# Hummingbird chick



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Forgive me, I know this is nothing to do with hedgehogs! But it's animal-related, at least? And I just wanted to share because it's so exciting for me and I thought you guys might enjoy the pictures. 

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a ... 3582_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a ... 3820_n.jpg

So, this past week at Wildside, we got in a ruby-throated hummingbird chick. It's only the third hummingbird we've ever gotten in, and I believe only the second chick. He is TINY, as you can see from the second picture - literally the size of my thumb (so about 2 inches or less in length)! He is absolutely gorgeous and breathtakingly perfect. His feathers are just so tiny and perfect, his claws, his eyes...everything. His tongue is so thin that you almost can't even see it zipping out of his beak.

He's also nerve-wracking and terrifying to work with - I was joking that out of the three birds I hand-fed today, red tailed hawk, great horned owl, and baby hummer, the hummer was the scariest to feed! :lol: The reason for that is of course, his size - he's mostly hands-off if we can help it, and the only time I touched him was to move him to a clean nest (and he weighs less than a cotton ball!). The other reason is because his food contains sugar water, and we can't let any drip on him. The stickiness would mat his feathers and I'm not sure that we have a good/safe/successful method to clean them so he could fly properly. So the feeding method is to fill a 1mL syringe, aim it away from him and squeeze the plunger until we get a drop at the end, then guide the drop into his mouth without it going over the edge of his beak. I'm the first person to feed him past the three most experienced women at the rescue - I'm not sure if it's because I'm the first to be willing or the first to be allowed (or both). :lol: I was so nervous all 4-5 times I fed him (little guy eats every 20 minutes!), but Louise said I did well, and it was so amazing to help with this. I can't wait to go back on Monday!

And sorry for the long off-topic post.  Just so excited and wanted to share with fellow animal-lovers!


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Wow, I'm seriously jealous right now. He's adorable - what an awesome experience.  

I plan to get involved with either a shelter or rescue in the area (there are multiple) but I haven't been able to make the time commitment while still in college. After I graduate in December I'll be contacting some places, because at that point I'll be able to dedicate a few hours at least once a week. Probably more, but with a business and a lot of hedgies to contend with, I won't really know until then how much I'll actually be able to juggle. I've always been so envious (in a good way) of people who get to do hands-on work with wild animals.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Aren't humming birds cute?  We had one at TRWC where I volunteer last week, not a baby but still just as cute. Fortunately he picked up on syringe feeding really quick and didn't have any problem eating or getting sugar water on him. We cut the tip off a 1cc syringe, stick their beak just inside into the water, and they drink it up on their own (excuse the phone pic):


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Wow! I think it is all fascinating! I learn something new here all the time. The bird weighs less than a cotton ball....my goodness. I give you so much credit Kelsey; I think my hands would be shaking tying to make sure I did not spill a drop on that tiny body. How long is it before he can eat on his own or like LG described? How long can he survive on sugar water?


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## Tym4myself (Jul 17, 2012)

How precious!! I absolutely LOVE hummingbirds! There's a humming bird named Phoebe in California that uses the same location to raise her babies. The home owner has set up a webcam (since 2007!) so that people can get a (no pun intended) birds-eye view of babies being reared. It's absolutely fascinating! If you ever want to watch, the link is http://www.ustream.tv/hummingbirdnestcam . Her next laying season is in October for her next clutch, barring nothing has happened to her. She doesn't migrate like most humming birds do. She is one great mamma!


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

This is so cute and cool, you have got the best job ever!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Moxie, I still don't believe I really get to do stuff like this half the time. :lol: I've wanted to do stuff like this with wild animals (especially birds) for years, so I just get so excited about everything still. I hope you get a chance to find a shelter to work at soon! It's such a cool thing to do, and very rewarding.

LG, he's adorable!! The last one we had was an adult as well, I can't recall how he was fed, I didn't get to do much with him. That looks like a great way to feed him though, glad he caught on quickly!

Lol Shetland, I had to rest my wrist on the edge of the basket to help me keep my hand steady. I'm not sure how long it'll be before he starts drinking like LG's bird - I'm guessing sometime after he starts learning to flutter his wings and get flying. Louise said that once he started doing that, we would put a couple of feeders around the incubator (or cage, if we move him) and that we would get some favorite hummingbird flowers and put those in with him as well, so he can learn to feed from them. The food he gets now isn't plain sugar water - Louise told me that it's sugar water mixed with a human tube-feeding formula (VERY expensive stuff, a small bag that she has was $50) and whey. Since the parents also feed them insects usually, the protein from the human formula simulates that and is necessary to keep them growing & healthy, and one of the most important things people overlook for baby birds - even seed-eating birds need protein as chicks (we use soaked dry cat food as a base, along with canned EVO kitten food for our songbird chick food mix, but there's a TON of things in that).

Tym, that's so cool! I know I watched a hummer cam earlier this year a couple times, and it was amazing how quickly mama went out, got food, and came back and was already sitting on babies again. I missed a couple of feedings from not paying close enough attention. :lol: 

Larry, I think so too!  Wish I could go there every day, I hate to leave.


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## Shell (Aug 23, 2012)

Your post made my day 
What a lttle sweetie! I can see why you are so excited, and I'm sure you'll be less nervous with time feeding the little one. They're just so adorable!


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

That is amazing. Thank you for sharing.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I'm so jealous of you Kelsey!

I love sitting on our front porch in the evening. We have several feeders so there is a lot of hummingbird action in our front yard. The young ones are hilarious - they chase each other and playfight and zoom all over the place and the adults just kind of ignore them. :lol:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: Silly youngsters! That's awesome that you have feeders, I want to set some up eventually. And when I get my own place, I want to plant hummingbird-favorite flowers in the yard, especially fall ones for migration season.

An update on this cute baby - I was at Wildside again yesterday and she's started fluttering her wings and exploring outside her nest!  Louise went to check on her at one point and couldn't see her. Started to panic....and then found her sitting behind the basket like "What? It's interesting back here!" :lol: She's also starting to catch on to how to eat like a big girl - at the beginning of the feeding she'll still open her beak like a chick, but halfway through she'll keep her beak closed and drink from the drops with her tongue.


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