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wild bird rehabbing

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wild bird rehabbing

Postby DanaandPod » Tue Feb 14, 2017 12:15 am

Training to be an on call volunteer assistant to wild bird rehabber. Yay or nay? Bringing a wild injured bird into my home could make my parrots at risk of illness? ? :amazon:
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby Navre » Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:29 am

I'd isolate the wild bird just like you'd quarantine any bird coming into the house. I think the only airborne thing to worry about is PBFD. I think the "P" is for Psitticine, so maybe native birds can't carry it anyhow? It's worth checking into.

2 things since you're in CT. I wouldn't take a Wild Quaker into the house. As an invasive species, they're probably not eligible for rehab and release anyhow.

Also, come to RI and help out at our parrot rescue! We need volunteers! :)
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby liz » Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:20 am

Quarantine and a lot of hand washing is required. I have rehabbed squirrels, turtles and birds.
Not only do you have the work of caring for it but you also have to teach it the things they need to learn to survive in the wild again. I bring in things from outside to teach it. I was really surprised when Rocky disassembled a pine cone in just a few seconds.

Rocky was my first squirrel. He became so comfortable living in the house that he would not leave. I had him from September to April. When I thought I had him ready to go he would not. I walked out of the house and went toward the woods beside me but he would jump off and go back to the house and run around it looking for a way back in.
I had to put a chair in my yard to sit down with him and then move it a few inches each day. The only way I was able to get him out was to entice other squirrels to come to a feeder for him to watch them. It was a log drawn out process.
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby Pajarita » Tue Feb 14, 2017 12:38 pm

I don't know if rehabbers foster birds out because wild birds cannot be caged or kept without a special license as it's illegal - and I doubt a rehabber would risk losing its license just to foster one or two birds out. But, yes, there is always the risk of contagion (both bacterial and parasitical) so a very strict quarantine protocol needs to be kept (and I am talking even separate vents for air circulation).

John is right, why don't you volunteer at his rescue? Great personal experience and invaluable learning to boot!
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby DanaandPod » Sun Feb 19, 2017 7:07 pm

Thanks everyone.
1. I still havent recieved an answer back whether or not id have to keep some as part of training. I became interested when a local squirrel rehabber told me i could train and get certified just to occassionally help another rehabber. Regardless of the specifics, my own birds are my world now...therefore...id stay clear of possible harm.
2. I just spoke recently with the founder of CT parrot society. (Im looking to get involved as an education outreach especially locally with children). She was saying the law against monk bird keeping is a problem they are trying to reverse because of the captive birds that need homes. Next month will be my first monthly meeting! It will be informative since a avian vet is speaking.
3. I wanted to volunteer at R.I.! Unfortunately, too far a drive for me. (I heard a lot of parrots were taken in. Due to a hoarder or something. ) How in the world did you put together housing for them all? Ill have to check out your site again.
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby liz » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:23 am

I have rehabbed both fur and feathers from the wild. They were babies who did not get claimed by their parents when they got out of the nests. I kept my first squirrel in a super large cage that I designed for him and let him out to play often. My intention was to let him back out once he was mature enough to be able to feed himself. I had him from Sep to Mar and he would not go. When I took him out he was like sticky paper and would not go to the natural area beside my house. I had to temp another squirrel into my yard then let him smell where it had been before he would follow the smell into the woods.
I rehabbed another but learned my lesson. When I got her off the bottle and eating I gave her to a rehabber with 15 other female squirrels. She was so pretty with smooth shiny fur. 10 minutes with the other girls and she was as dirty with roughed up fur as the others and I could not find her. When they were able to feed themselves she was released with the others and already had a family.
I rehabbed a baby Starling that I took from a cat. He must have just "bombed" out of the nest. When he started to fly I opened the window for him to go out. He would go out with a flock of Starling in the yard and beg for food. I was amazed that they all took time to feed him. When the others went to roost for the night he came back in. One day the Starling fed in another area and the only bird that would accept him was my chicken. She did not feed him but taught him to peck. He eventually joined the flock and move on with them.

I am disabled and do not work so I have plenty of time to care for rescues. I have found that not only do you have to care for them to grow or heal but you have to make sure he can feed himself and will be accepted where he is released. I have found that it is a lot better for the critter if I get them through to the age or health when they could be released it is better to give them to another rehabber preparing his collection for release.
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby Navre » Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:06 am

DanaandPod wrote:Thanks everyone.
1. I still havent recieved an answer back whether or not id have to keep some as part of training. I became interested when a local squirrel rehabber told me i could train and get certified just to occassionally help another rehabber. Regardless of the specifics, my own birds are my world now...therefore...id stay clear of possible harm.
2. I just spoke recently with the founder of CT parrot society. (Im looking to get involved as an education outreach especially locally with children). She was saying the law against monk bird keeping is a problem they are trying to reverse because of the captive birds that need homes. Next month will be my first monthly meeting! It will be informative since a avian vet is speaking.
3. I wanted to volunteer at R.I.! Unfortunately, too far a drive for me. (I heard a lot of parrots were taken in. Due to a hoarder or something. ) How in the world did you put together housing for them all? Ill have to check out your site again.


Thanks for thinking of us!
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby JackCrens » Wed Feb 22, 2017 5:30 pm

I started rehabbing wild birds before I knew I wasn't supposed to. A tiny fledgling mockingbird showed up at my front door, and wouldn't take no for an answer. I raised him and a sibling and released them both. Over the next few years, my wife and I raised many mockingbirds. We also raised and kept a non-releasable (scissor-beak) bluejay. We also rehabbed opossums.

Right now we have a live-in flying squirrel. I can't really say she's a pet. She just showed up one day, discovered that she liked parrot food, and made a career decision to stick around.

IMO, rehabbing wild orphan babies of any kind is one of the most rewarding things you can do. I couldn't get a license because I worked an 8-hour day, but I volunteered to work with a licensed rehabber. That way I could stay legal.

You should know that some bird species, namely pigeons, starlings, sparrows, and Muscovy ducks are not legal to release; they're considered to be "non-indigent species." On the upside, they _CAN_ be legally kept as pets. I've raised quite a few clutches, and given them to folks as pets.

Every Spring, most licensed rehabbers are buried up to their eyeballs in baby birds, so are pressured to release them way too early, In the wild, baby birds will stay with their mother until they're bigger than she is. They need her to show them the ropes, explain polite behavior, warn them of dangers, etc., etc. Any rehabbed bird is living on borrowed time, always more at risk than one raised by his mother. The best we can do is give them all the help we can.

Since I lived in the country, my rehabber friend would often let me take the "releasable" birds to my place to release them. What she didn't know was, I kept them an extra two weeks or so, building up their size & strength, so they could take care of themselves.

I also put out food for them until they learned how to fend for themselves.

In that way, I must have raised and released 100 or more birds. It's always gratifying to see one of your charges doing well in the outside world.

About your original question: I've not had any trouble raising birds in the same house as my parrots. With one exception: one of our pet canaries lit on Sterling the Grey's cage, and Sterling killed it instantly. Sad.

I did have another case where I had rescued a baby pigeon and raised him to adulthood. My intention was to keep him as a pet (since they're not legally releasable), but I brought in another pigeon who turned out to have avian virus. It killed them both ISOB!). But my songbirds were unaffected.
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby liz » Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:42 pm

I took the risk of rehabbing and releasing knowing both things were against the law. I had made up an excuse if I was ever caught. I would tell them that I was a volunteer rehabber at the zoo but they were so busy that I was going to stabilize the critter before taking them in.

My first rehabbing as an adult were the bunnies. I did not know about the baby milk I could have used for the bunnies. Freaking out what to feed the little rabbits that my dad's dog was bring to my 4 year old daughter I came up with the solution of cutting out the middle woman. Every grain in my house went into a pot to boil then I fed them the juice.

The Canadian goose was different. Even after I captured her I could not see what was wrong and took her straight to the zoo. She had fishing line imbedded in her legs. I would not have been able to help her even if I had seen it. It was infected and she needed vet care.

It is rewarding. I am bothered by all the exotic or wild critters being kept by people who are even showing them on FB.
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Re: wild bird rehabbing

Postby Pajarita » Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:04 pm

The thing about rehabbing is that you need to have a very good knowledge of their anatomy, physiology, natural diet and behaviors specific to the species you are trying to help in order to do a good job and be actually helping the animal - and this is not acquired from just having a kind heart. You need to study for it - that's why rehabbers need to take an exam and apprentice under an experienced rehabber to get their own license.
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