Injured Fledgling Magpie - advice please...

[rainbowlitez]

Last night my chihuahua was making a fuss about something under a hedge in the garden; we didn't think anything of it. This morning he did the same thing and when we investigated we found a fledgling magpie.

'She' (we decided we'd call her she for now) could be from anywhere - we have a lot of magpies around this area but there are not big trees where she could have just fallen from near my garden. Yesterday was really windy so at first we thought she'd blown in by mistake. But when I retried her from the hedge, it looks like my cat (or a cat) may have had a go at her...there's a bit of blood on one of her wings but it straightens ok and I'm sure it's not broken. Other than that she's very tired (sleeping in a spare dog kennel beside me right now in fact) - hungry (we'll get her meat tomorrow...she seems to pick at food but mostly only eat if I feed her by hand) and she had drunk water. She has food and water in the kennel. I put her in my room away from the other animals where it's quiet and she's just sleeping mostly - but she's a bit more alert when I got up to her and very friendly - if I stroke her chest she closes her eyes and goes to sleep (I think she's really tired!). She doesn't seem distressed.

Anyway, her wing I'm sure will heal - but since I don't know where she fell from, I don't know where to take her back to otherwise I'd try to get her to fly/climb the distance to her home. No magpies have been by looking for a missing one in my garden and she's not made a sound or called to any.

My concern is...I can't let her go because she will be killed - at the moment her wing doesn't tuck in properly and although I'm sure it's not serious, I'm sure even if she were fledged, she'd be at a disadvantage if she could fly at all with that wing. I'm also worried that if I let her go with so many magpies in our neighbourhood, if I let her out in the wrong place, the magpies will start on her. If I let her go too soon and she can't fly, one of the cats will have her. If I keep her too long, she won't be fit for living wild.

I would be happy to keep her as a pet if it came to it...but because of the other animals I have, I'd have to keep her in a cage and I've always been a bit averse to keeping birds in cages. I know I could get her a big cage and set it up so she could have her cage hung up indoors or out depending on the weather. But would she be happy???

From what I read online, the rspb and places like that won't help with magpies as they are classified as 'vermin' I also read that they become tame very very quickly and easily and unfit for living wild. I would love to keep her...then I think 'but a cage is no home for a wild bird'...then I think 'well, people keep budgies and finches and cockatoos and parrots in cages...they're all wild birds'...

So I'm in a connundrum. I know mostly fledglings die in captivity but given what she's been through already (harassment by my animals and falling out a tree and spending all day under a hedge without food or water) since she hasn't died of a heart attack, I sort of think she's a toughie and she'll make it. It's just, when she's grown and healed...what will be the right thing to do?

(I'm in the Basildon area btw)

[bigdave60dog]

There used to be quite a few of pet maggies about. They were very popular among county people when I was young.
Some could talk, all would steal things -especially shiny things-.Theeey are intelligent, playful and mischievous birds.
there is whole load of stories about the antics of pet maggies in memories still around.
Dave

[RKB]

Ring these for advice: Welcome to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital

You need to make sure it's eating enough - it will need hand-feeding as it sn't old enough to feed itself.

You really don't want it as a pet - they can live for 20 years and are messy.

My advice would be to keep it tonight, give it a big hand-feed in the morning at dawn (4 am), and then put it back where you found it, in the top of the hedge, and let nature take its course. You have to remain detatched and not treat it as a pet - stroking it and talking to it is a very bad idea as you will tame it. A tame magpie is not going to live long, as many people hate them. Avoid all contact with it except to feed it.

[rainbowlitez]

Originally Posted by RKB

Ring these for advice: Welcome to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital

You need to make sure it's eating enough - it will need hand-feeding as it sn't old enough to feed itself.

You really don't want it as a pet - they can live for 20 years and are messy.

My advice would be to keep it tonight, give it a big hand-feed in the morning at dawn (4 am), and then put it back where you found it, in the top of the hedge, and let nature take its course. You have to remain detatched and not treat it as a pet - stroking it and talking to it is a very bad idea as you will tame it. A tame magpie is not going to live long, as many people hate them. Avoid all contact with it except to feed it.

I would agree with you if this bird could fly...it could sit on top of a hedge right now - it's injured wing keeps it losing its balance; if I could take it into the garden and sit and wait to see if the parents come for it before any of the neighbourhood cats do, even if the parents came, unless they 'carried' it, the bird would still be stuck. There are a lot of big trees around here - and a lot of magpies living around the area - there's not way of telling whether it even came from close by or was brought to my garden by one of the cats. The fact that no magpies have visited the garden and fed it (my brother's been watching it because I was out and he wasn't sure what to do), makes me think they don't know where it is - it's been behind a pile of logs last night and under a raspberry bush today.

If I put it back in the garden to fend for itself...I can't see how it won't die??? If I pass it onto a 'sanctuary' who determine it's vermin and kill it...well...I'd rather not. I'd rather have a pet magpie for 20 years than kill it to be honest. But whatever the sitch, I want to do what's right for the bird and in the bird's best interests.

[Crumble]

Hi Rainbow.

Whereabouts in the country are you ?

There may be places that can take it in. It is a big undertaking and you really need a fair bit of space to keep it properly. But I'm not going to tell you not to. We're daft enough to do the same.

I can't offer any advice infortunately.

[Crumble]

I've just noticed you're in Basildon area. Sorry. Must read posts.

[rainbowlitez]

Hi Crumble - I'm in the Basildon area - Essex. I've done a quick internet search and haven't found anything except horror stories about people taking birds to the RSPB or RSPCA and finding they are just put down rather - or some types of birds are and magpies seem to get a pretty bad wrap...though as I constantly point out to my dad...his council tax'd be higher if there weren't so many magpies and jays in this area to eat all the road kill!

[rainbowlitez]

Originally Posted by Crumble

I've just noticed you're in Basildon area. Sorry. Must read posts.

LOL...I did open with a bit of an epic!

[Crumble]

I've just looked on Uksafari website and there's a wildlife hospital in Essex.

South Essex Wildlife Hospital
Cares for: All wildlife
Location: Orsett
Tel: 01375 893893

They may be able to pass you on to a more specialised carer who can take it in. You'd be amazed how many people are out there giving up their freetime and money to help wildlife. And most of them wouldn't put down magpies !

If they can't help, then I would try Tiggywinkles as suggested. They have years of experience.

Good luck with the little fella. Hope you can find him/her a home and that rehab to the wild is possible.

[rainbowlitez]

Thanks Crumble! That's great X You're a star!