Help me, oh f-list!

[rhienelleth]

 So, I got a surprise when I opened the door to my garage this morning.  A very loud, sharp chirp that scared the crap out of me.  And turned out to belong to this little guy, who doesn't appear to be able to fly.  The way he hops along, it looks like either his leg or his wing might be injured.  I'm reasonably sure he's not a starling, but other than that...any thoughts?  I'm not sure what to do with him.  Turning him loose for the cats in the neighborhood seems unnecessarily cruel.

Comments

[serindrana.livejournal.com]

Best I can offer is give him a comfy place to settle down in (but where you can keep track of him) and either call or take him to a local vet to get checked out.

He's a cutie, though! Hopefully things'll work out for him. :)

(Also, super-envious of your gardening!)

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

Looks like a robin to me. If you are sure he is injured, you may want to call a vet. Being too young to fly today doesn't mean he won't be able to tomorrow or the next. Otherwise, the more you handle him the more likely he'll die. They do that.

The parents are probably out in the yard waiting for him. While they can't totally protect him from cats and other predators, the best thing to do if he's not obviously injured is to leave him alone; maybe get him out into the bushes rather than the garage, especially if mom and dad are there.

I've had more than my share of "rescues" go south within a few hours because of shock. They don't know you are trying to help them, they think you want to eat them. My philosophy now is hands-off as much as possible.

[rhienelleth.livejournal.com]

I called our local wildlife rehab place, and they confirmed it is indeed a baby robin. I placed him outside under trees in one of my gardening boxes (low lip - he could easily hop right out of it). the lady wanted me to be able to bring him in if his parents weren't around.

But Mama and Papa robin showed up within a minute of me walking back inside.

~ Aha! He's finally getting brave and hopping forward toward the lip of the box!~

Mama and Papa are flying around the yard, collecting food. Every once in awhile, they land near him, but they haven't approached directly yet.

[jomadge.livejournal.com]

Oh!!! Poor little guy.

[sandy-williams.livejournal.com]

Oh, good. Maybe they'll get braver and approach. Sounds like he still has a chance.

[gabby-silang.livejournal.com]

Poor little guy! When I found a fallen baby bird a few years back in Milwaukee, it turned out that our local Humane Society had an office specifically for rehabilitating wildlife. Might be worth checking into?

[neonhummingbird.livejournal.com]

I second this; I'd call either your vet or your local Humane Society or ASPCA to ask for advice. Their websites might even direct you to helpful wildlife rehab programs.

And yeah, handling him and moving him as little as possible without advice from people who know more than we do is probably best. :)