Baby Crow Rescue

Last week we took in a bird that needed a little help. This baby crow was picked up by a family on base because it couldn't fly or move very well. Upon further inspection, it looks as though his legs are crooked and one of his wings is injured. The Chief thinks he got these injuries from falling out of the nest too soon because he isn't quite a fledgling yet.

Our goal is to rehab this guy and hopefully release him to the wild. Unfortunately, Japan does not view animals culturally like we do and I do not have a wildlife rehab centre to take him to. I realize that I may take my views on animals, both wild and domestic, to an extreme as well but honestly, I don't see how having respect for animals is a bad thing. I have already been questioned as to why I would waste my time with "just a crow" but in my mind this crow is still a living being and I just want to ensure it is given the best chance and treated humanly. We do have some experience with birds form raising chicken, goose and turkeys as well as fostering doves in Florida so I am hoping we don't do anything to injure him further, both physically and mentally. I also stayed up all night on Saturday talking to various wildlife rehab centres in BC and the PNW to help me decide the best course of action with this guy.

The little guy eats every couple of hours and I have to physically put he food in his mouth. He is on a diet of dog kibble, eggs, salmon, raw meat bits, meal worms and small veggie scraps. Crows are scavengers so thankfully their normal diet is a mess of things they happen to find (usually in the garbage here in Japan). His little hungry call is so cute and he has associated me with food so he gets very excited when he sees me. I also ensure to keep the ruckus ofour kids and other animals away from him so he doesn't get too stressed out.

To try to help his legs, we have constructed a sling to hang him in for short periods throughout the day. The goal is to get his legs stretched out and encouraging him to clutch with his digits. If he is unable to do this as he grows, he will not be able to live in the wild.

He does have mites, but thankfully with further research, I found they were bird specific mites that do not like people as hosts. I still think they are gross since they still crawl in us when we handle him so I have ordered some DE that will hopefully begin next week to dust him with. Until then, I am keeping handling to a minimum. Thankfully, he seems healthy and alert. I am really hoping for a full recovery. Please send all of your good energy to this little guy- he really needs it!

Zombie has shown interest in going to summer camp once again this year. He found an awesome on in Idaho that is all about BMX and the instructors are actual x-game champions. He is also interested in a snowboarding one in Utah. We are applying this this week and will hopefully hear back on his selection soon. The little ones are glad to be done with school and are enjoying their break. What is funny about that, is the fact that they are still focusing on learning without even knowing it! The Princess enjoys reading everyday and playing literature games online. Squidward is learning the importance of spelling as he is writing his own research papers on a variety of topics that he is interested in. I highly doubt this would be happening if we didn't homeschool but when learning is just a normal part of the day it just happens!