One Baby Animal's Struggle To Survive

Although this is a dog blog, today I'm posting about a very special bird whose tenacity and struggle to survive inspired me and touched my heart.  This is Tiny's story.

My Mom always loved birds.  When she was in her 80's, she ended up with a pair of Cockatiels that friends of hers could no longer keep.  One day one of the birds laid eggs!  It was a total surprise, we didn't even know what gender the birds were, my Mom never thought to ask.  The eggs hatched and she soon had a clutch of baby Cockatiels. It wasn't the first time the pair would have babies. They turned out to be quite an amorous pair! 

Cockatiels are very sweet, friendly birds

My Mom loved caring for her birds and hand taming their babies.  When they were old enough she'd give them away to good homes.  The few baby birds that didn't get adopted she gave to family friends who owned a pet store.  They gave her free bird food and supplies in exchange for baby birds that were beautifully hand tamed, thanks to my Mom's TLC.

It was a hobby that brought her so much joy in her senior years.  She took beautiful care of those birds every single day.  She fed them, gave them fresh water several times a day, and kept their cages immaculately clean.  She loved taking them out of the cages to give them affection and a little freedom and "playtime".   She loved them all and cried each time the baby birds had to leave her.  She ended up keeping a few babies herself, ultimately ending up with several cages of Cockatiels.

Years ago, I had to have major surgery.  I was unable to drive or walk for several weeks and was recuperating at my parent's house.  One of the pairs of birds had laid eggs before I arrived.  As luck would have it, while I was staying there, the eggs hatched and 3 baby birds were born!  It was exciting to see those baby birds hatch, and to see how excited and attentive my Mom was to them.  We quickly noticed, however, that something wasn't quite right with one of the babies.  She was smaller than the other birds and her tiny legs didn't seem right, they were sort of crooked and knarly.

Cockatiels can be hand tamed.  With proper care, they are wonderful pets

The parents steadfastly refused to feed this tiny little bird, or even acknowledge her existence!  It was heart wrenching to see this little creature begging for food and attention.  She would flap her tiny fledgling wings and with a gaping mouth make slight, raspy sounds, begging the parents to feed her.  But they would not.  They must have realized there was something wrong with this little bird, and nature being what it is they would not acknowledge their imperfect baby.  We were heartbroken to realize that this little baby bird was an orphan, even though her parents were right there in the cage with her.  It was just too cruel!

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My Mom and I were distraught.  We had to help this baby bird, and fast, or it wouldn't survive!  My Mom had some baby bird meal, which we mixed with warm water and fed to the tiny bird through a syringe.  It was tough going at first, but this little baby wanted to eat, wanted to be acknowledged, wanted to LIVE!  We resolved to do everything in our power to help this tiny baby bird survive.  Although her survival was uncertain, I gave her a name.  "Tiny".  I decided Tiny was the perfect name for an itty bitty bird, the smallest of her siblings, fighting with all her might to survive.

Like my Mom, my husband always loved birds.  Here he is with Tiny perched on his shoulder!

Mom and I took turns feeding our baby bird every 2 hours or so.  We'd mix up the food with warm water, suck it into the smallest syringe I've ever seen, and gently feed the tiny hatchling.  It was touch & go for the first few days, but soon Tiny seemed to be getting stronger and was taking food from the syringe easily.  We were overjoyed, she was going to live!  

After about a week of this careful routine, an amazing thing happened.  The Father bird began to feed Tiny!  It was such an exciting moment, seeing Tiny's Daddy regurgitate food into her minuscule beak.  The Father must have realized that Tiny was strong enough to survive after all, and decided she was worthy of nurturing.  My Mom and I were overjoyed!  We knew Tiny would be OK now that one of her parents took up the feeding regimen. 

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Sadly, the mama bird never did acknowledge Tiny and continued refusing to feed or interact with her.  But that was OK, Tiny had her feathered Father and she had me.  Once I was able to go back to my own house there was no question that I would take Tiny with me.  After all, I was her Mama!

Me and my darling little Cockatiel, Tiny.  The bird who wasn't expected to survive lived for years, loved and cherished by me and later by my husband as well.  Tiny will live in our hearts forever, the memory of her zest for life a constant inspiration!

Have you ever cared for a baby animal whose survival was uncertain?  Please leave us a comment and share!  We love hearing from our readers.

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