Post by rowanberry on Jun 30, 2016 10:01:16 GMT
Our poor male blackbird has been seriously hurt, (cat, I am guessing 
) and it appears that his right leg might be either broken or dislocated. 
He's been like this for three days now, and it's not improving. The top of the leg is so swollen the wing is pushing up, and he's stopped putting weight on it at all, (the day before yesterday he still was using the birdbath and was able to grasp the rim of the bath but now he is avoiding perching at all.)
He's staying either on the ground or in the hedge... I'm keeping an apple staked out for him, (I stake them into the ground with a chopstick so squirrels can't drag them off) and I put suet pellets in one that he's hollowed out...I know he needs protein, but I doubt he can forage for himself very well. He can still fly- he manages to get from the apple into the hedge, and he comes out to eat throughout the day.
There's a gap inside the hedge, and I've put a small garden table in it with a smaller saucer of water for him since he seemed to have trouble with the deeper birdbath.
I hate seeing him like this, but am unsure what else I can do. There's no way I could catch him...he used to come to a dish of mealworms I put out for him and his mate closer to the house, but since this has happened he has become VERY wary. I don't blame him- he knows he's more vulnerable than ever now. I think even attempting to catch him would cause further injury.
Is there any hope this might be able to heal? I'm honestly surprised he's survived the past three days, but he's still trying, poor thing! He can't go on like this for much longer though, because the strain on his good leg is going to take its toil sooner or later. It's a shame- he and his mate have been regulars here in our garden for about three years now.
Any ideas on anything else I could do to help him would be really appreciated.
) and it appears that his right leg might be either broken or dislocated. 
He's been like this for three days now, and it's not improving. The top of the leg is so swollen the wing is pushing up, and he's stopped putting weight on it at all, (the day before yesterday he still was using the birdbath and was able to grasp the rim of the bath but now he is avoiding perching at all.)
He's staying either on the ground or in the hedge... I'm keeping an apple staked out for him, (I stake them into the ground with a chopstick so squirrels can't drag them off) and I put suet pellets in one that he's hollowed out...I know he needs protein, but I doubt he can forage for himself very well. He can still fly- he manages to get from the apple into the hedge, and he comes out to eat throughout the day.
There's a gap inside the hedge, and I've put a small garden table in it with a smaller saucer of water for him since he seemed to have trouble with the deeper birdbath.
I hate seeing him like this, but am unsure what else I can do. There's no way I could catch him...he used to come to a dish of mealworms I put out for him and his mate closer to the house, but since this has happened he has become VERY wary. I don't blame him- he knows he's more vulnerable than ever now. I think even attempting to catch him would cause further injury.
Is there any hope this might be able to heal? I'm honestly surprised he's survived the past three days, but he's still trying, poor thing! He can't go on like this for much longer though, because the strain on his good leg is going to take its toil sooner or later. It's a shame- he and his mate have been regulars here in our garden for about three years now.
Any ideas on anything else I could do to help him would be really appreciated.
