HELP NEEDED IN TENNESSEE

[lennysmom]

Well, animals in need have a way of finding me I guess - anyhow, I was outside in this storm feeding taking food for Lenny in this storm and found a baby woodpecker and I do not have the means to take care of a baby bird. I have absolutely no idea where his nest is and he was hopping around scared and wet in the rain and I just couldn't leave him like that. He is feathered but can't fly and very young. Does anyone know of a rehabber near me? I know he will need to eat soon and I feel time is of the essence. Please help!

[Milo's Mom]

http://www.tn.gov/twra/pdfs/rehabdirectory.pdf

Here is a link to the list of wildlife rehabbers in TN.

[cnmnnaturalist]

Sounds like you have a fledgling. Keep it nice and warm (just like a baby squirrel) and keep it in a quiet, dark place.

If it seems alert and is even begging for food, you can give it a little food and water now. Use your fingers to dab droplets of water on the sides of it's beak to allow it to lap it up. As for food, dry kitten food that is soaked in warm water and fed in small amounts can work. Diced hard-boiled egg can also work. You should only give food and water if it is alert and begging, however, to minimize problems.

I hope you find a rehabber soon!

[lennysmom]

Thanks Milo's Mom - I am in contact with someone now - thanks for the quick response! :thankyou

[Baxied]

Hey Lennysmom, I'm not sure where you are in TN, but if you are near the southeast, I know of an excellent bird rehabber. She has an unbelievable flight cage. Let me know if you can't find anyone.

[lennysmom]

Thanks for the nice offer Baxied - I got in touch with a really sweet local bird rehabber named Alix who explained to me that he is a fledgling and is ok to be away from the nest some at this age. Because of the nasty weather she told me it might be a good idea to keep him in for the night as he could drown in this type of weather at his age. So in the morning we will put him outside on a nearby tree and she said he (Zeke) should be just fine. :D

[Nancy in New York]

Thanks for the nice offer Baxied - I got in touch with a really sweet bird rehabber named Alix Parks who explained to me that he is a fledgling and is ok to be away from the nest some at this age. Because of the nasty weather she told me it might be a good idea to keep him in for the night as he could drown in this type of weather at his age. So in the morning we will put him outside on a nearby tree and she said he (Zeke) should be just fine. :D


Are you feeding him anything? Glad that you found someone to help, and hope that the weather is nice tomorrow.

[lennysmom]

Alix says he might eat some peanut butter, so we fed him some of that and he seemed to like it. We also have left him a dish of water as well.

[Nancy in New York]

Alix says he might eat some peanut butter, so we fed him some of that and he seemed to like it. We also have left him a dish of water as well.

For this very short time, I would imagine that you could even give him a little cat food soaked in hot water. Let it sit for about an hour and then you may want to break a small piece off and offer it to him with a syringe. They usually eat every 20 minutes when they are small, not sure about a fledgling though. Seems like I was ALWAYS feeding regardless of the age. :D

[Nancy in New York]

Almost forgot here is a link from one of our members Rhapsody that got in a little woodpecker last month. He has since been released. :D
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39997

[lennysmom]

I just now saw the post from cnmnnaturalist - thanks for the info. We may try a hard boiled egg if he seems hungry later. For now, he seems content perched on a hanging robe in our guest bedroom - after all, he is our guest for the night! :thumbsup

[lennysmom]

Thanks Nancy - we may go and get some cat food to offer him as well. Alix didn't seem too concerned about him eating or not eating, but I don't want to let the little guy go hungry! Everyone has been such a great help and I can't thank you enough!

[lennysmom]

Here is a pic of Zeke - hope it comes out ok.

[cnmnnaturalist]

A young Hairy Woodpecker. Cute!

[Baxied]

Alix is the rehabber I was talking about!!:thumbsup :thumbsup