Hi everyone!
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa, and two nights ago in the middle of the night my cat brought in a baby mousebird, luckily completely unharmed. It has feathers so I figure it must be at least a week old but of course I can't be sure. If I post a picture would somebody be able to help me identify it and see what kind of an age it is?
My mom and I have been looking after it as best we can but I'm concerned that we aren't able to get it the right food. We have been feeding him fruit juice, tiny pieces of nectarine and of course water, just using our fingers. I've gathered that we should be feeding it some kind of special mix but I'm not sure where to get it here in SA, or even how to mix it. Is there something else I could substitute this with that will still give the baby all the nutrients it needs? Maybe baby food puree or something of the sort?
Also I want to know, seeing as the bird already has feathers, how important is exact temperature control? At the moment we are keeping it wrapped up in a very soft, fuzzy blanket with a few tissues here and there until we are able to get a cage.
It has become tame very quickly and loves to be fed and fussed over. Mostly I am concerned that it doesn't seem to be able to defecate despite my attempts at stimulating. What can I do to fix this problem? I've grown very attached to my baby and would be heartbroken if anything should happen to it. Please advise!
Meagan
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa, and two nights ago in the middle of the night my cat brought in a baby mousebird, luckily completely unharmed. It has feathers so I figure it must be at least a week old but of course I can't be sure. If I post a picture would somebody be able to help me identify it and see what kind of an age it is?
My mom and I have been looking after it as best we can but I'm concerned that we aren't able to get it the right food. We have been feeding him fruit juice, tiny pieces of nectarine and of course water, just using our fingers. I've gathered that we should be feeding it some kind of special mix but I'm not sure where to get it here in SA, or even how to mix it. Is there something else I could substitute this with that will still give the baby all the nutrients it needs? Maybe baby food puree or something of the sort?
Also I want to know, seeing as the bird already has feathers, how important is exact temperature control? At the moment we are keeping it wrapped up in a very soft, fuzzy blanket with a few tissues here and there until we are able to get a cage.
It has become tame very quickly and loves to be fed and fussed over. Mostly I am concerned that it doesn't seem to be able to defecate despite my attempts at stimulating. What can I do to fix this problem? I've grown very attached to my baby and would be heartbroken if anything should happen to it. Please advise!
Meagan