Hi, my name is Kelly Mahan Jaramillo, and Bobby D. is the crow that my husband Tomas Hradcky and I rescued 8 years ago. This is the story of what it is like to live with a crow, how smart and funny they are, and once they decide that you are their family, how affectionate and demanding and spoiled they get. Having a crow is like having a perpetual three year old, and, yes, we are parents. Never thought it would happen.
Still, getting bitten by a crow is WAY less scary than giving birth. Really.
Oh, and his name is Bobby D. after Robert De Niro. Look closely at a crow. Look closely at De Niro. See the resemblance?
ON A SERIOUS NOTE:
If you have a rescued crow, or would like some help, please contact me by leaving a comment. We will help in any way we can.
Thank You,
Kelly Mahan Jaramillo, Tomas Hradcky, and Bobby D.
As of September 1st, 2009, Bobby would like to tell his fans that he has successfully wrestled the blog back from his parents, and he will be telling you all about himself in bits and pieces as we go along. The Bird would like you to know that he is an accomplished singer/songwriter, photographer, book editor and now book reviewer.
More to come, thank you for stopping by.
Robert De Niro the Crow.
🙂
Dear Kelly Mahan Jaramillo,
I couldn’t find an email address for you so I’m leaving a comment here 🙂
You provided a gift card to bring a smile to my face this Christmas.
If you could send me an email, I’d like to reply with a “thank you”.
Thankful
A crow turned up in the back yard today. Obvious problem with his wing. Could not fly but was still hopping about.
Since he looked in such bad shape and the large numbers of cats in the neighborhood I thought it best to bring him in. He was fairly easy to pick up and very gentle to handle when I transferred him to a larger crate. He’s perched and does seem to be in acute distress. He had a little food and water earlier. The only obvious sign of injury is that his left wing is drooping markedly.
He in an amazing looking creature.
What’d ya do with a bird like this? Vet? Waite and see?
Any advise welcomed.
Court
Dear Court –
I am so glad you found our blog – I hope I can be of help. When you say your crow is obviously in distress, can you describe it? Is he hunched up? Shivering?
I would e-mail you with these questions but I think it would be good to have it here in case anyone else might be in a similar situation.
It is a good sign that he ate and drank a bit – what did you feed him?
When you say his wing is drooping markedly, is it twisted in an odd way or drooping so low that it is dragging on or touching the ground? Any signs of blood?
Has he made any noise at all? Generally when they are hurt or scared they make a squack or a plaintive little “rrrrrr” sound.
If he is easy to handle, can you get him in your lap and gently turn him over to examine his chest and under the hurt wing?
If you do this, be sure you are holding both wings down gently but firmly – if he tries to flap, and the wind is badly injured, he could hurt it further. Also, watch your eyes. Crows have a poor reputation thanks to Mr Hitchcock, when in reality they are very skittish and prefer flight to fight. However, if they are being held and get scared, they will strike with their beak. Keep your face a good distance from his.
If you want to keep him, you need to find a vet that handles “exotics”, as in many states it is illegal to keep a crow as a pet. Find a vet that handles ‘exotics’ and call them to be sure you will get him back.
However, if you cannot keep him, find a wildlife rescue sanctuary – they will nurse him back to health and keep him if he cannot fly again. Unfortunately, if his wing is damaged beyond repair, a normal vet will put him down. That is the last thing you want to happen.
And yes, they are magnificent creatures. We have had Bobby for almost ten years now, and he never ceases to amaze me.
Your crow might have some internal injuries – if he gets off of his perch and starts huddling on the floor of the crate, that is most likely the case. If his eyes start to get opaque and his neck starts to droop, he is not doing well.
I can be of more help once I have some more details.
Thank you again for writing.
Best,
KMJ
Thanks for responding so quickly. This morning I’m not really seeing any acute signs of distress other than his left wing is hanging rather low. A neighbor lady who is very involved in bird rescue came by this morning and had a look at him and concluded that his wing was dislocated. She said that the range of motion lead her to believe that it was not broken. She suggested rest and that this condition may possibly resolve itself and he would be able to be released.
No unusual vocalization and he appears to be alert and attentive to what is going on around him.
I guess my only question is to Vet or not to Vet? I have a general negative opinion about vets(my issue not theirs I’m sure)
Any thoughts would be helpful.
Court
Hi Court,
Sorry I am getting back to you so late in the day – I just got in. I am so glad to read that your crow is bright eyed and holding steady. The first 24 hours are the most important, and it sounds like he is going to make it just fine.
It sounds like your neighbor is right – I thought your original post read that he was in acute distress, but it sounds like he is doing quite well.
The fact that he is eating and drinking and he is alert and aware of his surroundings are all extremely good signs.
I believe your neighbor is probably right – if his wing were broken, he would be in a great deal of pain, and it would be obvious. I do not think a vet can really do anything for a dislocated wing, and almost all of them will put him down.
I strongly suggest no vet. I agree with your neighbor – rest and food and water. It is great that your neighbor is involved with bird rescue – she will be helpful. I am 100% sure you can get him back on his feet, whereas if you take him to a vet, he is a dead bird. I have read that even some wildlife sanctuaries will put them down. Unless you have a specific crow rescue group in your area, his best bet at staying alive rests with you.
The best thing to feed him is small nuggets of dry cat food, preferably a good brand like Wellness – it is a bit pricy, but they do have small bags. It is important that the cat kibble is small, not the kinds that are fish shaped – those are too big and he can choke.
IF you cannot find small nugget kibble at the pet store, buy some corn chips at the market – they love corn chips. Both the dry cat food and the corn chips will give him good carbohydrates for energy.
To help speed up his recovery, buy some ground hamburger and cook it lightly – Bobby likes his salted, but he has been a house crow for ten years, and is picky, lol – crumble the hamburger into small bits in the bowl. The combination of carbs and protein will keep him strong and alert. It’s good calories and will help his body heal faster.
He will probably be quiet for a week or so, until he starts to realize that you are helping him and can be trusted. Once he starts making any noise at all, that is an excellent sign that he is on the mend and has extra energy.
I would suggest feeding him this diet for about a week, then taking him out of the crate and taking him into a room where he can walk around freely without getting away – it is important that he be able to move a little bit so that his muscles do not start to atrophy.
If you are comfortable with letting him perch on your arm, that is another exercise you can do with him after about a week – get him on your arm in a safe room, and watch how he works his wings – if the bum one flaps even a little bit, then it is mending. Let him flap a few times, then put him on the ground and let him walk around. Pay attention to how he jumps up on anything – really watch his balance, his range of motion, etc.
Even when their wings get hurt, they have legs like pistons, so be sure you are in a room where you can catch him if he manages to get up on something high.
Also, if he gets startled and bites your finger, DO NOT pull your hand away – he will just clamp his beak down hard and it will hurt. Just let your finger completely relax, and after about a minute you will feel his beak relax, and then you can pull your finger away. I speak from experience :).
So, keep him on the diet, and try the above suggestions.
Also, they are very social birds, so if you can possibly have his crate in an area of your house where there is some activity, he will appreciate that. If it is just you in the house, when you are home, talk aloud. He will become accustomed to the sound of your voice and will become much more comfortable quickly. Once he gets comfortable, he will not be stressed, and again, will start to heal more quickly.
I hope this has been helpful – please keep us posted on his recovery, should you choose to not go the vet route, which I REALLY hope you do not do. Not to sound like a wacko, but sometimes I think they choose us to help them, and we are the richer for the experience. 😉
Good luck, and do not hesitate to write with any questions and/or updates.
Best,
KMJ
Dear Court –
P.S. – – –
I forgot – buy tortilla chips, NOT Fritos! I know it sound silly, but the tortilla chips are thinner, and easier for him to maneuver than the thicker Frito.
Another food item they seem to love is leftover chicken on the bone and hard boiled egg whites. (Forget about the yolk, it just turns into a mushy mess and they get irritated). All salted!
I do not know what is up with crows and salt, but we see them out here eating the salt bits off of the road after a salt truck has come by. Go figure.
He will be thrilled with a leftover rib (rinse off the BBQ sauce). They like to pound their beaks when they feel energetic, and it keeps their beaks trimmed, otherwise they grow too fast and it makes it hard for them to eat.
I think that is it, for now!
Thank you very much. Eating, drinking, pooping and very aware of what’s going on around him. I’ve covered his crate like I would a tropical bird, he seemed to like the comfort of the blanket I had in the corner for him during the day.
I’ll keep you posted. and thanks again
I ended up getting in touch with a friend who does wildlife rehab, fed permit etc and got a referral to a vet who was same. Had an xray done and it appears that the crow had been shot. It showed an already partially healed fracture of his left humerus and a pellet lodged near his arm pit. The vet felt it would do more harm than good to remove the pellet or mess with the already healing wing. So he’s back in my living room for some R&R. He’s eating some, not alot. I guess he’s getting use to being around people. The only interaction I’m having with him now is some kind of tapping “game” I make a clicking sound and he taps the crockery bowl I have water in for him.
Any thought on making his recovery more comfortable is welcomed
Court
Dear Court,
Oh, man – I was worried that he might have been shot – we found one that had been shot with a BB gun, and we took him in to a good vet, and they could not save his wing. We already had Bobby, so we could not take him, but back in LA there was a crow rescue facility so he was taken there.
But, like Bobby, he was never going to be able to fly again.
Did your vet say there was a good chance at your crow flying again? Now that I know it is a gunshot that is healing, I do NOT recommend taking him out and letting him flap yet.
I’d say….give him about another week from now and then let him walk around a room the way I mentioned above. He will need to stretch his legs and hop up and down a bit. If it is possible to let him walk in the room where his crate is, that would be best, so getting him back in would not be a drama.
They can get very dramatic if they do not want to go back to their crate or perch. 🙂 My husband just muttered “understatement”, lol.
Since they like to drop their food into water and then scoop it out, be sure you change his water often, especially if you are feeding him meat, eggs or cheese – the water gets rank really fast.
I LOVE that he is tapping along with you! That is a great sign. Play this “game” with him as long as your nerves can take it – it is great mental stimulation for him, and that will help him heal – they are incredibly smart birds, and they need a lot of stimuli or they get depressed.
What is he eating right now? Is he showing any food preference? Really push the meat, especially since he has a wound healing – he probably lost blood, even though they coagulate fast, and he needs meat protein to replenish. A piece of chicken on the bone would be great, he would have to work it to get the meat, giving him a little challenge, keeping him involved with his surroundings.
Whenever Bobby is bored and I cannot spend time with him, a chicken leg or wing works wonders – he parades around with the bone in his mouth, all Ted Nugent-y. It’s really fun to watch. And man! They strip that bone clean.
If I can come up with anything else, I will let you know. When you decide to let him walk around a bit, I would love to hear how he does. You will be able to gauge the progress of his wing healing by how well he can jump up on any chairs or low tables you have in the room.
Good Luck, speak soon!
Kelly