gbell@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Greg Bell) (04/16/91)
I found a gorgeous little hummer in the _road_ today. He was weak but seemed unhurt. I took him home and fed him some humming bird "nectar" (with vitamins etc) and he also ate from some flowers I brought him. I called my vet and they referred me to Project Wildlife in the San Diego area here. They have a whole referral list of volunteers who take certain types of animals and nurse them back to health (and re-release them, of course). The lady who I got referred to is a humming bird _only_ person! She apparently can nurse babies to maturity - not an easy task. So I took my little guy there... Anyway, I made one mistake and several good moves. The mistake: I left him in a shoe box for 2 hrs while I went to an appointment. Not only did he muster enough energy to "escape" to the floor, but he also was very weak by the time I got home. Humming birds need to eat VERY OFTEN. I've heard every 15 minutes. Their metabolism is very high. He was OK after a snack, though. What I did right was call my vet and get the right people to take him. I didn't try to nurse him back to health myself. For anybody in the area, Project Wildlife is at 619-225-WILD. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who: Greg Bell Address: gbell@ucsd.edu What: EE hobbyist and major Where: UC San Diego -----------------------------------------------------------------------------