I found an injured hummer on my deck. It has been treated for a fractured wing. I want desperately to keep it alive so that I can release it when it can fly again. Right now I have it in a shoe box, it is perched on a feeder. If it falls off it cannot get up again. Help!!!!!!
Humming Bird
Hi Nellie,
I'm new to hummers, so I hope someone here at DG with more experience will show up and assist. I'll see if I can find anything on the 'net to help out while you wait.
~Sunny
Here's what I found:
The Hummingbird Society provides this page to direct you to sources of information that we believe will be most helpful. Our mission is to promote the understanding and conservation of hummingbirds, and rehabilitation and care of injured hummingbirds lies outside of that mission. Because of this, you should consult these other sources first. Here are some general principles which you should know:
Hummingbirds fed on a diet of sugar-water alone will die, and full-nutrition formula for them is not available to the general public. You must seek competent, licensed help to assure a bird's survival, and you must do it quickly.
http://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/hottopics/injured.asp
Another:
If you know your local hummingbird rehabilitation agency, call them immediately. For their phone number, look in the phone book or ask your local animal shelter, zoo, parks department, or conservation agent. Please also see these pages:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/about.html#injured
BTW, it is a felony in the US to have possession of a hummingbird, even a feather of one! I hope pics don't count!
~Sunny
BTW> Sunny, I got permision from conservation and wildlife, to get treatment for her, they called the bird vet and gave her permission to treat her. I was very careful about that. What else do I do..let her die ??
so glad you got help for it. I know they will eat tiny spiders and gnats for protein
Nellie,
I don't know - I would take her to a professional if it were me, simply because I don't know enough about how to care for one. I'm not sure I understand your last post - did you take her in and get the bird vet to help her?
And certainly no, not let her die! I was just trying to help out by posting what I found on a quick search on the 'net. I never knew having a hummingbird was a felony 0_0 (not sure how you'd catch one of the whizzy little buggers anyway but...then I didn't know about "torpor" in hummingbirds either so...LOL)
Sorry if it came across another way...:( I was just trying to help...
~Sunny
Sunny, yes I took her to a vet, who said she couldn't see her until I got permission from the conservasion dept. That took some work, apparently there are vets who have permits to treat wildlife. The closest one to me only treated raptors, owls, hawks etc. Quite a difference. I finally got on the phone to conservasion and would not stop until someone promised to give permission to the vet , in town,who treats small birds. So they called her and then called me back and told me to take her (the hummer) in to the vet's office. She found a fracture in the wing, and somehow fastened it in place, with the other wing. She cannot fly now, she couldn't anyway, and is still alive this morning. I had made a little nest shape in a towel, and she stayed there all night. I held her to the feeder this a.m. and she drank several times. I know she needs more than sugar water, but how do I get little insects for her??
I just found this. Did the little bird make it?