How to Rescue a Bird Embryo
- 1). Determine how long the egg has been out of the nest. Typically, eggs can only survive about two hours away from the nest. If you know that it has been two hours or more, throw out the egg as it is no longer viable.
- 2). Gently pick up the egg and place it back into the nest immediately, if you know that the mother bird will be returning. In some cases, this is all you need to do to rescue a bird embryo, as the mother bird will return and take care of the egg.
- 3). Assess if the nest is left unattended and the egg is abandoned. If the mother bird doesn't return for several hours, remove the egg and carry it in your palms to your home. Keep the egg warm by placing it on a slightly damp heating pad on its lowest setting.
- 4). Call a local shelter or wildlife preserve and see if you can bring the egg in. While it is possible to incubate an egg at home, survival rates of the egg or baby bird are low. Usually a local wildlife foundation or humane society will be able to tell you what to do, and probably have you bring the egg in. You can also call a veterinarian for advice.
- 5). If you do decide to try to incubate at home, keep the egg warm on the heating pad, and rotate it multiple times throughout the day. Keep the heating pad slightly damp, as the egg needs moisture to survive. If you do manage to successfully get an egg to hatch, take it into a shelter or preserve immediately, unless you have the necessary experience and supplies for the complicated process of raising a newborn bird.
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