cnorley@irus.rri.uwo.ca (Chris Norley) (05/28/91)
My wife's grandparents recently acquired the company of two young orphaned robins that had apparently fallen or been somehow removed from their nest. The nest could not be found. The pair (male and female we think) are currently about 12-14cm from beak to tail and still have some downy infant feathers. They seem to be relatively content and healthy residing in a large box and hopping around a big garage. We are trying to keep the handling of the birds to a minimum so they don't become too tame. They still seem to be quite cautious around us. Of course robins eat worms, but what else? Grubs? Insects? What sort of seeds? Do the parent birds digest the worms for the young and then regurgitate the food for the young or feed them with whole/cut up sections of worm? We have been feeding them cut up worms, raw hamburger and water from a small pink spoon (they seem to react better to the spoon than sticks or other things). They have a voracious appetite. We'd appreciate any information about feeding, care and the subsequent release of "wild" birds that anyone would care to offer. I'd prefer responses to be directed via email rather than postings. Thanks. Chris Norley. -- Chris Norley | Imaging Research Labs | Robarts' Research Institute University Of Western Ontario | P.O. Box 5015, 100 Perth Drive London, Ont., Canada, N6A 5K8 | Phone: (519) 663-5777 x4135 | Fax: (519)663-3789 Email: cnorley@irus.rri.uwo.ca ...with a led-filled snowshoe...