Oil covered Swallow

[sammit]

im putting this here because i wasnt sure where else to put it. yesterday i found this little guy in an underground carpark. i stopped traffic and pulled him out from underneath someones wheels. he couldnt fly, his feathers are a MESS and hes covered in oil. vet wanted to put him down, carer wouldnt take him so it was left to me. ive been syringe feeding him with warm water, spark and insectivore mix 3 times a day to keep his strength up while i wash the oily tar out of his feathers. his tails taken a beating and his wing flights disintergrated in my hands when i washed him. so hes going to be here for a bit until they grow back in.. hes spent today making friends with Ella, climbing all over my washing and sleeping in my armpit.. ive named him Scrubbly. if his wings and flights come back in and hes not too humanised, ill release him but if they come back in and he doesnt want to leave, well then thats up to him. ill see if he wants to eat some crickets or meal worms next week..

[video=youtube_share;kjckkIAGNXE]http://youtu.be/kjckkIAGNXE[/video]

 

[TikiLola]

Thanks for saving him!

 

[Ashleigh]

Look at the little poor guy!
Thanks for saving is little life

 

[penguin]

Were you able to get the oil off of him?

 

[sammit]

ive got a lot of it off but his underside and his tail is still got a fair bit on it. his feet were little balls of tar and his legs were stuck to his body im happy that hes got toes!! and they are so little and so cute! ill see how it is tomorrow if i give him another bath or not. weve had a run of really cold and wet days here and i dont have anything other than the heat lamp and my own body warmth to dry him off. he slept for an hour after his first bath wrapped in a tea towel, wrapped up inside my skirt with a heat lamp on one side (him on the other so he didnt overheat)

 

[sammit]

heres a pic from after his bath.. see the raw skin on his upper legs?? thats where the feathers were welded to his belly. i put the tiniest amount of aloe on him and the redness has since died down.

 

[Feather]

Aw, poor little thing. Thank you for saving him!

 

[waterfaller1]

Thanks for giving him a chance. He is beautiful. Did you try Dawn dishwashing liquid{original} to get the oil off? I wonder if the mannuka honey would help his legs?

 

[Sharon]

Bless you! Poor little guy!

 

[sammit]

we dont have dawn in australia (that i have found!) so i had to use a standard dishwashing liquid. it did a good job but because the tar is so thick, it will take a few washes..

 

[Anne & Gang]

thank you for helping this little guy..make sure to keep him warm...Is he eating? try hand feeding him if you have to..awww

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

What a little cutie! Thanks for taking him in and trying to help him. I enjoyed the pics

 

[kackels]

What a cutie! Thanks for giving him the chance to live!

 

[Animal_lover]

Awww...the poor little guy. So happy you rescued him. I hope he makes out ok. He is lucky you found him

 

[webchirp]

poor thing. did you ask the vet about something for the ingested tar?

 

[April]

Oh,bless his little heart. I'm so glad you were able to rescue him.

 

[CeciliaZ]

Thank you for trying to help him - he is very cute.

 

[zoo mom]

What a little cutie.

 

[cosmolove]

awee poor baby!!



Thank you for helping him!

 

[SandraK]

Poor little sausage - I'm glad you found him and took him in. At least he has a fighting chance to survive now. Wonder how much it would cost to ship you a bottle of Dawn?

I'll keep you and Scrubbly in my thoughts and prayers that he'll get through this with flying feathers!