Hi there ..i am also a new member ..i googled about seagulls and there is a great chat about them but it's seems to be an old chat and weeks later now ..no one has answered my questions...so maybe I could ask here...does anyone know much about them or even wild birds in general ....thanks
I rescued a gull back in Dec...had a vet look at him..(wing not broken)..but his wing is still hanging low...i was told by vet that wing will hang low as long as he is in captivity....he can not fly yet...but he does flap his wings and jump /fly fr rock to ledge....i do not have a flight cage...so this vet said she would come by to help me with him and see if he can fly....she said something about putting a string on his foot so he can't get away fr us...vet never did show up to help / show me how to do this.....what would this be called..so I can Google it??....thanks
What the vet probably meant is for you to tie a light weight length of string just above one foot. Hold onto the end and see if the bird can fly. You will need a few yards/metres. If the bird can fly just control the flight and let the bird land gently. Really cannot advise on the injury but a decent rest may be all it need. You do need somewhere that the bird can get exercise for it's wing muscles. Hope this helps.
Yes..thats what vet was talking about. Is there a name on it...gull can fly if it's a windy day cause the wind can take and carry him..he got outdoors on me once and he tried to fly away fr me but could not...he is fast runner so took me sometime to catch him again...after vet said he ready to be set free (without seeing him) I started to put him in a fenced in yard with a goose and a little pond...back in barn at night with goose...1 day it was very windy when I put them out..that evening he was gone over fence...i found him again still on my land but before I could get him again the wind took him to the swamp..i seen where he landed but swamp was not frozen .that night we had nasty winter weather...first thing next morning I took chance on swamp and want looking for him...could not find him and ended up getting wet...again that afternoon I went to swamp to look again for him..i walked for an hour and could not believe I found him..it took me a few jumps across a stream that was not frozen and I did manage to get him a 3rd time ...he was wet as he was not fully water proof and cold...back home and some food he did stop shivering....so if I had not bothered to go after him in swamp he would not of made it another night.... Can't seem to post a picture or a video of him on here....he has flown in barn if I pick him up and put him up on a door...he will fly down...but really like to know more about this light string and try that with him out doors...will I hurt his leg/foot ? Thanks
Sounds as if the gull may have damage to either muscles or sinews, but I am not a vet so may be wrong. The use of string on a leg needs some care. If the bird is able fly strongly you need to use the string to guide it back to the ground. Always be very careful not to put any strain on any sidewards movement, but try to have the bird fly away from you. It sounds as if you will not need this though, and probably complete rest for a few days will let the bird recover. Can only try. Best of luck.
