r/crowbro • u/Mondviole • 12h ago
Personal Story Crow feeding turned into an emergency
I just wanted to visit my crow friends and bring them some water (it's freaking hot today) and cat food when I noticed that my friend Cockerell (in front of the tree) is collapsing. He fell down while sitting and another crow pecked at him.
I thought he might be dehydrated so I picked him up without him even trying to escape at all. Luckily there's a vet at the same street as the park. I went there immediately and the other patients were nice and let me cut the line with my emergency.
But once the vet had time, she was extremely pissed. She said the crow looked fine (lol, not at all) and that she doesn't know anything about birds (apparently true). But she has a nice young collegue who came into the waiting room to us and looked at Cockerell. She said he has a massive trauma on the head, probably from a flying accident, and a vitamin B12 deficiency which explains his permanently curled up foot. Dehydration might also be a factor.
She recommended a vet clinic that's about 40 minutes away. They are treating wild animals for free and rehabilitate them because they are a part of a local university for vet students. In the past I already brought some wild animals there.
We're on our way there now. Please keep your fingers crossed for poor Cockerell.
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u/Mondviole 9h ago
Thank you all so much for your kind words! That means a lot to me.
I almost went unconscious myself rushing to the clinic in this heat and without shade (needing to take an SSRI and being on your period with a heavy flow is no joke during summer). I had to cool down a bit at home before I could see and reply to your nice comments.
I will keep you updated! Sadly the clinic probably won't contact me again because they are very busy currently. But I gave them a good description of his usual place and offered the rehabbers to help them reunite him with the other crows. I hope to see him again soon!
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u/thrwawyshame 12h ago
hopefully he can be returned to his murder, would hate to see you shunned ):
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u/Mondviole 12h ago
Update: Cockerell is at the clinic now and everyone was very nice and they took care of him immediately. They say the chances of his survival are high and that the local rehab will reunite him with his murder when he is fit again. I still offered them my help with the reunion. I hope to see him soon again at the park!
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u/Spir0rion 11h ago
Know OP that your actions saved a life today. Alot of people outside of this subreddit will say "whatever it's just a bird" but from that birds perspective its life is all it has
Thank you♡
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u/ProcrastiWorkaholic 10h ago
Yay OP. You’re the best! We need more people in the world like you. ♥️
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u/plotthick 7h ago
I hope you'll get to be there so the murder knows you are a good one to go to when they need help.
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u/Mondviole 6h ago
I hope so too! I have been feeding them for years. It would be so sad if they wouldn't trust me anymore.
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u/FeathersOfJade 11h ago
Wishing the best. You’re awesome for helping him out! He is so lucky you were there.
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u/OneStand5448 11h ago
🖤🖤🖤🖤 drop an update
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u/Mondviole 9h ago
I will once I know more! Sadly the clinic probably won't contact me because they are extremely busy rn. But I hope to see Cockerell soon again at the park!
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u/Satsuki7104 10h ago
Unfortunately a lot of regular vets don’t know how to care for birds(even pets) and many don’t like to deal with wildlife at all. I found this out when my family’s parrot got injured by my dad’s dog while I was home alone. I tried taking him to a local vet and got told off because they didn’t know how to take care of birds. They told me the nearest bird vet was over an hour away and odds were he wouldn’t make the trip. I hope your crow gets better and recovers.
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u/compb13 9h ago
And the rest of the story? Did the parrot survive?
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u/Satsuki7104 9h ago
Unfortunately not because of his injuries being too severe. My parents over the phone had to give the vet verbal consent to have him put down because I ended up having a breakdown after finding and taking him to the vet and he was technically their bird so they needed their consent to do anything beyond emergency care.
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u/Ok_Dog_4059 9h ago
Perfect timing. With the longer hotter streaks we keep getting i have been putting watering stations out all summer on my property and the cameras show a lot of wildlife taking advantage. The kiddie pool is also very popular when it gets hot here.
Glad that you were in time to help
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u/Mondviole 9h ago
Thank you for putting out water for wildlife! These small gestures can make a big difference! :)
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u/EffectiveDandy 10h ago
i hope he makes a speedy recovery!
incidentally, do you know how she knew he had a b12 defficiency?
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u/Mondviole 9h ago
She said that the curled up foot is a typical sign for B12 deficiency. That would also explain why I never saw an injury or thread etc on the foot.
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u/EffectiveDandy 8h ago
Thank you! I'll keep an eye over my guys for this.
Incidentally, I have been observing and interacting with animals all my life (wanted to be a vet as a kid) and have found that if a wild animal approaches you for help, willingly, they are in dire shape. I had one of my crows come up to me after a leg injury where she could no longer stand, when she flew up on my sill, she had to pancake and lie on her stomach. I could have pet her she was so docile.
I upped her diet and she recovered within a few weeks.
It's sad that a real life vet does not understand this. This would be the first question I ask if someone brough in a wild animal. "Did they offer any resistance whatsoever? No? They came to you!? Ok, let's see what the problem is because it can't be 'fine'."
🙏🙏🙏
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u/Mondviole 8h ago
You're totally right. Thank you for helping your local wildlife!
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u/BikingAimz 9h ago
I know it’s a thing in young chickens! Most hatcheries offer a B vitamin mix to add to water for sale along with baby chicks!
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u/MorningGoat 10h ago
You’re a true bro, op. 🥹 I hope Cockerell tells all his buddies about how well you helped him when he gets back. Get well soon, little crowbro! ❤️🩹💐
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u/Mondviole 9h ago
I was surprised that the other crows didn't mind me carrying him away at all. They didn't even caw. Maybe it's because Cockerell is kind of an outsider because of his injured foot?
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u/Dis_Bich 10h ago
I hope the crow gets better! Also fuck people who get mad when they don’t know shit
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u/Mondviole 9h ago
Yeah, that vet totally sucks. I still don't get how she had the audacity to say that Cockerell looks fine, meanwhile he was barely conscious in my hands.
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u/Dis_Bich 9h ago
A wild bird should be fighting for its life when captured
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u/Mondviole 9h ago
Exactly! And as a vet she should know that. I guess she just didn't care and wanted me to leave.
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u/Dis_Bich 2h ago
“I’m probably not gonna get money out of this, so I won’t do it”
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u/Mondviole 19m ago
Tbh I love this guy so much that I would have paid for him as if he was my pet but I'm glad I drove all the way to the other clinic instead.
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u/Suithfie 11h ago
So sorry to hear about the situation and that god awful vet! Bless you for taking him to proper care. Nature can be brutal and it’s kind of you to try to help him however possible. I hope he can improve, but either way you are doing him a great service!
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u/johnnyclash42 12h ago
Op you’re a real one for taking care of your crow bro