Lyet (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} lyet) wrote,@ 2008-04-18 20:30:00 |
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"WEET! WEET!" Bird update
Apparently baby morning doves go "WEET!! WEET!!" when they're hungry, or bored, or lonely, or... awake. But it's quiet and cute.
So I went through my second official feeding of the baby bird a little while ago. (FYI: hand-feeding birds takes a long time.) The thing with doves and pigeons is the parents don't put the food down their throats: the babies stick their heads down their parents' throats and eat from the crop.
My committment to the bird doesn't go THAT far.
Hence you don't use a syringe to hand-feed pigeons and doves; the babies aren't used to having things shoved down their throats, plus they can asphyxiate if you miss and shove food down the trachea. Not my idea of a good time.
We (the bird and I) discovered tonight that he (he? she?) likes to stick his little beak in between my fingers in search of food, since that mimics the sensation of sticking his beak into his parents' mouths. Thus to feed him in the easiest way, I put the mushy bird formula between my fingers and he gets it EVERYWHERE while feeding, but he does feed. This is quite possibly the messiest way to feed any living creature. He seems happy about it though, and he ended up with a moderately full crop, so I'm happy too. I'll feed him one more time before bed tonight.
If he makes it through the weekend, I'll start soliciting the internet for name ideas.
Apparently baby morning doves go "WEET!! WEET!!" when they're hungry, or bored, or lonely, or... awake. But it's quiet and cute.
So I went through my second official feeding of the baby bird a little while ago. (FYI: hand-feeding birds takes a long time.) The thing with doves and pigeons is the parents don't put the food down their throats: the babies stick their heads down their parents' throats and eat from the crop.
My committment to the bird doesn't go THAT far.
Hence you don't use a syringe to hand-feed pigeons and doves; the babies aren't used to having things shoved down their throats, plus they can asphyxiate if you miss and shove food down the trachea. Not my idea of a good time.
We (the bird and I) discovered tonight that he (he? she?) likes to stick his little beak in between my fingers in search of food, since that mimics the sensation of sticking his beak into his parents' mouths. Thus to feed him in the easiest way, I put the mushy bird formula between my fingers and he gets it EVERYWHERE while feeding, but he does feed. This is quite possibly the messiest way to feed any living creature. He seems happy about it though, and he ended up with a moderately full crop, so I'm happy too. I'll feed him one more time before bed tonight.
If he makes it through the weekend, I'll start soliciting the internet for name ideas.
