Posted on 01/26/2011 10:33:13 AM PST by Excellence
I tied two bells to one of our cats to keep her from going after cats, but she still got one this morning. I rescued the bird, but now he can't really fly. He let me pick him up and put him in, ironically, a cat carrier. So I'm looking for advice. He's resting comfortably now. How soon should I try to feed him? What about water, small cup or big bowl? He's mostly white, with a little bit of grey.
Oh, that’s too funny. Well, not really.
LOL! I'm laughing just thinking about it! I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but it would have made for some gut busting home video.
I shouldn't laugh at that, but I couldn't help it! The visuals, the visuals. I had brought the bird into the house and was carrying it around with me in a towel. I had to go out for an appointment, so I put it in a shoebox and kept the lid on top of it with some space. Coming home, I thought, "gee I really should have not done that." Sure enough, I walk in and the dog is looking at me, acting like "God, I'm so glad you're home! There's a bird loose in the house!" Thankfully, the little thing was seeking harbor from the dog under the dining room table. Donning my latex gloves, it just let me grab it. As I tried to put it in the shoebox again, it wriggle out and landed on the drainboard, clutching to it for dear life and got caught in between the sections. I am PRYING it out, finally being able to so I can bring it outside and be done with it. And my dog was probably wondering why I just didn't let her handle it outside in the first place, LOL. No good deed goes unpunished, right?
Been there, done that. No help. Called PetSmart! Got some good suggestions.
That is not because he is comfortable and relaxed, unfortunately. A wild bird is not going to like being handled, and having his/her eyes closed is not a good sign either.
Were I you ... I'd put the bird back outside. You're trying to do a good thing, and as an animal lover, I understand perfectly. Keep an eye on it if you can, but its best chances are in the wild.
Doves are ground feeders, so you can put a little dish of birdseed in for it, and a dish of water.
If it can fly, let it go. If it can’t, search online for a wild bird rehabber in your area.
Basically, you are not going to do much more for an injured bird but splint a break if it has one, which takes some expertise, and keep it warm and fed.
We rescued a mourning dove from a cat. It was alive and we took it to a rehabber, but it had a puncture wound to the brain - no chance for it. Nature red in tooth and claw.
I’m guessing your dove, being white, is a feral introduction, not a native bird, and so the laws against keeping wild birds won’t apply to you. Yes, Virginia, you may not nurse a native bird back to health without a license, although I doubt the feds will be breaking down your door - they never did mine.
Small hammer to back of head will cure her from going after birds.
Several years ago I found a morning dove on my deck that had been targeted by a hawk. I checked with a local bird store and they told me to put neosporin on the wound but not to expect it to live. They were right, it died.........
Get another 10 or so doves and make a dove pie.....yummy...
My son is not happy with you.
When my husband was a boy, his mother rescued a baby squirrel and it lived in a handbag on top of the refrigerator, going in and out the kitchen window at will, and on peaceable terms with the dog and cats.
Guess you aren’t a Squirrel Whisperer.
PS When we saw a raccoon in a water-filled storm drain, we bloody well left it there.
ROFLOL!!!!
We had a severely injured month old chicken....cured it with a salve of St John’s Wort.
I’d just put her in a bush far from the house or the cat. Cats catch birds. It’s perfectly natural.
It is cruel to bell a cat. I’d take off the bells; it makes the cat neurotic. How would you like it?
Our cats catch birds and rodents and lizards and things. It’s what they do. I don’t LIKE it and sometimes will try to set the bird free if it’s not too far gone, but that is what cats do and you need to understand that. A cat allowed outdoors will behave the way she is supposed to.
Doves are not particularly bright birds, and are easy prey.
Sometimes you just have to let the cat kill and eat the bird. It’s just part of life. I don’t mind what mine do, but I DO MIND when they bring their “catch” into the house. I am not above SCREAMING like a sissy, which I am.
That’s a pretty dove, obviously not a typical wild breed. Definitely worth two in the bush.........
You did good! What a beautiful bird! Is it a rock dove?
It doesn’t look limp or in shock to me...I’ll tell you that we had much success using canned food dog food on a recent mockingbird rescue.
You need to take it to a wildlife group. They would I think know what to do.
I don’t know what kind of dove it is, but he’s really mellow about letting me put suff in his carrier. I have water, lettuce, carrot peel bits and apple bits, suggested by the lady at PetSmart. He is pretty, though.
I have used this site to help me find help in just these cases. I have done this twice. They know how to care for wild birds, they will know what to do.
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