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How to keep a wild robin?
Posted by adminI found a injured robin bird. It is blind in both eyes. They are completely gone. The bird can’t fly. We want to try and keep it for as long as we can but we don’t know how.
Commendable, but unfortunately it is illegal for you to keep it without a permit. Robins are protected by the migratory bird act. It probably needs some medical attention as soon as possible, the best thing you can do for it is to get it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Call your state wildlife agency -if they are unavailable because of the weekend, try your animal control or shelter, or see if there are any rehabilitators listed in your area. Time is critical, it is unlikely you can get it to eat, or can feed it properly.
Until you can get it help, put it in a cardboard box (poke a few holes if you are worried about air) and put it in a very quiet place that won’t get too warm or cold. Then resist the urge to check on it frequently-that causes a lot of stress, especially for an injured wild bird, and can cause it to die even if it weren’t hurt as badly as you describe. Don’t try to feed it or give it water, it probably is too stressed to eat anyway, and people usually do more harm than good when they try to feed injured birds.
