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Twinkletoes · 07-02-2008, 09:01 PM

Maxie is doing just fine! It seems she is getting more demanding by the minute!

I left her with a "bird-sitter" while I went and did my errands today. Well, she left our feathered friend all alone, and when she returned her weiner dog had eaten the can of dog food! Just glad he didn't eat little Maxie!
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I did stop and get an eye-dropper for water. But not so sure I want to mix the gruel recommended by this website on how to care for baby birds:

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"SWIFT, SWALLOW, VIREO, WARBLER, KINGLET, GNATCATCHER, WREN--(normal diet insects of flying type). Feed straight P/D dog food mixed with hardboiled egg yolk, dried flies, crushed adult mealworms and pupae (remove heads). Thin to feedable consistency. Supplement with fresh flies, spiders. (Oh my!!!)
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Let's just see who can catch me removing pupae heads for this little birdie! I don't think so!!!

Now I'm confused (okay, I live in the State of Confusion). But it says that meat-eaters need grain mixed in with their meat. Huh?
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"COMPLETE DIETS
The majority of birds can be classified in two groups: meat eaters and seed eaters. Basic diets for these are listed below with suggestions for special foods for different species of birds. The sooner you identify the bird, the sooner you can provide the best diet. The basic foods mentioned in these diets can be classified into two groups:

MEAT:
* P/D dogfood (canned and available from most veterinarians),
* dry puppy kibbles (have to be soaked in water),
* boiled chicken, strained beef baby food,
* hard boiled chicken egg yolk,
* live insects such as flies and mealworms.

GRAIN:
* high protein dry baby cereal ,
* wheat germ,
* corn or oat meal that has been powdered down in a blender.

MEAT and GRAIN proportions are generally:

INSECT EATER BIRDS -- 1 part MEAT to 2 parts GRAIN

SEED EATER BIRDS -- 1 part MEAT to 4 parts GRAIN

When MEAT is asked for in the diet, you can pick any MEAT from the MEAT group. You can then add in, the right proportions , any GRAIN from the GRAIN group. For example, a seed-eater diet could be 1 part P/D dogfood and 5 parts wheat germ. It is suggested that you can vary this diet as much as possible as long as you stay within the proper framework. For example the next time you mix up a batch of formula for your seed eater bird, you might use 1 part boiled chicken and 5 parts high protein baby cereal. Variety is the spice of life, and also keeps young birds healthy."