They are Fledging but flying into their Doom?
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Guest
Well..its been a long day fighting mites, putting babies back in the gourd..etc..I was just watching my gourds saw a baby come out on the porch, try to jump up on top of the gourd, lose its balance and flutter 20 yards and land in the neighbors back yard. Problem is..i have no access to where it landed.... when treating for mites this morning I noticed 3 babies gone from the gourds within a couple of hours..... ..the parent saw the baby jump and flew down beside it while it was airborne...AS far as know the baby is under some bushes in another yard... question is..is this baby doomed? I calculated that fledge time would be around now till monday..not sure when the eggs hatched exactly....I have picked up 3 babies today around my pool and under a bush. Did i make a mistake by putting them back into the gourds? thanks!
You didn't make a mistake by trying to replace them. The problem is, once they jump, they rarely stay put. Unfortunately, grounded babies are usually doomed, unless you want to try to hand feed for a couple of days. Some landlords have used a "halfway house" with success. That is a gourd with the front removed (natureline) or a wooden box with an open front placed at a lower level than the housing. Sometimes the fledglings will stay in there but the parents will feed since it is not on the ground. They just won't feed them on the ground. Good luck. No jumpers here yet. Last year, as far as I know, I lost every bird hatched to jumping.
Patrick
Patrick
I think whatever reason the babies have for jumping probably needs to be respected. Parents can't keep up or heat or whatever. So if they are on the ground, they will likely perish without intervention.
Should you choose to intervene, You may need to go to petco or whoever and get some crickets and mealworms. Get the large ones of both. You may have to teach them how to eat what you offer. This would be parhaps to gently pinch both corners of their mouths in order to unlock the beak. when the beak seperates at all, very gently pry it open and insert a cricket or mealworm part way. Don't force anything. The crickets should probably be frozen to kill them and then thawed for 30 seconds or so in the microwave. You can do the same for meal worms but I have seen downers take live mealworms. I would get the food and start feeding asap while trying to contact a rehabber.
There is nothing requiring you to do any of that and you should not be judged based on your ability to carry this out. If you are able, you can probably save some of their lives. I was very lucky to find an angel of a rehabber nearby this year. I didn't know about her last year and lost 6. If the heat keeps up, Penny may get some repeat business, but her taking over for the one so far apparently removed the pressure from that nest and everyone else has stayed put.
Bill
rowlett Tx
Should you choose to intervene, You may need to go to petco or whoever and get some crickets and mealworms. Get the large ones of both. You may have to teach them how to eat what you offer. This would be parhaps to gently pinch both corners of their mouths in order to unlock the beak. when the beak seperates at all, very gently pry it open and insert a cricket or mealworm part way. Don't force anything. The crickets should probably be frozen to kill them and then thawed for 30 seconds or so in the microwave. You can do the same for meal worms but I have seen downers take live mealworms. I would get the food and start feeding asap while trying to contact a rehabber.
There is nothing requiring you to do any of that and you should not be judged based on your ability to carry this out. If you are able, you can probably save some of their lives. I was very lucky to find an angel of a rehabber nearby this year. I didn't know about her last year and lost 6. If the heat keeps up, Penny may get some repeat business, but her taking over for the one so far apparently removed the pressure from that nest and everyone else has stayed put.
Bill
rowlett Tx
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Guest
Thanks for your words of wisdom...i learned that prevention is the key.... This is me 2nd year to be a landlord....I looked out at my gourd rack this morning and it's a ghost town.... All adults (8 or 9 of them that were staying are gone... all gourds are empty..... i guess when the babies jump and or fledge...the adults leave too.... anyway...next year will be a better year...