Help! I need advice quick!

[Deranged Hermit]

There's a baby robin in my yard, it's been chirping loudly for about an hour, and no parents have shown up. It's almost big enough to fend for itself, but not quite. I first found out it was there when my dog thought about eating it. Should I try to intervene and help it, or leave it alone?

[Gwenhwyfar]

Id give the animal rescue a call and just keep and eye on it untill they get there, baby wild birds are so hard to save, they die really easily, I think from fear and/or shock...

[IrishDancer]

If it's in the yard, it sounds like the mama ain't comin' back for it. When birds fall out of nests (or are usually pushed out), the mothers don't come back for them ever, from my understanding.

I found two baby birds (sparrows) in the same summer. I took them in, because otherwise, they would've died. I suggest you take it in and take it to a clinic to get checked out and professionally cared for.

If your doggy thought about eating it, it obviously can't fend for itself and has no protection -- who knows what else might think about eating it (even things as small as ants may also be a problem).

Maybe someone knows more about this than I do, though! If so, please correct me and chime in!

[Deranged Hermit]

Unfortunately, we don't have that here. The closest thing to it would be the game warden, and I don't think he'd come out for a baby robin. I know they can die really easily though, I've had that happen in the past.

[Deranged Hermit]

If it's in the yard, it sounds like the mama ain't comin' back for it. When birds fall out of nests (or are usually pushed out), the mothers don't come back for them ever, from my understanding.

I found two baby birds (sparrows) in the same summer. I took them in, because otherwise, they would've died. I suggest you take it in and take it to a clinic to get checked out and professionally cared for.

If your doggy thought about eating it, it obviously can't fend for itself and has no protection -- who knows what else might think about eating it (even things as small as ants may also be a problem).

Maybe someone knows more about this than I do, though! If so, please correct me and chime in!


Yeah, I'm worried about what else might try to eat it, as we have a lot of wildlife around. I'll wait a little longer. Don't know what to do...

[Gwenhwyfar]

well maybe you could make it a little nest on your porch, one that he can get out of and fly away from, when he's ready...I think its the whole being caged or indoors that freaks the heck out of them...put some water out for him, Ill keep my fingers crossed for ya!

[IrishDancer]

Yeah, honestly, without professionals to care for it, without a mother, without proper nutrients and everything... all that... he/she probably will die anyway. It's really a matter of trying to lessen the pain of it, you know?

The mommy probably abandoned it because something was wrong with it anyway... I would guess.

Edit: I would try the game warden, just in case -- or to get advice, anything. It can't hurt. People in those jobs usually choose them because they love animals, you know?

[Gwenhwyfar]

could be....but lets hope its just a lazy, late bloomer and mama just got tired of it and gave it the boot...needs a few minutes to collect itself.


the game warrden couldnt hurt too.

[IrishDancer]

Yeah, maybe it just needs to kind of figure things out. Maybe earlier than it would have otherwise, but maybe it's still possible.

I have a feeling Hermit's doing something about it right now... crossing my fingers for the birdy.

[savannahrose44]

The only thing you can do is try and find out who in your area...veterinarians or what not deals with wildlife. If nothing else if you have a local Zoo or forestry center they would be good places to ask. ;)

[docdoo]

WAIT!!! Do NOT touch the bird.

Does it have feathers? If no then call your wildlife rehab center.

If yes, and if it can 'almost' fly then LEAVE IT ALONE It has fledged. A baby bird falls out of the nest on it's own...it is what is commonly known as a fledgling. It will live up to several weeks on the ground while the parents still care for it.

IT HAS NOT BEEN ABANDONED...leave it be hon, mama birds don't just walk away from their fledglings. Mama is around and most likely saw you messing with the baby and has backed off for a bit...she will return if you leave the baby alone.

Assuming there's no disease or other condition the fledgling should be fine.

[Gwenhwyfar]

I dont think itll be fine if theres a hungry dog around, or whatever els she has in her area, ...but thats interesting to know they live on the ground for that long, I never knew that.:whatgives

[IrishDancer]

Wow, I never knew that either. That's really good to know!

[Deranged Hermit]

Thanks everyone for the advice. After waiting a couple of hours, I did go out and get it. It seemed to be in good health, but VERY hungry. My son and I fed it worms for a few hours (on and off of course) and now it's sound asleep. (It's in the shed, in a cat carrier). The mother robin never did come back. She must have been killed or could have even died from west nile or something. (who knows?) Keep the little one in your thoughts. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Isil Darkmoon]

The one time I had a baby mockingbird that I rescued (was not fledged, was very young, and we found a dead adult on the street that we think was the mother, we called the wildlife control. They weren't able to take it in for about a week, they were overcrowded and suspected it wouldn't make it anyways since it was quite young, but said we could try to save it if we wanted. They said to feed it cat chow, soaked and mushed up in pedialite (for preventing/curing dehydration), and to syringe-feed it that way. We did, and the little one survived teh week until we could take it in. He was raised, rehabilitated, and eventually released. But that's what "the pros" told us to feed him, and recommend the same for most baby birds (for slightly older ones, fledgelings, the cat food can be soaked in pedialiate and the pieces hand-fed with tweezers one at a time, instead of the mush.)

[Gwenhwyfar]

hows the little birdie?

[Shanti]

Now that you have it, you have to feed it chopped earth worms every 15-30 minutes all day long!! Thats from sun up till sun down or it will die. Rehab is not easy!!

And you will have to teach it to pick up worms by itself, after it learns to eat a hole, full grown earth worm. It has to learn to look for worms, once is starts picking them up.

How much feathering does it have? How long are the tail feathers?

[Shanti]

The one time I had a baby mockingbird that I rescued (was not fledged, was very young, and we found a dead adult on the street that we think was the mother, we called the wildlife control. They weren't able to take it in for about a week, they were overcrowded and suspected it wouldn't make it anyways since it was quite young, but said we could try to save it if we wanted. They said to feed it cat chow, soaked and mushed up in pedialite (for preventing/curing dehydration), and to syringe-feed it that way. We did, and the little one survived teh week until we could take it in. He was raised, rehabilitated, and eventually released. But that's what "the pros" told us to feed him, and recommend the same for most baby birds (for slightly older ones, fledgelings, the cat food can be soaked in pedialiate and the pieces hand-fed with tweezers one at a time, instead of the mush.)
Robins are not on the cat food list Isil. They need to learn to feel the worms, thrash the worms and swallow a wiggly, fighting earth worm hole. They cant survive without learning those skills from feathered age. The worm is the bulk of their natural diet along with soft bodied insects and small fruit. They spit out cherry pits!!! They really are not designed for a cat food diet. They eat almost nothing but soft foods.

Very young (bald), insectivorous birds are actually best off on a egg based formula diet. And seed eaters are best on a parrot and human baby cereal diet.

[Deranged Hermit]

Well, so far so good with the bird. Shanti, I do know I have to feed it constantly, and have been. I've given it a few whole worms, but not the huge long ones yet. (I chop them into 2 or 3 pieces...sorry worms). As far as feathers, it has most of it's flight feathers on the wings, but is still quite fuzzy everywhere else. It's been preening out it's down feathers a lot. The tail is really short. We took it out and let it run around 3 times today. Once it grabbed a couple tiny bugs that got close enough. If you have any advice about teaching it how to find worms, please let me know, here or PM or e-mail...whatever. Thanks!

[Shanti]

Ok it to young to learn much right now. It will become VERY dependant on you soon. It will also begin to think of who ever feeds it as mom..that is a prob later but unavoidable.

Worms are a complete food. You dont even have to worry about water!!!! Young birds do sometimes fall head first in water dishes so no water dishes untill its old enough to kinda fly. If you are conserned about water, just run a worm through some water and feed it wet!! Thats plenty of water. The earthworm has a high water content in its body!! The earthworm is actually like the best stuff out there. So stay with earthworms. Just be careful where you get them from. If you are picking them yourself, dont get any from areas along roads or parking areas. The toxins from vehical exhaust go into the soil and thus into the worms!!! No worm from chemically treated lawns either.
He/she will grow fast but mentally it will be a baby for a long time. Even after robins are flying, they follow mom for as long as a month, begging and getting food shoved down their throats! They are a difficult species to get back to freedom since they like to cling.


Now when the bird is 100% feathered out. hold the worm as if you are going to drop it in his mouth. ( if he doesnt open and beg at the site of food yet, he will) But drop it in front of him. Tap your finger next to the worm if the bird isnt paying attention. You will be doing this over and over again!! At the beginning you will end up giving in and picking it up yourself and feeding it to the bird. Thats ok. Robins are slow to become self effeciant. There will be a point where he picks up the worm and drops it and acts dumb. Feed it to him and try again next time. Eventually he will succeed in finally picking it up and swallowing it but at the next feeding, he may act like he never learned a thing.
At some point he will start feeding himself. When he does, you drop the worm farther away. You do this and slowly start making it harder to see. I usually, by this time am rotating grass in the cage, or I lay grass on the table that I am feeding the bird on, and I start to hide the worm under the grass, a little at a time. Eventually he will start looking for movement and he will start listening for sound. When you can totally hide a worm and he didnt see where you hide it, and he notices the signs, finds and eats it ...then he is ready to go outside.
Its a long proccess. Robins are slow.


Exercize him for flight indoors and cover windows so he doesnt smash into the glass!!

Ok when he is ready to go outside, have him in a bird cage. Keep tossing him worms in the cage!!!! For several days, only let him outside in a cage for at least an hour/ provide shade like a towel over the top. He will become familular with the area. After a few days, open the door and let him leave if he chooses. Toss a worm in front of the cage and have another ready to toss again when he swallows the first one. He probably will take flight!! When he does leave, dont move the cage for a day or two. He may, its rare, but may come back and change his mind for a short period. If he does come back or hangs close to the area, keep tossing him worms..robins often need a lot of help. They sometimes adjust fast and sometimes are real slow. Food has to be available. that is number one with robins. They weaken quickly.
Usually after they do leave, they stick around for anywhere from a few days all the way till migration hits in fall!! But you will never again get closer than maybe 10 ft to him!! Often they come back next summer and take up residancy in the yard they know. I had a female that had a unique white feather. She came back every year for 4 yrs and raised babys in my elm tree right next to my bathroom window!!! I had another with a crooked leg and he came back for 2 years and courted the ladies and made babies!

And if your robin isnt old enough yet, you might not realize that robin poop is very stinky and strong and watery and gooey!!! I use paper towels for bedding for very young ones and I use lots of hay(grass) for older ones and the older they are the more often I change the dried grass...several times a day!!!

Hey as you are going along, feel free to PM me with any questions!!

I have to go to bed now. I am so tired, Its 4 hrs past my regular sleepy time. Good night!!!

[IrishDancer]

This is really a great thread. I'm learning a lot and I'm not even the person needing advice! I've actually taken some notes just in case I find a bird and need them. Thanks to Shanti, Isil and doc. Really informative stuff.

Please keep us updated on the little fella.

[Deranged Hermit]

He's still doing fine, as far as I can tell. (I'm gonna refer to him as "he" cause I don't want to keep calling him "it"). He sure eats a lot of worms! My hat's off to the mama robins!

Shanti, thanks for all the info! I was concerned about whether or not he would get enough water. One more question: Does he need grit? It would seem that he doesn't, cause he's obviously digesting his food, but I guess I thought all birds needed grit...We are still letting him go out and run around a couple times per day, and he shows no interest in the gravel in the driveway.

[Deranged Hermit]

Hey everyone. The robin is still doing fine. He wants very much to fly, and when I took him out today, he flew a few inches. (Just above the ground). We had to cut our outing short because there was a very large raptor flying overhead. :hairraise

I woke up about 6 AM to the sound of thunder. My first thought was "Yay Worms!!" He eats roughly 6 worms per hour, so if anyone knows how I can convince the worms to offer themselves at my feet, let me know! :lol:

[Isil Darkmoon]

See if there's a local bait shop that sells worms. My local petsmart even has live red wrigglers for feeding, it's something like 4 bucks for 50, and they're packed in soil to last a while...

[Deranged Hermit]

See if there's a local bait shop that sells worms. My local petsmart even has live red wrigglers for feeding, it's something like 4 bucks for 50, and they're packed in soil to last a while...

I did have my husband buy a tub of worms a couple days ago. They're nightcrawlers, and they're HUGE, so I haven't been able to bring myself to julienne them yet.
I'm thinking of hiring my nephews and their friends to dig up earthworms for me. I have one nephew that would do it for the sheer joy of digging up worms, and one that is very enterprising when it comes to making money.
:lol:

[Deranged Hermit]

When the robin went for his outings today, he flew all over the yard, including landing up in a tree where I couldn't reach him. I pulled up a lawn chair, sat down, and watched him until he got hungry. He finally came down and landed on the birdbath. Now if I can just get him to pick up his worms...

[Deranged Hermit]

The robin is still doing okay. The weather has been poor for flying, so I haven't had him out much. The temp is only about 50 today, I'm having to work harder at finding the worms. :raining: I think it's supposed to be a bit warmer tomorrow.

[docdoo]

You can also substitute spiders, centipedes and other insects for worms. Do some research on what robins eat in the wild. As for how to coax the worms up...heh, take it from an old fisherwoman...Use your garden hose to spray the yard heavily, then, around 11pm head out with a flashlight to where the yard was wet. Walk softly and shine the flashlight at the ground, you'll have to move quick but you can grab the worms before they get into their holes.

Another way to do it, with a little less fuss, is to wait until a heavy rain and then late, (after 11pm) go out into the country...preferably roads that border fields. Drive slowly and look for crawlers on the pavement, they come out in droves and move to the roads after a heavy rain. Then, all you have to do is pick them up from the road and they can't escape.

A few tips on keeping worms...First, put down some shredded newspaper in the bottom of a coffee can...mix some dirt and even some coffee grounds into the can and start adding worms. In the sporting goods section of most Wal-Marts you can find stuff called 'worm bedding' keep the worms in the refrigerator and REMEMBER...never, never, put a broken worm back into the can.

When you collect crawlers be sure to weed out ANY and all worms that are broken or bleeding...I'm not entirely sure why but a broken worm, placed into a can of healthy worms will normally cause the other worms to die.

Hope this helps!

[Deranged Hermit]

You can also substitute spiders, centipedes and other insects for worms. Do some research on what robins eat in the wild. As for how to coax the worms up...heh, take it from an old fisherwoman...Use your garden hose to spray the yard heavily, then, around 11pm head out with a flashlight to where the yard was wet. Walk softly and shine the flashlight at the ground, you'll have to move quick but you can grab the worms before they get into their holes.

Another way to do it, with a little less fuss, is to wait until a heavy rain and then late, (after 11pm) go out into the country...preferably roads that border fields. Drive slowly and look for crawlers on the pavement, they come out in droves and move to the roads after a heavy rain. Then, all you have to do is pick them up from the road and they can't escape.

A few tips on keeping worms...First, put down some shredded newspaper in the bottom of a coffee can...mix some dirt and even some coffee grounds into the can and start adding worms. In the sporting goods section of most Wal-Marts you can find stuff called 'worm bedding' keep the worms in the refrigerator and REMEMBER...never, never, put a broken worm back into the can.

When you collect crawlers be sure to weed out ANY and all worms that are broken or bleeding...I'm not entirely sure why but a broken worm, placed into a can of healthy worms will normally cause the other worms to die.

Hope this helps!


Thanks! I never thought about going out late at night to look for them. I guess it should have been obvious to me since they're called "nightcrawlers". :foh: I've been trying to collect enough worms to last through half the day, then do it again, so they stay as fresh as possible.
I took him out for a little while this afternoon. It's frustrating to try to get him to pick up a worm, because he'll pick up anything that's lying on the ground except the worm. :hehehehe:

[Shanti]

Keep your worms in the fridge. I have a large styrofoam worm box in my fride. Worm boxes need to be low, not tall. I use dried leaves and very little dirt. Keep them moist, not wet. On a good night just after heavy rain I can get hundreds of worms. I have kept mine all winter in the fridge by providing dead moist leaves for food. If you ever watched earthworms for hours on end (yes I do that) you will see that they eat dead leaves like it candy. My worms even breed in my fridge but it takes a long time to get the worms big!!! :)

No grit for robins. Not nessesary. The worms are grit carriers. They have earth particles in their gut!! :)

When ribins eat bugs, they spit out hard parts like shells on beetles and wings and stuff. When they eat fruit like cherries, they spit out the pits. Robins just dont swallow what they cant digest, except for babies. Babies dont know yet what is easy to digest and what isnt. That does kick in, its an instinct but not till they are totally self feeding.

Getting a robin to pick up its own worms, is the hardest part. Ever watch mom robins with young ones that look as big as mom!!! The big, flying, baby will follow mom around and just make a racket everytime mom finds a worm. Feed Me.....................

Good luck. Its tough and ya they eat so darn much and the poop follows. :)

[Deranged Hermit]

He picked up a worm and ate it today! He also ate a daddy-long-legs that he found on his own. He's really tired of being in the cat carrier, so I think that's speeding up the learning process.

[Gwenhwyfar]

yay!! Good job!

[Shanti]

He picked up a worm and ate it today! He also ate a daddy-long-legs that he found on his own. He's really tired of being in the cat carrier, so I think that's speeding up the learning process.
Yes!!!! Thats the best news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep it up robin!!!!! You can do it!!!!!:bouncybob:bouncybob

[Deranged Hermit]

This morning the robin found a worm and a grub on his own, and took a bath in the birdbath. I've still been giving him 'supplemental worms' when he seems to need them. I don't plan on trying to bring him back in now, unless he insists, because I think it stresses him too much. I'll just do my best to make sure nothing eats him while he's hanging around the yard.
(So many dangers in nature :ugh: )

[Gwenhwyfar]

Awwww, your little ones leaving the nest *sniff* so cute....what a great job you did, You should be Proud!

[Deranged Hermit]

Here's what's happened since my last post. Thursday, he stayed outside all day, but so did I, so when it was time for me to go in for the night, he wanted to come in too. So I put him back in the carrier for the night. Yesterday, I took him outside, turned up some soil so he could get worms, then left him on his own most of the time, just going out to turn some soil now and then. He spent the night outside, and was still around this morning. I plan to just taper off on digging for him (I'm running out of yard... ;) ) and hopefully one day I'll go ouside and see him fly away or something. I was telling my kids it's not quite like a Disney movie, where they go free the bird and it flies off into the horizon. It's more like..."there, you're free, goodbye"...later that day..."Oh, you're still here..." and so forth. 8O

[Deranged Hermit]

Yesterday the robin stopped by briefly a couple times and then flew off again. Today we haven't seen him at all, so I think he took off.
Thank you all for your interest and help and support with this. :huddle:

[aluokaloo]

If the robin does need help, perhaps you could take a sort of impersonal hand, asking advice from local agencies or something, and give the bird water and see what would be good to feed it.

[Shanti]

Yesterday the robin stopped by briefly a couple times and then flew off again. Today we haven't seen him at all, so I think he took off.
Thank you all for your interest and help and support with this. :huddle:
Congrats on a job well done. :)