The Short Life of Little Tyko

We managed to keep the little tyke alive for over 24 hours, but he died this afternoon.

I began by feeding him little bits of wet cat food, but The Squire suggested that the “jelly” might be easier for him to eat. (When the juice in a can of pet food gets cold, it gets the consistency of aspic.) I made up a nest with a little bit of poly-fill and some long grasses, which I wound into an old strainer, slightly larger than a coffee cup. When evening came we set the little tyke up in the sewing room, which is always the warmest place in the house – and it has a door which shuts properly, to keep both the dog and the cat out. 

This morning, we ran some hot water into a cup and set the strainer over it, which helped to keep Tyko warm, since his Momma and siblings weren’t around to help. I fed him every 30 minutes, and he ate like a little trooper, but he wasn’t pooping, and everybody knows babies poop.  When I went to feed him at 2:30, he was gone. We were both disappointed, but it wasn’t unexpected. Raising a bird that young is almost impossible  but we gave it our best shot.  A long time ago, we found a baby robin who was just about to start flying, and we raised him until he was able to fly away on his own.  We kept him in what was then the nursery, and when I’d go in to feed him he’d flap across the room to land on me. I always put out my arm, but he preferred landing on my head. I even put him in a box and took him to work with me so I could feed him during the day. My boss was not exactly thrilled.

I don’t ever want to have to say “I wish I had done this, or that”.  If it is within my power, I will do whatever I can to make life better for any creature of any size that needs my help.