How Best to Keep Baby Swallow?

[elve]

She's nearly fledged, but a cat got her a few days ago and she lost 4 or 5 feathers from the bottom row of her wing - so I'm not sure she can fly - how long will they take to regrow?

I know nothing at all about birds, so she is living in a big storage box (the cardboard for recycling was hastily dumped on the kitchen floor) with a net curtain over it, covered at night, with a furry hot water bottle 24/7 - I'm feeding her hourly or so - scrambled egg with crushed, dried mealworms on, moistened with a drop of water - she seems OK on that diet so far (day 4 I think - seems like a lifetime - I'm so tired )

I wondered whether to put her back in the nest this morning, but it's cold and damp today, 3 siblings have doubled in size since she fell out so obviously thriving on the extra food, and if she died this afternoon from falling again into a cat's mouth, it would be sooooo upsetting - I've got very fond of her!

So I'm wondering if what I'm keeping her in is best for her? I know she can't fly up onto a perch yet, but she really enjoys perching on my arm and giving her wings a good work-out, preening etc. so would a cage be better for her, or is a box less stressful (not much to see, warmer) and therefore better?

Am I looking at keeping her if she's too tame or her wings aren't fit for flying this autumn? If so are there any other species of bird she could have for company? Oooh what have I gotten myself into here?

thanks for any help

[Abby]

hello

if you get a small cage and start to put in some low branches with the leaves still attached so she can get used to it.
you may want to still put a nest area in the cage but at least she will still have the surrounding untill she gets used to it.

you can stop feeding her the egg and feed her whole mealworms with thier heads cut off. you can also get wax worms which are great for swallows as they are high in fat.

you need to be feeding every hour to two hours.
i would stop handling her as she needs to go back into the wild where she is from, she will only get stressed if you keep her. have it in your mind that she will be released and she will.

she will learn to fly in her own time and the cage allows her to if and when shes ready. when she is perching on her own i would put a very shallow jam jar lid with some live food in so she can learn to pick up herself.

dont worry about water as they dont drink untill they are adults as they are not designed to take water at this age, if you put in a bowl she will likley drown.

once she is fully fledged it would proberly be best if you found a local wildlife centre so she could go in thier rehab pen with other birds ready for release.#

hope ive helped you abit

[elve]

thanks that's very helpful She flew today! I've been training her up and building her muscles up every couple of hours - and today she took off! She looked totally panic stricken LOL - but managed to alight on a box by the fireplace

She does look ready to be pecking up her own food too - she'll pick up crumbs off my sleeve - but I can barely manage to handle dried mealworms - I think I'd faint with live ones

As for the 'local wildlife centres' that's why I decided to keep her - they told me to give her cat food every 3 to 4 hours and throw her into the air when I thought she was ready to be released - and the RSPCA for 3 of the local areas around me used to take all wildlife to an old man who's just retired - he told me there was nobody else taken over from him, although there's a lady who works full time who takes some birds (well they're hardly going to be fed hourly with her ) Obviously the further afield we have to take her (I have no car so will have to cadge a lift off someone) she will get stressed in the car - I had a guinea pig die of heart failure just from the fright of driving.

It's a bit dire in South Yorkshire it seems I know she's getting too tame, but she needs to practise her wings and has been doing so on my arm (if you lower your arm smoothly, they flap ) - oops tweeting for another feed now - She's in my guinea pig room at the mo - it's basically a giant cage I guess and doesn't matter if she poos everywhere as it's full of hay and cages anyway - no carpets. It's very peaceful in there and she seems happy with the pigs all around - but yeah I know she will have to be released some time

[Abby]

sounds like shes doing well so far!

the difficult part is getting her to pick up her own food, and insects are a vital part of her diet so you will have to get over you fear for her sake-i used to hate them you dont have to touch them just open the lid and tip a couple into a large bowl, shallow but big enough for her to stand in so she can get a good look at the insects.

the better she gets at flying and once shes eating on her own you are best to start putting her out for a few hours everyday for about a week so it gets used to the climat change. then after a few weeks take her outside and open the door, dont take her out let her do it of her own accord. she may not go straight away it could take a few hours but once she has gone leave her cage out with food in untill she stops coming back to it, as she will accociate this as a safe place. you have to try and stop yourself going over to her putting her on your arm and talking to her tho---i know its hard but its the best for her so she can have a normal life so control yourself

i would then just continue putting out food in your garden as you would with the normal garden birds and eventually she will go which is the best possible outcome.

good luck your doing great!

[elve]

awww thank you - that's great advice hard to follow though LOL

I think with me having Rabbits I am so accustomed to protecting a species that would normally live about a year in the wild, (and my Rabbits would clearly love to be wild!) it is hard for me to stop protecting this swallow too - although I'm so tired with all the feeding I might be persuaded!

In spite of severe gales here yesterday, her siblings were all learning to fly as well - and they were really FLYING - not just a little flutter like BB can do - I'm not sure how much she's impaired from having lost 5 of her lower flight feathers?

She started pecking egg off my sleeve yesterday too! I was very proud of her live food though .......*shudder* I'm a vegan and even feel sorry for the dried mealworms LOL

[witham]

you're doing a grand job, it's very hard rearing baby birds but you seem to have cracked it, I agree you'll have to start putting her outside getting her used to not only being out but to natural light/night the Swallows will soon be migrating so she'll need her strength building up with longer and longer flying lessons etc

[Abby]

tell me about it-me too! but you have to think would you prefer a few mealworms to die or the bird?

thats great news she has started to pick up, you will definatly have to start putting in the live food and leaving her outside.

its tough but youre doing really well as swallows arnt the easiest of birds to rear.

[elve]

thanks feeding every 20mins now - just a mouthful which I suppose is more natural (good job I haven't got a life really! ) And taking much longer and more skillful flights - the room is 18' long and I put her on 'the launch pad' (guinea pig hutch by window) and then go up the other end of the room and call her - and she'll fly to me, or she can guage somewhere suitable and manoever herself onto small areas - in fact she now begs me for flying games after she's been fed - pecks me if I try and put her back on her perch LOL - she's a little darling and is only in her box at night - otherwise free range

I have discovered why you're not supposed to encourage swallows to sit on you though (no not the poo down your back!) She is attracted to my face and wants to get close to my mouth (very understandable as I am gorgeous ) and when she flew to me yesterday she wanted to land on my head first, then my glasses, and then my actual face LOL - I finally remembered (after several scary landings) what falconers do - and she'll come to my arm now if I hold it up in front of my face

I caught her a live moth (our house is full of them - little cereal moths) and she snapped at it as it whirled around her head - only just missed it

I'm thinking I might MIGHT take her out after breakfast and see if she'll fly back up into the nest with her siblings - hopefully as I've only had her a week she'll rebond OK with them and break her habit of going to land on human faces before she freaks someone out

Hopefully she can fly well enough now to avoid those darn cats too

Seems a shame to let her go as she's the tamest pet I've ever had, but realistically this is going to happen every summer, and they had 2 broods last year so it could happen again later this year as well - I can hardly keep a flock of swallows in my piggy room (imagine the poo! )

I must try and be brave and let her go I guess Keep everything crossed for her....

[owlmomma]

Everything crossed here Elve, good luck little swallow

[Garden Carpet]

Good luck little swallow.. fly freeeeeeeeeee

jaki

ps.. well done on keeping her going this far

[Gill Catton]

I was going to suggest catching a few live insects and letting them fly around her - I'm sure instinct will kick in and she's learn to catch them.

Another thing I was going to mention was to try really really hard not to get too attached to her, swallows are built to migrate and during the migration period everything inside this little bird will be shouting to move on, to follow the other birds, swallows and house martins don't over winter well at all and usually get depressed and then ill and then die, I seem to remember last year there was someone who tried to over-winter a house martin youngster and sure enough it very sadly got ill and died.

Its true life is tough and she might not make it (if you let her go or if you kept her), but you can only try your best and let her try her best too.

For me it seems perhaps better to let her go and she'll at least have a chance of being a proper swallow doing swallowy things and following her instinct than to keep her cooped up for months and have to watch her fade away because you can't talk swallow and tell her it will all be ok again in the spring.

Something to consider if she's flying quite strongly is letting her go near a reed bed or water where flying insects are very plentiful and she'll have a good chance of easily learning the art of catching insects on the wing before she's due to leave.

I have my fingers firmly crossed for you good luck little bird and good luck you,

[PeteTheBloke]

Well done for your efforts. If you can get her back outdoors I reckon she'll be OK - instinct will take over. A cuckoo is raised by adoptive parents of a totally different species and yet flies to Africa in Autumn as if programmed. Your swallow will know what's required of it when the time comes - just don't ask her to take your gold and jewels to all the poor people you notice in the city.

[elve]

awww thanks for all your well wishes however... I took her outside bravely, and climbed up a ladder to the nest as she would have been totally disoriented alone (and there's sparrowhawks and magpies and all sorts looking for baby birds in our garden - never mind cats )

I knew her siblings could fly so they flew off in a total panic, and she looked at them like they were aliens and clung onto my finger, unprised her she clung onto another - would no way go on the nest (which I figured was a safe place to leave her to get her bearings - no predators or disturbance)

I'm not sure if the swallows have returned to the nest yet either - that was hours ago - my neighbour decided they'd gone and cleaned up their poo very noisily for about an hour

So I'm trying a different tactic now - since she's so attached to me I put her on my shoulder and we go out into the garden and stand there watching and listening - I'm expecting instinct to kick in eventually, but I'm dreading it and I'm not sure it's for the best either - compare my Rabbits who would also love to go free in the back fields, but it's a crime to release a domestic pet into the wild. So define 'pet' (bearing in mind I know people who've rescued wild Rabbit babies and had to keep them forever 'for their own safety') - oooh it gets complicated in my mind

I didn't realise they struggle overwinter here - I guess the light levels must affect their hormone secretions or something like that - SAD gone mad I imagine! She does have a better setup than a lot of captive birds though - masses of room and walks outside - I only wish I had a crystal ball sometimes and knew what to do for the best

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by elve

awww thanks for all your well wishes however... I took her outside bravely, and climbed up a ladder to the nest as she would have been totally disoriented alone (and there's sparrowhawks and magpies and all sorts looking for baby birds in our garden - never mind cats )

I knew her siblings could fly so they flew off in a total panic, and she looked at them like they were aliens and clung onto my finger, unprised her she clung onto another - would no way go on the nest (which I figured was a safe place to leave her to get her bearings - no predators or disturbance)

I'm not sure if the swallows have returned to the nest yet either - that was hours ago - my neighbour decided they'd gone and cleaned up their poo very noisily for about an hour

So I'm trying a different tactic now - since she's so attached to me I put her on my shoulder and we go out into the garden and stand there watching and listening - I'm expecting instinct to kick in eventually, but I'm dreading it and I'm not sure it's for the best either - compare my Rabbits who would also love to go free in the back fields, but it's a crime to release a domestic pet into the wild. So define 'pet' (bearing in mind I know people who've rescued wild Rabbit babies and had to keep them forever 'for their own safety') - oooh it gets complicated in my mind

I didn't realise they struggle overwinter here - I guess the light levels must affect their hormone secretions or something like that - SAD gone mad I imagine! She does have a better setup than a lot of captive birds though - masses of room and walks outside - I only wish I had a crystal ball sometimes and knew what to do for the best

I think you're right, keep taking her outside on your shoulder and when she's ready she'll go. There's a chance she'll never recognise her old nest site, but she will eventually recognise other birds just like her and will fly with them.

The predator situation is a worry I know but realise that her siblings face the same troubles as would she in the wild, her instincts again will help her with it, most swallows could easily out manouver a sparrowhawk or magpie I'd have thought - a specialist predator like a hobby ,ight be harder to avoid but they're not a common bird of prey. and the more experiance she has the better especially before she has her long journey south.

And just imagine if she escaped outside in the winter when there's no food at all

[elve]

awwww - well she's sat on my shoulder surfing the net - not in the least bit tame she's learning to sing as well - STRANGE noises coming out of her - a bit like chalk squeaking down a blackboard at the moment Her flying is getting really good - she can turn in midair and land on my shoulder - or my arm if I call BB! In fact when she sees me leaving the room she now flies so fast I can't get through the door without her LOL - I'm telling you - she is ADORABLE However I am exhausted feeding her and looking after the 21 piggies/bunnies I have - no time to sit down any more she is sooooo worth it though shhhhhhh .....she's fallen asleep on my shoulder

will she ever go wild? I have no idea - I know baby Rabbits are cuddly but I wouldn't try and cuddle my girls now they're 4yrs old - might lose an arm! she may turn into a delinquent in a few weeks too

[Abby]

you really do now have to start cutting out the contact im afraid if shes ever going to be realeased.
i would only feed her every hour to 2 hours now, every 20 mins is far far to much, you have gotten her into a routine as you feed her that often and there is no need, shes being very naughty and knows that is too often!

have you started to put in the live food yet? if she can fly that well then she really needs to be eating on her own and feeding her every 20mins wont achieve that as she never has the chance to get hungry and eat for herself.

is there a wildlife centre near to you that you could take her? so she has the chance to be with other swallows? as come the time when she should migrate her body will become stressed and its possible the stress could kill her.

you have done a good job so far but you cant carry on hand feeding her for the rest of her life. i would start to leave her outside in a cage with a shallow dish of mealworms. or if itd really cold outside leave her in a spare room.

if you can then try to stop handling her ( i know its hard but you need to think what is best for her in the long run ) and being a 'pet' is proberly the worst thing for her.

if you need any help at all then please message me and i will guide you threw any steps or answer any questions.

but be firm! dont look at her face when you leave her on her own, walk away and turn back for a good hour or so untill the next feed.

let me know how your getting on, the main prority is this bird gets back out into the wild.

good luck again!

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by elve

will she ever go wild? I have no idea

She will definately revert as soon as you let her go, and if she's learning to speak swallow she needs to do this with other swallows I'd have thought.

You have done a brilliant job but rock bottom, she has a much better chance of living if you let her go. They're just not like Rabbits, or even other birds come the migration period everything in them needs to move huge geographical distance. - Imagine how thrilled you'd feel if she comes to viisit next summer.

[elve]

ah well she accidentally went free this morning - I was seeing to the Rabbits with her on my shoulder and bent down suddenly with the hay - so BB fluttered off my shoulder, then when I left the shed she flew around the shed and followed me out the door, and realised.....NO WALLS!!! she just flew higher and higher, and was last heard giving the swallow alarm call as she disappeared over next-door's roof I'm worried sick about my baby - although she did manage to peck some insects to death yesterday, and also managed to manoever a small piece of food from the front of her bill to her throat this morning - usually she'd just let it fall....I just hope she can learn fast and stay out of trouble - she's escaped death 3 times so I hope her luck holds She might return tonight - the other swallows are still coming home to roost - Needless to say I've got through a box of tissues and my son thinks I'm mad I never realised birds could be such companionable little things

[Abby]

brilliant!
that is the best thing for her, at the end of the day she is a wild bird and shes out where she belongs. i would leave some live food out for her in your garden incase she comes back but i cant stress enough that if she does, then leave her well alone because every time you go near her it will slim her chances of survival as she NEEDS to be able to fend for herself.

lets us know if she pays a visit in your garden.
well done!