i need some advice

[peppermint]

hi there. i'm new to the forum, and i need some advice [i hope this is the right section for it]

3 years ago i found a baby crow fallen from the nest. long story short, i had no idea what i was getting myself into [i still have no idea what i'm doing].. baby crow was ill, 2 vets said it would die, but thanks to the mighty internet [if you can believe it], crow is alive and well [i hope] 3 years later.

my partner and me decided to move to france, and were wondering what to do with said crow [named Ciel].. we thought about rehoming [but we're not so sure it's a good idea since 1. people have no idea of how to care for them, 2. Ciel is not used to people other than the 2 of us. 3. few vets know how to handle birds [we luckily found one of them and said we did ok-enough]

We also considered letting Ciel go [releasing him]. the vet said this would be the best choice... But how can we be sure it will not die within 2 days? my partner will be heartbroken regardless of what we decide on doing.. and i will be too [but a bit less i think?].

Any advice and insight would be appreciated. please,if you have nothing nice to say, don't reply. we already know we're not qualified to keep birds, especially a crow as a pet.. [and the info on birds/ crows is so scarce! and borderline unreliable]

thanks for reading.

 

[Donna turner]

I once rescued and raised a baby blue jay. When it was old enough I put him outside and hung his cage in a tree. I'd put him in it after dark so he'd stay but could leave it in morning. I continued to feed him his baby food for awhile but started showing him how to find food. I'd turn over sticks, leaves and dig around in grass for bugs while he watched. When I'd find one I'd flush it out and he learned to grab and eat them. After a few weeks of following me around outside some wild blue jays started coming around and he joined them. He would still come to me but slowly became more wild and when the other jays left he went with them. Most important thing is to show where food is outside. My worst fear was a cat or dog would get him before the other birds taught him to be afraid of them but he survived.

 

[peppermint]

Thank you Donna! that is helpful.. i guess i forgot to mention i live in an apartment building, so this idea is not very do-able.
except with the part that i could take him out slowly, to get him used to noises, and other stuff.

he generally knows the food is on the ground - i often leave it there. but crows are as opportunistic as it gets: i'm not sure who is the 'owner' us or him. if we're home, he makes sure the food is delivered to where he is, and doesnt get down unless he wants to bathe. if we're out for more hours, he sure gets down to eat >.>
the vet assured us that crows usually imitate one another, and that he could find a crow community quite fast, given their social nature...

why is it so hard for us to believe it though? u.u

 

[Mizzely]

Is there a wildlife rehabilitator that you could get in contact with for help? Their job is to get animals ready to release and they would likely be a wealth of knowledge.

 

[peppermint]

i found some, but not in my city. and they also mention working only with other type of birds, like eagles, owls, ... predatory. Romania is possibly one of the worst countries to own a bird.

i will try one of them that was closer to my city, as the last resort. i'm not totally against it.

 

[Mizzely]

You could still contact them and ask for advice?

 

[rocky'smom]

we have semi tame crows at the farm, they live outside but will come if the see one of us coming with meal worm feeding station. these are easy to make and fill. you will need PVC pipe 1/2" diameter about 8 to 9" long, two capping ends, some PVC glue even super glue works, a drill with assorted drill bits; 1/8" to 1/2"size, and a way of heating the PVC; blow torch, heat gun, wire coat hanger. cap one end with glue, along the length of the pipe drill assorted sized holes, spacing them well apart. you are going to want to put little crinkles below each hole, don't make them so that they touch the other side, just enough to put a slight bend in the pipe. the top cap, you are going to make hole dead center, snip the coat hanger off, leaving the loop and two 1/4" ends. in that hole you drilled in the upper cap, fold those two ends of the hanger into that hole and splay them out. fill the tube with 20 + meal worms and you may have to shake the tube several times to get them down the tube. we use old fashioned white glue to glue the upper cap on to the stick, let it dry over night and you have feeding tube.
the farm crows will figure out how to get those worms out, they bring little sticks and fish the worms out of the holes. we only do this a couple times a month, because we want the crows to remain wild. by the way, some of our crows have silver white feathers in their wings and we have named them after Star Wars characters.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I'm sorry I have no additional advice than what's been given, but I'm so glad you were able to save this bird. I adore crows, and I hope you can find a good solution!

 

[Lesley Yeung]

As kids, my friends and I found a very young crow that had fallen from its nest. I wasn't the one who it lived with but I knew it well and spent a lot of time with it.

It liked us. Then one day, when he was all grown up, he flew away and never came back. I beleive he knew it was time. He was never a pet. I know he left of his own accord. I don't know for sure if Hawthore (the crow) thrived. But it seems likely.

He was in his natural enviroment. And crows are very smart and social. They learn and adapt like few other animals.

If Ceil is given the option, would he leave? If so, I would trust his judgement. If not, maybe a bird santcuary?

 

[janicedyh]

Since Ceil is a tame bird and never learned how to live in the wild how can she survive? People in the know about Crows can answer that question. Is her "wild" instinct still there since she never learned to use it and has depended on you? Can you put her in a harness and make visits to wooded areas to see how she forages?

 

[peppermint]

thank you for your replys and advice! even if i may not be able to use them all myself, im sure they will help others regardless

@mizzeli i think you're right. i should at least contact them, and maybe not as last resort.

@rocky'smom omg, i want to live on your farm now XDD i'm sure Ciel would also love it there, haha

@Lesley Yeung last year i tried releasing him, but with no adaptation to the outside world. took him to this open space area, and let him go. he flew some 5 meters away from me and he fell in the grass [his wings are not that strong to fly like the other wild birds. vet told me he can build up the muscles rather fast, especially if i try taking him out on a leash kind of thing to get him used to flying and noises, and stuff. ona leash, so that he wouldnt fly and fall in front of a car, heaven forbid]. so, he would want to go. i can definitely tell he's not 100% happy indoors [i wouldnt be either]... why is it so hard.

i was instructed to release him where there's no humans, like outside of the city, and such.. i dont know if we have bird sanctuaries, we should have...

 

[peppermint]

Since Ceil is a tame bird and never learned how to live in the wild how can she survive? People in the know about Crows can answer that question. Is her "wild" instinct still there since she never learned to use it and has depended on you? Can you put her in a harness and make visits to wooded areas to see how she forages?

i never tried a harness, but i think it can be done. like i mentioned in my previous posts,
he [i never tested Ciel for gender] does search for food if he must [= aka no 'human slave' {it's a joke of ours} is there to attend to his needs].
i tried releasing him once but failed, and he did want to go away.. so it may be successful..

 

[iamwhoiam]

I hope you can find a wonderful home for your crow. Do you have any friends or family who would take him? Could you take him with you?

 

[peppermint]

I hope you can find a wonderful home for your crow. Do you have any friends or family who would take him? Could you take him with you?

my friends have cats/dogs and i dont think they're responsible enough.
my family says to let him go... just like that.. NOT ideal..

 

[Donna turner]

You ask why is it so hard. When you rescue an animal like that and raise them ,you love them as you would a child and the thought of letting them go into an uncertain fate hurts. We all sympathize with you. I hope you can find a rescue for him,or take him out often to fly and get strong. Then maybe you could find some wild crows to let him go with.