Robin unable to close beak

Bonjour from France

This was discussed two years ago here.

What happened to the robin? 

We've got one in our garden in France.

He sits on the table with us and seems desperate for help.

We mush up food which he can thank goodness scoop up and is able to slurp water.

Bread is not enough nutrition. What can we feed him.

I say him because he has the reddeset of red breasta.

He seems to be saying well, Im getting no help from my own kind I'll have a go at the human kind.

Heartbreaking. How common is it?

merci bien a tous!

Pamela

  • Welcome to the forum, Pamela. Not sure I can help but this will bump up your thread to page one again and more people will see it. Here in the UK we can buy live mealworms or other worms such as wax worms from a local pet shop and online from various places, too. Live meal worms are loved by Robins and are excellent nutrition for birds. Live meal worms are small enough that your Robin might manage to eat them. If not, you could mash them up with a fork or something if you are not too squeamish. Wax worms are larger than mealworms, but presumably could be mashed up, too. If the Robin has difficulty drinking, you could add a tiny bit of water to the mushed up worms. Some Robins like sunflower hearts and if you have a mortar and pestle you could grind up some of those and perhaps add a few drops of water, not too much. With luck, others will also suggest something; some make their own unsalted pastry which might work--I've not tried it on Robins. Best of luck. Please let us know how you get on.
  • Look at him now! Heartbreaking. What is that terrible growth? It's getting bigger too. 

    He manages to eat by slurping up with his tongue from MOH hand. 

  • Oh dear, that looks quite horrid Pamela. How long has he been around, will he eat at al?. Do you have a wildlife rescue centre near you?
  • Thanks, Pamela, for the update and pics. Poor little thing. I hope you can get some help for him/her from a rescue centre somewhere because it looks like the poor thing could use some medical help with that beak and the growth thing. In the meantime, you and your OH are being very kind and helpful to the poor thing. Thanks for your efforts and best of luck with being able to carry on or possibly to get help from somewhere with him/her. If Monkeycheese sees this he might have some suggestions for you as he is one of the best Robin experts on these threads and has a lot of experience with them. Again, I hope you will keep us posted.
  • How sad. It is amazing how wild creatures seem to manage in the face of adversity, and your help and kindness will go a long way.

    Fingers crossed that help can be sought, though I would imagine it will be difficult to treat such a small creature, though there is no harm trying. Good luck and keep us posted.