OrangevaleFJR
R.I.P. Our FJR Riding Friend
Vets: to get to the point see the last paragraph.
When I was a kid, I had a licensed aviary and I raised Cockatiels and sold them to pet stores. I also raised a clutch of Magpies because some of the neighborhood kids killed the parents for that nest so I raised 5 Magpies from fetherless to flying and eventually independence (although they came back from time to time for the next 25 years).
Now, 28 years later I find I am caring for this:
It was midnight that night. The little guy is a Scrub Jay and my cats brought it home. They had it down and out and as I was about to put it out of its misery, something about the way it was breathing told me to pick it up and check it out. Upon inspection, not a drop of blood had been spilled and they just had the poor guy exhausted. I took him and he didn't fight at all. I brought him inside and got some water down his throat because I was sure the energy he spent could have dehydrated him. I then put an egg on to boil and later fed him some hard boiled egg yolk mixed with water.
The next morning I went looking for a nest. I couldn't find it. I know there is a limited amount of time before you simply can't bring a chick back to the nest so I was pretty worried. My cats must have travelled a distance for this bird. Now I'm on day three. I've been feeding it every 30-45 minutes and now it seems to enjoy nothing more than sitting on my shoulder, leaning on my head and sleeping as I type and talk on conference calls. Luckily, my job is performed from home.
I am worried about his wing. It is drooping and while all my comparisons with the other wing indicate to me that it is in joint and that the bones are firm (not broken), it still droops. I think he just has a sprain or something, but I cannot be sure. So now I set out to find a vet to look at him. They say they cannot look at a wildlife bird and referred me to animal rescue places. I called one and they asked, "A Scrub Jay? Why did you bother to save it at that point?" I didn't bother answering their question and went to the next number.
Okay, so I want to keep this bird, but I don't want to have it go untreated. Sorry to hold the law in disdain, but it wouldn't be against the law for me to put the thing out of its misery, so it shouldn't be a problem to let this guy grow up in an environement where it can have positve social interraction with similar species. The FJR is my wings and it's blue...we both have blue wings. Okay, that was corny...but I know birds pretty darn well and I know they can be happy living with humans. It just means we are cleaning ALL THE TIME. Birds are messy and, well, all you can do is clean.
Anyway...to the point: There is this drooping wing. The skin underneath is bruised and swollen and red in color instead of the pink on the other wing. The joints seem correct, and the bones do not move (From end to end the bones are not pliable) at all when manipulated. I'm hoping it's a sprain, but I cannot be sure. I would like a vet to look at it, but I wonder: what would the vet do if it was broken? Would they just wrap it by going all the way around the body and both wings? If so, how long? Anyone know any vets in the Sacramento region that wouldn't mind taking a look and giving me advice? The rehab people are awesome, but they already have enough to deal with, and frankly, I'd rather have a real avian vet look at this guy...
Anyway..any help would be appreciated.
When I was a kid, I had a licensed aviary and I raised Cockatiels and sold them to pet stores. I also raised a clutch of Magpies because some of the neighborhood kids killed the parents for that nest so I raised 5 Magpies from fetherless to flying and eventually independence (although they came back from time to time for the next 25 years).
Now, 28 years later I find I am caring for this:
It was midnight that night. The little guy is a Scrub Jay and my cats brought it home. They had it down and out and as I was about to put it out of its misery, something about the way it was breathing told me to pick it up and check it out. Upon inspection, not a drop of blood had been spilled and they just had the poor guy exhausted. I took him and he didn't fight at all. I brought him inside and got some water down his throat because I was sure the energy he spent could have dehydrated him. I then put an egg on to boil and later fed him some hard boiled egg yolk mixed with water.
The next morning I went looking for a nest. I couldn't find it. I know there is a limited amount of time before you simply can't bring a chick back to the nest so I was pretty worried. My cats must have travelled a distance for this bird. Now I'm on day three. I've been feeding it every 30-45 minutes and now it seems to enjoy nothing more than sitting on my shoulder, leaning on my head and sleeping as I type and talk on conference calls. Luckily, my job is performed from home.
I am worried about his wing. It is drooping and while all my comparisons with the other wing indicate to me that it is in joint and that the bones are firm (not broken), it still droops. I think he just has a sprain or something, but I cannot be sure. So now I set out to find a vet to look at him. They say they cannot look at a wildlife bird and referred me to animal rescue places. I called one and they asked, "A Scrub Jay? Why did you bother to save it at that point?" I didn't bother answering their question and went to the next number.
Okay, so I want to keep this bird, but I don't want to have it go untreated. Sorry to hold the law in disdain, but it wouldn't be against the law for me to put the thing out of its misery, so it shouldn't be a problem to let this guy grow up in an environement where it can have positve social interraction with similar species. The FJR is my wings and it's blue...we both have blue wings. Okay, that was corny...but I know birds pretty darn well and I know they can be happy living with humans. It just means we are cleaning ALL THE TIME. Birds are messy and, well, all you can do is clean.
Anyway...to the point: There is this drooping wing. The skin underneath is bruised and swollen and red in color instead of the pink on the other wing. The joints seem correct, and the bones do not move (From end to end the bones are not pliable) at all when manipulated. I'm hoping it's a sprain, but I cannot be sure. I would like a vet to look at it, but I wonder: what would the vet do if it was broken? Would they just wrap it by going all the way around the body and both wings? If so, how long? Anyone know any vets in the Sacramento region that wouldn't mind taking a look and giving me advice? The rehab people are awesome, but they already have enough to deal with, and frankly, I'd rather have a real avian vet look at this guy...
Anyway..any help would be appreciated.
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