humans. The bird probably expects to get its food from humans every time.
2. Try to determine which bird species you are dealing with. You may be able to determine the species by using the online bird guide of Vogelbescherming Nederland.
   • Positive identification of the bird species will be easier when you see the bird's parents. However, if the parents are still around, let them take care of the bird. The parents have a strong instinct to take care of their young and are well equipped to do so.
3. Identify the correct food source for the bird. The right food for the bird depends on what the parents are eating. For example, the red cardinal eats seeds, while crows eat almost anything from nuts and berries to insects and small rodents.
4. Use dog or cat food for an omnivore. If the bird you found is omnivorous, you might want to try dog ​​or cat food. Many birds are omnivores and when they are very young, the parents will mainly feed them insects. This means that a diet rich in animal proteins, such as dog or cat food, is suitable for these birds.
   • If you are using dry food, you could soak it in water first. Let the food soak for an hour. However, if you are ready to give the food to the bird, make sure it does not drip, as the water can get into the bird's lungs and cause death. The food should be spongy, not dripping.
   • Make a small ball. Make a small ball of the food about the size of a pea. Place the ball in the mouth of the young bird. A popsicle stick or chopstick is a useful aid in this process. You could also make some sort of spoon on the end of a straw. The bird will undoubtedly accept and eat the food.If the kibble of the dry dog ​​or cat food is too large, break them into smaller pieces first. The bottom line is that all food should be the size of a pea.
5. Feed birdseed for herbivores. If the bird only eats seeds, you should use a birdseed formula. This bird food is available at a pet store or specialty store. Pet stores sell special food for newborn parrots.
   • Use a syringe to push the food along the crack of the voice. The cleft of the voice is around the windpipe. You will see a small opening in the mouth or at the end of the throat where the windpipe opens. You need to make sure that no food or water gets into the trachea. So make sure that the tip of the syringe passes the vocal cleft.
6. Continue to feed the bird until it appears full. The very young creature will continue to eat food when it is hungry. If the bird doesn't seem enthusiastic anymore, it's probably full.
7. Do not water the bird. If the food is sufficiently soaked with water, the bird will not need any further water, at least not as long as it remains a nest. Watering will do more bad than good, as water can get into the trachea and cause death.
   • If the bird seems dehydrated when you take care of it, you may want to use Gatorade or Lactated Ringer's solution. Place a drop on the bird's beak with your finger so that it can soak up the moisture. Signs of dehydration are a dry mouth and reddish skin. Also, the scruff will not shoot back immediately if you gently squeeze it when the animal is dehydrated.
8. Feed the bird every twenty minutes. The very young bird needs to be constantly supplied with food to maintain sufficient energy. However, you do not have to constantly get up at night to feed the bird.
9. Try to avoid contact with the bird as much as possible. In order to eventually release the bird into the wild, you need to keep it from getting attached to you and building a bond with you. Limit interactions with the bird and don't treat it like a pet.
   • In reality, it is almost impossible to raise a young bird without it becoming attached to you, especially if it is less than two weeks old.
10. Let the bird feed itself in the fourth week. When the animal is about four weeks old, it will be able to learn to feed itself. However, it can also take a month longer before the animal is actually able to do this. You still need to hand feed the bird during this time, but put a small bowl of food in the cage as well. When this time comes, you could also place a very shallow dish of water in the cage.
    • You will notice that over time the bird will be less interested in being hand-fed.
11. Feed the nest keeper until it has become a nest bird. It may take several weeks for the bird to develop wings and become a nest bird. The bird cannot survive until it has developed wings and starts flying itself. Only after this can you try to return the animal to the wild.
    • If you keep the bird until it reaches adulthood, you will need to adjust its diet. This diet may differ from the previous diet.
    • Once the young bird starts jumping against the side of the box, you should be able to transfer it to a cage.

Warnings

• Also make sure you know what foods the bird cannot eat, as some foods are not good for some bird species. For example, most birds cannot digest milk.