Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 16:10:12 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Huy Subject: force feeding - A Sad, Cautionary Tale MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit force feeding can be an option sometimes. But it can cause enough stress on a bird to kill it. Another issue with birds is that they will get to a point of poor health where they cannot digest food. Feeding in that case, whether they feed themselves or are force-fed, may lead to death from undigested food that ferments in their system. This is another issue that vets are often unfamiliar with. Hydration and the initial feeding of a liquid nutrient is often necessary to make a bird strong enough to eat. In both cases Peter mentions, the lack of knowledge was the key factor and the meal worms likely would not have done any good even if force-fed. Rehab of wildlife requires lots of knowledge. The animals treated are very sensitive. What may work for humans and their domesticated companions will often kill a wild creature. Baby birds are not force-fed by their parents. They fight over getting that food - reminds me of the typical dinner time of my childhood. ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================