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I have a baby crow in my utility room

221 replies

SarahStratton · 13/06/2011 23:47

Next door's cat got it. It has an injured (not broken) wing. It's going to the vets in the morning.

It needs a name. Ideas please.

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SarahStratton · 21/06/2011 21:09

Tell me about it. I managed to spend just under £90 on toys and perches the other day. I'm paranoid he will get bored whilst he is recuperating. I've also had the extended family scouring their houses and gardens for suitable stuff. It was a good idea, he has logs to stand on and play King of the Castle now, and a good supply of blackcurrant sprays. Which turn his poo purple.

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hellymelly · 21/06/2011 22:39

Sarah here are some details that may (or may not!) be helpful..www.theswansanctuary.org.uk/index.php We have had a lot of dealings with them, the lady who set it all up,Dot,is really lovely and they have all sorts of birds there,although it is mainly swans and waterfowl.She is very very knowledgeable and you could email for advice if you are worried about any health issue . We also have a good friend who has run a bird and wildlife hospital in Newquay,west Wales for several decades.They did lots of pioneering work with oiled sea birds in the 70's. I don't want to put her number on here as she is very elderly now (mid 80's) but she has a huge amount of knowledge about all sorts of birds and if there was something you wanted to know either I could call her or if you pm me I would send you my number and give you all her details. The other wildlife place that has a good reputation is St tiggywinkles hedgehog hospital,again they have experience of all sorts of other animals too
here www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/ .I have met the lovely man who runs it but I don't know him as such,he brought some baby hedgehogs on to a tv thing I was working on.Anyway,again,he is a font of knowledge about all sorts of things you may need to know. I know a reasonable amount about birds but I'm not an expert at all.If however you might want to chat about Morty or there is anything i might be able to help with then please do pm me and i'll send you my 'phone number. (secretly just hoping for a chance to chat about his brilliance!! ) Anyway he does look like a raven in the new pic and he sounds FAB.

SarahStratton · 21/06/2011 22:48

Oh wow thank you helly :)

You've been a massive, massive help, and a mine of information. He's doing so well, he is off to the vets in the morning for a check up on his wing. I'm going to get him to have a look at his other wing as it's quite droopy now and I think there's some nerve damage. Hopefully, that won't be permanent, although he has had to have a bit of a feather trim since I took the last photo as he was getting a bit shitty. He does have a rubber feed trug to bathe in, it seems to work very well. He sits on the handle and jumps straight in, then climbs out and does it all over again. Apparently this is a fun and amusing thing to do if one is a baby raven.

I've also ordered him some more toys from the site SecretSquirrel linked to. He should be quite ok toywise now. I leave one or 2 in the run and rotate them so he doesn't get bored. I'm also hiding a lot of his food so he has to forage for it.

It's so much fun having him around.

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hellymelly · 21/06/2011 23:34

O! that so nice of you,I haven't done anything much at all. Sometimes a droopy wing can just be due to a muscle strain- does he flap at all or try to fly with the unstrapped wing? When his other wing is out of the strapping and mended well you can get him stronger by holding his toes with him perched on your hand,and then moving your arm up and down,which will make him flap away.Then you can progress to gently letting go when your arm is up,near a bed or something soft,allowing him to flutter down. He may just get flying on his own,or you may choose to pinion him if you are keeping him as part of the family (it feels disrespectful calling a raven a "pet"!!).
Any joy getting hold of Bran-man? If I think of anyone else who may be helpful I will let you know.

SarahStratton · 21/06/2011 23:38

He's had to be pinioned. The wing is dragging on the ground (it has movement but little strength). He kept falling over the feathers so I have trimmed it. The last of his tail feathers fell out today, he now looks rather like a surly black chicken.

He is a temporary member of the family. I don't feel comfortable calling him a pet, he is too dignified and intelligent for that. If he stays it will be an honour. If he leaves I shall just be proud that I had the chance to get to know and help him, and happy that he will be a free raven.

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hellymelly · 21/06/2011 23:52

I love the thought of a surly black chicken...

LauLauLemon · 22/06/2011 00:09

I want a raven.

Sadly, DH says two DD's and a house rabbit are enough for me to cope with. He obviously has no idea who I am or what I'm capable of coping with. Stupid bloody men.

I should leave this thread before my marriage ends up in a paper pile at a divorce solicitor's desk.

mutters Stupid DH. Wanker.

UnrequitedSkink · 22/06/2011 11:08

Can I just ask, is he allowed to roam around your house? And is he housetrained, or do you spend a lot of time following him around with kitchen roll?

ExitPursuedByAKitten · 22/06/2011 12:48

SarahStratton I have suggested this thread is moved into classics. Let's see what happens.

ExitPursuedByAKitten · 22/06/2011 15:18

Hi SarahStratton. Not considered classic enough, so Mortimer is now in Pets....

KurriKurri · 22/06/2011 15:58

How did he get on at the vet's today?

SarahStratton · 22/06/2011 16:15

Hi Kurri, he got on brilliantly. He was so good, he perched on my arm and just stayed still whilst they got most of the splint off. He was better behaved and more relaxed than a lot of the tame birds they get in apparently

He's only just got home though, he had to stay in and have a light anaesthetic to get the last of it off as it had stuck to his feathers. Well, what's left of his feathers. He now looks less like a surly chicken, and more like a very elderly black umbrella. Very bedraggled and untidy. But he is happy to be home and gleefully jumping in and out of his rubber water trug.

I may have bought him some diced steak from the butchers to celebrate his plaster coming off

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KurriKurri · 22/06/2011 16:19

Grin @ elderly umbrella. How is his wing doing now - any improvement now the splint's off?

ExitPursuedByAKitten · 22/06/2011 16:27

Mmmm - diced steak. Methinks you are spoiling that bird.

hellymelly · 22/06/2011 16:29

Are they pleased with how the wing has healed?

SarahStratton · 22/06/2011 16:32

Yes they are, it's actually better than the other wing. Weak obviously, but droops less than the other wing. All the other bites/cuts/bruises are healing really well. He had an audience at the vets, 2 other vets came in to see him Grin

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CelebratedMonkey · 23/06/2011 08:49

He's lovely :)

peggotty · 24/06/2011 10:31

Can we have an update Sarah? Smile

KurriKurri · 24/06/2011 16:15

Sarah - you and Mortimer have made the Round Up - brilliant! - he is such a starGrin

happymole · 24/06/2011 16:36

How did I miss this thread!

I'm so Envy

Would you like to swap for a stinky dog

HazeltheMcWitch · 24/06/2011 20:15

The round up spoke to me, made me come to this thread which I have just read from start to finish.

Wow oh wow oh wow oh wow! I am in awe of you and your corvid-wrangling ways, but I am also quite jealous too. I'd like a Raven. Even a jackdaw would do. Tell us more: how is he this Friday; what are his weekend plans?

edam · 25/06/2011 00:08

Wow, what an amazing story (and what a lucky bird he is to find such a great foster family).

Grin @ 'what are his plans for the weekend'! Sounds like the old barbers' code for getting up to no good at all...

Jux · 25/06/2011 20:42

Lucky lad. Is he our official mascot? I hope so.

Incidentally, what is the difference between a raven and a writing desk jackdaw?

hellymelly · 25/06/2011 22:45

Jux- ravens www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?pg=7951&mat=pdef
and jackdaw <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/img.asp%3Fi%3Dphotos/birdguide/jackdaw.jpg&imgrefurl=www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/jackdaw.asp&h=400&w=300&sz=40&tbnid=7IXNc2sIysSBOM:&tbnh=259&tbnw=194&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djackdaw%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=jackdaw+pictures&hl=en&usg=__XO2HRrWk3uwQdagzFC5SF5bxlWY=&sa=X&ei=91YGTsPRN8-yhAeuhZzYCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCkQ9QEwAQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/img.asp%3Fi%3Dphotos/birdguide/jackdaw.jpg&imgrefurl=www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/jackdaw.asp&h=400&w=300&sz=40&tbnid=7IXNc2sIysSBOM:&tbnh=259&tbnw=194&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djackdaw%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=jackdaw+pictures&hl=en&usg=__XO2HRrWk3uwQdagzFC5SF5bxlWY=&sa=X&ei=91YGTsPRN8-yhAeuhZzYCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCkQ9QEwAQ

SarahStratton · 26/06/2011 09:17

Mortimer is doing brilliantly. He is much happier now he has his plaster and splint off and is practising flapping and hopping up and down on the spot. He won't be able to fly for ages at the very best, as he has lost most of his flight feathers and has nerve damage. A tail would help too, poor thing.

He is spending the weekend helping us weed the garden. He is very good at 'weeding', if anything slightly over enthusiastic. We have a gravel area at the back of the garden which gets really weedy. I have bought some of those weed blocking sheets and today the DDs and I are going to rake the gravel off and lay the sheets. Should uncover lots of bugs. Which will result in an hysterically happy Mortimer, who is very fond of bughunts.

Last night's dinner was diced chicken, cat food, sweetcorn and some strawberries. Cherry tomatoes were funny, but not a success. He tries to stab them with his beak and is very frustrated because they just 'ping' off and shoot across the floor.

One of my friend's is going to shoot him some bunnies today, I'll chop them up and freeze them.

Oh and my Mum has lent me a dvd. Hitchcock's 'The Birds'. She thought it would be nice for us to sit and watch it with Mortimer. We will not be doing this. It will not be a good plan to Give Him Ideas. He is far too thoughtful and intelligent. I cannot have Raven World Domination on my conscience.

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