Help with a baby blue tit that we found please!

I have not long got home from work to find my husband has found a baby blue tit in our kitchen (i have no idea how it got there) but then put it in a big fish tank with a towel. We have been giving it bits to drink on a small brush and some small bits of apple. It seems to be settled at the moment, going to sleep. The big question is what to do next. My husband said he tried putting it outside but he would't budge or fly. He is that small that I doubt he could fly. At a guess I would say 7-10 days old maybe?
  • Hello stevie,have you got a vent in your kitchen, I just wondered or if there was a nest nearby, sometimes you can hear other babies. Does the chick look big enough and fluffy enough to have fledged? I hope an expert will come along to give advice, in the meantime you have done the right thing,hopefully it will be ok til the morning. The parents will feed their chicks caterpillars if you fancy a hunt round in the morning! Good luck Pat

    Pat Adams - Flickr - BLOG

  • I can only tell you what my friend did last year when she found some wagtails that had had their nest destroyed. She put them in a bird cage and fed them on chopped up mealworms mixed with a meat flavoured cat food, she fed them every half an hour with  tiny morsels off a pair of tweezers till they had had enough (about 4-5 at each feed but increasing as they got bigger.) water was given via a dropper. They all survived and we let them go when they were old enough to fly. She used to work at a wildlife sanctuary. Hope this helps. Their mum would be feeding her catapillars or insects so try to find similar if possible.

    Good luck

    You have no control over what life & people throw at you - but you have full control over how you deal with it!

  • tinned cat food is a good substitute

    Apples a no no

    if no sign of nest contact an animal sanctuary or RSPCA

    Ray

          

             a good laugh is better than a tonic

  • Well, when we woke up this morning it had died :( I really hope we didn't kill it with apples, I was going to visit pets at home today to get advice and food. I'm sure we have a nest somewhere because I can hear scratching in the walls.  

    northdevonfocus, we have vents all over our house as it's private rented. I'll have to get the other half to have a good look.

    Thanks for all your replies!

  • Oh stevie that's a sad outcome for you. Well done for trying your best for the little fella. Pat

    Pat Adams - Flickr - BLOG

  • Well done for taking the time to help and also for seeking advice on the forum. Sadly this one didn't make it. Raw mince is excellent for baby Blue Tits. Just cut it into small 'maggot sized' pieces and feed with tweezers and also (as suggested before) a small amount of water via a dropper. They should also be kept hand warm all the time. I nursed an abandoned Great Tit nestling a few weeks ago and kept it in my hands the whole time to keep it warm. It woke up every 10 minutes or so for more mince and then dozed off again. I was lucky enough to have it collected a few hours later, but keeping it warm was as important as feeding it. To be honest I wouldn't have known that unless someone from a rescue centre had told me to do it!

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

     

  • you did your best sorry about the outcome

     Ray

          

             a good laugh is better than a tonic

  • having the same issue right now, except my cat bought the bird to be in pretty good shape but some fur on the head missing. its eyes aren’t open and i’ve tried feeding cat food but he won’t open his beak and now has gone to sleep so i don’t really know how to feed it. and also no one’s gonna be home tomorrow so i don’t know how i’m going to help this little buddy.