Well I just have got a junior Florida Mockingbird dumped on my doorstep by well meaning neighbors. Seems that they’ve been watching out for him for a few hours and mom and dad are not returning to care for him. On top of that he was in the street several times screeching for attention.
That said, I cannot locate a nest anywhere within a reasonable distance. I checked all the low lying shrubs, trees, and bushes. I’ve got a genuine orphan.
Having raised a lot of orphaned wildlife, this little guy shouldn’t be too much of an issue. I have the time to care for him. He has pin feathers, but no tail feathers, nor head feathers; he’s mostly fluff. So bird experts, what is a correct diet for him? The net is useless and only instructs me to find a local wildlife rehabilitator. Frankly I don’t have the time to drive his fuzzy butt out to St. Francis, and local animal control will euthanize. So if someone would be kind enough to help me out on the proper protein to grain/fruit ratio I’d be grateful.
Food: I had lots of luck with a recipe I improvised from various recipes I found on the internet.
Basically, high-protein dry cat food, soaked in water until soft, mashed up with some high-protein wet cat food, mixed with some diced hard-boiled egg whites and come crushed calcium tablets - add a few drops of water in necessary until it’s a thick paste. He LOVED this! I would just take little bite-sized bits of the food on the tip of my finger and feed him.
After a couple of weeks, I also gave him some baby food, such as a pureed meat mixed with a pureed fruit, and let him lick drops off one of those baby medicine syringes. He went crazy over this!! He grew so fast - see the photos in my blog post to see what I mean.
You will have to feed him a lot! Several times an hour at first, all day long! But it’s worth it!
Accommodations: Make a nest for him. I had luck with a ball of yarn made into a nest shape and lined with tissues or paper towels. Put the nest into a box lined with paper and put this on top of a heating pad - make sure it’s not too warm. Keep a lid on the box at night to hold in the heat, block out light, and make him feel safe.
I am so excited for you. Keep us updated and photos would be great! Good luck. Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Thanks! According to the pics, he’s probably somewhere around the 8 day mark. He slept through the night last night as I think he was exhausted from his ordeal. This morning he seems chipper enough and is peeping, but as of yet, he’s turning down food when it’s offered. (I think he’s still scared). I assume that he’ll start begging when he gets hungry enough (he’s quite plump)? If not, I’d hate to force feed him, but do you have any tips or tricks to get him to open up?
Update: Other than giving me terribly reproachful looks he still is refusing food. However there Is a pair of mocking birds about three doors down, that is flying about looking quite distressed and calling. I’m considering putting him out.
…
Success! That pair is mum and dad. They immediately started caring for their little one as soon as I got about a house away. ( I watched long enough to make certain they were feeding him.) Alls well that ends well.
Thanks for the help guys, but I’m glad I could get him back with his parents.
By doing this, you have improved the bird’s long-term survival chances about 10-fold. When at all possible, returning a baby bird to parental care is always the best strategy.
Several years ago my husband and I successfully raised a young mockingbird to maturity. We named him Atticus. We fed him chopped-up raisins and moistened dry catfood. When he began to fly around the room, we figured that he was old enough to be outdoors. We took him outside in a wire cage and left the door of the cage open. After a few brief flights and returns to the cage, he gained confidence and flew up to the roof. Shortly thereafter he was gone. I missed him, but I felt happy that he had a chance in life that he would not have had if we hadn’t helped him out.
