baby mousebird needs help

[fielies]

Hi Ehrhard
Great to have another South African here. Lucky is so cute. I'm also feeding like you do. I phoned Soulie who runs a rehab centre and he said the mousebird should be kept at 28 degrees celsius. But as you probably also feel at the moment our day temperature is about that for the last couple of days. Just decrease the temp gradually as Susanne said.
Where is PTA are you? I stay in Magalieskruin close to the Kollonade.
My little one is doing very well. Getting more active by the day.
Here is some pics. Not vey good ones.I'm sorry but he never sit still!!

 

[waterfaller1]

He is looking great!

 

[srtiels]

Wow...he is getting big. Look at those feet

Now you might want to have him in a bigger enclosure with some branches so that he can hang from. My BN is 18 days old today. He fledged 4 days ago, and he leaves the nest several times a day so that he can be a big bird and perch on and from the branches. Also at this age the chick still lifts the tail to be emptied by the parents.

 

[Anne & Gang]

he is sooooooooooooooadorable..awwwwww

 

[Ashley]

they are so adorable

 

[E137]

I'm in Hatfield hahaha... well at least for the next couple of months...finishing up my thesis...

 

[fielies]

Hi all.
At last I got time to give you all an update.
Its going very well with the mousebird. I have named him Muis. He has grown a lot but have slowed down now. The beak started to turn black. He is flying everywhere and hates it if I leave a room without him. He is eating fruit well on his own, loves taken sand baths and being rubbed all over his body. He makes the cutest noises. I enjoy him very much.
In my course we have started doing exotic animals and this also helps me alot to understand birds a lot better know.
Hope everyone is doing great!

 

[srtiels]

Narissa, thanks for the updates Please post some pix's. I would love to see the changes in the beak, and how he looks now. Mousebirds are so endearing.

 

[fielies]

I will do so as soon as I have a camara again. He is really great.

 

[Archiesmom]

Sounds wonderful! I would love to see some pictures of your new guy

 

[srtiels]

I will do so as soon as I have a camara again. He is really great.

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Your red-faced baby is about the same age as my fledgling blue-naped. Both species have similar style and color beaks. My fella is also getting in some of the black to his beak. His feet color has also changed to the adults feet color.

Do you still have to stimulate him to poop? My little one knows how to poop on his own, but if he can get an adult to empty him he will try that first.

Mine knows where the food dishes are but if he can get by with begging from a sympathic adult he will try that first.

 

[waterfaller1]

Wow, that pic makes him look like a giant mouser!

 

[southernbirds]

Glad your little one is doing so well. Love all the mousebird photos that are posted.

 

[waterfaller1]

Hi...AND WELCOME!!!

Keep the little one warm and something fuzzy like a feather duster to snuggle into.

OK regardless of what species it is it is very important to empty the bird of feces either prior or after feeding. Have you noticed the little one pointing its rump or little tail up? If so what you do is take a kleenex, Q-tip, or your fingertip and massage the vent until it poops. In the nest the parent birds do this to help thge baby poop. The parent birds eat the feces, and many times it is fed back to the baby when they feed it food. You do not have to feed it back, I was just explaining what partents do. So Make sure that each time fed (either prior or after) the baby is stimulated to poop. I failed to do this on one, and I suspect I lost it from an intestinal impaction.

As to feeding....if you touch it on the side of the beak does it give a feeding responce? They will ususally flutter their little wings and their body looks like it is vibrating. You can chop up fruit into tiny sized peices and use a tweezers to place the fruit in the babies mouth when it begs/opens it's mouth for food. In addition use your commercial handfeeding formula, mixed with mashed or baby food fruits to syringe or feed from a tiny paddle or spoon.

Mousebirds do not have a crop, like parrots, which will hold quanties of food. The have an expandible esphogus, so they will only hold about 1cc or so of food at a time.

OK...PLEASE try and post a digital pix of your baby...TOP and SIDE VEIWS. I can get an idea of what species it is. And also time/amountsd to feed. I'm suspecting possibly a speckled, which I do not work with, but I do know there are some mousebird rehabbers in Africa....I can look up email info, if needed.

My other concern is cat saliva on the baby. This could be a problem. Do you have any access to penecillin...just in case, if needed for an infection?

Ok...from the mousebird book: feeding. Commercial formula with stained baby food mixed to the consistancy of a slurry

7-9 days 0.5cc every hour

9-11 days 1.0cc every hour

11-15 days 1.5-2cc every 1.5-2 hours

15-21 days 1.5-2cc
plus bits of fruit every 2-2.5 hours

21-weaning fruit and
soaked pellets every 2-3 hours

Two important posts!!!

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Glad that your baby is doing well.

 

[E137]

Hi Susanne, I think my mousebird is loneley. I do take him out and play with him regularly, but im not at home most of the time. Also, he is always against the side of the cage trying to get out. I was hoping you could tell me whether mousebirds are ok with having a companion in their cage? If so, what kind of bird would be appropriate? perhaps another type of softbill?

 

[srtiels]

Do they sell captive mousebirds in your country? If so I would try to get another mousebird for him. I would not put any seed eating type bird in with him, and nothing that is too much larger than him. You might want to research another type of softbill that eats a similar diet.

Yes...they do get very attached to their humans, and he/she will call for you when you are out of sight. They gey the most vocal when they want food too.

You'll have to post some pix's of your mousebird.

Oh...you can also get s small fuzzy slim stuffed animal, and place it on a platform up near the top of the cage for the mousebird to snuggle with. Find something that is similar clolor as the mousebird.

NOTE: The mousebird can get very jealous and aggressive if you have a bird in with him and you give it more attention, so watch for that.

 

[Sarel]

Hi Everybody!

Short intro...

I think I've never acted so fast in my entire life! Monday, 6 September 2010, my cat Oreo cornered a birdie... and nearly killed the poor chick. It was raining and the wind blew real hard. Port Elizabeth, where I'm from like Chicago in the US is considered the 'Windy City' in South Africa. Luckily the babe was not bitten by Oreo but looked traumatized and miserable. And there my journey into the feathery world started holding a tiny Speckled Mousebird in my hand. Never in my wildest dreams would I consider a Muisvoël (Afrikaans) / Mousebird a pet "that can rival a parrot" according to birdlover, Kateri J. Davis. I'm guilty as charge for shooting these birds when I was a youngster armed with a BB gun growing up on a farm. Most South Africans consider this extraordinary bird a pest!

This little fledgling named Spike has changed my life... forever and ever!

Luckily the Internet is very helpful. I must congratulate Davis for writing a superb introduction about these birds. And they have their own Order! I've done considerable research preparing myself to hand raise Spike. Pages and pages of stuff. I've never thought it would be so much fun and ... just incredible fun! Should one release such a treasure back to the wild? Or am I selfish? That is a bit of a dilemma! Hmm...

This forum came in very handy. I thought it would be good to join and learn firsthand from others. Davis raved about the mousebird to such an extend that I quote the document at length informing my fellow South Africans about the "ultimate pet soft-bill" we have locally and we know NOTHING ABOUT!

I'm truly still perplexed! How come South Africans, even local pet shops not know about Mousebirds as pets? Most think of them as peSts!

I've noticed some SA's posted here and would like to get there take on this angle from pests to pets! LOL! Nevertheless, a big thank you to the Americans and other nationalities for helping me see the light! And boy do I have fun with Spike standing outside in the garden and "worshipping the Sun!"

I guess after this intro my photos can be posted according to this forum's rules and regulations. I would like to know if my judgement is correct concerning if it is a Colius Striatus. 2) How young is Spike? 3) How do you determine sex? Because if it is not male then we ought to change the name! Perhaps this forum can help

Spike sends "its" regards

 

[Sarel]

Spikes pictures taken from my cellular.

 

[srtiels]

Hi...and welcome to the forum. Spike still looks like a young bird



Kateris book is great. If you click on Mousebird website link in my signature there is another book (mentioned on my homepage)...Just an endearing story...you might enjoy called Kiki the Mousebird. On my links page of the website is a man in Africa that rehabs mousebirds, and can give advice.

I get several emails from SA from people finding mousebirds. This is a person that lives 25 miles inland of Durban and is interested in breeding mousebirds for pets. He too has been enchanted by them.

Mike Hartley
5 Highland Road, Hillcrest, KZN 3610 South Africa
mikehartley@vodamail.co.za
031 7654362 H
082 690 9133 or +27 (0) 82 690 9133
fax mail 0865383928 or +27 (0) 865 383 928
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And I just got this email right before I read your posting. Maybe you can help her out

On Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 2:56 PM, Chantel Whitfield <whitfieldcp@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi

I found your contact while doing research on mousebird rescue!
I have one of these lovely critters ( I live in Cape Town, South Africa) cuddled up under an old towel in a cage.

It flew into my patio door, and was very dazed. I nuzzled it and coaxed it until it seemed to be alert again. My husband put it into the tree it was eating from (Poop inspection!)
where it's parents immediately gathered to try to guide it back to a nest or encourage it to fly. It hopped / crawled about quite agilely on the branches - but can't fly more than a meter or two before landing. There are no visible signs of injury to the wings etc. and he moves about like lightning on the ground

We left them to do their bit, but my daughter found it hopping about helplessly on the grass again within an hour or so. I have a cat, and the neighborhood is teeming with felines. I have no choice but to try to do my best for it.
I have fed it pureed pear baby food (enthusiastically gobbled), and I put berries in from the tree in question, which it is eating.
Fresh apple has not captured it's interest, nor a bit of spinach which I hung in the cage.
Fresh water is provided too.

The bird has full feathers, but is still substantially smaller than the adult speckled mousebirds. His body is about the same size as that of a sparrow at present. I have no idea what age it might be.

I would very much appreciate any tips or insight. My daughter has, as young girls are wont to do, become smitten with him/her.

Best regards
Chantel
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AND there is another lady in SA that has to handicapped foundling Speckled mousebirds. She is wanting to move back to the US, but she is finding it very difficult to get them imported into the US, and I recently sent her Mikes email to see if he would adopt them...so I don't know what is going on...BUT, if he can't quite possibly would you be interested in 2 sweet female handicapped mousebirds?

OK...as to sexing them...you can not visually sex them. Do an online search to see if there are any companies in your country that do DNA feather sexing? If it fairly simple to do. A couple of chest feathers are plucked and put in a labeled baggy and sent to the company and within a week you would have results of the sex of the bird.