Exotic Animal Formulary5

Table 5-42
Selected Nutritional Recommendations for Wild Bird Rehabilitation. 104,214,215,258,737,a
Aquatic Birds, Including Wading Birds and Seabirds
• Live-prey eating birds like pelicans and herons may not recognize familiar food in an
unfamiliar presentation; offer live fish in large tubs, such as a small child’s pool, but be
prepared to force-feed as needed
Hummingbirds
• It is extremely challenging to meet the nutritional needs of hummingbirds;
hummingbirds must constantly replenish energy sources to survive; nectar from plants
as well as protein from insects (an estimated 100 mg) are both critical daily dietary
requirements
• Nektar-Plus (Nekton) will provide adequate nutritional support, including protein
• Insects, such as Drosophila fruit flies, may be released into the enclosure 576
Raptors
• Rehydrate first (see Table 5-36 and Table 5-37); this is particularly important in birds of
prey because the raptor’s digestive process requires copious secretions
• For debilitated birds, tube feed a diet rich in protein and fat; offer an enteral tube feeding
product (see Table 5-39), ground whole prey (less feet, fur or feathers, gastrointestinal
tract), or small amounts of quail breast meat soaked in oral electrolytes
• Feed whole prey after establishing normal gastrointestinal time; offer food the bird will
recognize as prey such as eviscerated fish, rats, mice, and/or quail; to increase the
chances of self-feeding, offer a variety of foods
• Feed juvenile raptors a whole animal diet of mice or rats supplemented with vitamins;
for young nestlings, remove the fur, toenails, and the gastrointestinal tract, then dice
the remainder of the body to create a fine “mush”
Songbirds
• Determine if the bird is an omnivore, herbivore, nectarivore, or insectivore and offer a
variety of foods; use a good identification book like The Sibley Guide to Birds 737 paired with
a resource like The Birder’s Handbook 214 to determine preferred foods
• Offer a variety of foods, such as high-quality birdseed, mealworms, and tiny pieces of
fresh fruit and vegetables, in a shallow container or lid
• Presentation of food promotes self-feeding; place earthworms in a pan of soil for
thrushes, offer berries still attached to a branch to a mockingbird
• Swifts and swallows may take a live insect on a forcep
• Woodpeckers may eat mealworms trapped in peanut butter spread on bark
a
See Tables 14-1 for more details.
Table 5-43
Management of Dystocia or Egg Binding in Birds.
Definition
462