I'm a mom to an abandoned house sparrow

[glutes]

Just like the title says! From my research he's probably about 10 days old. Some feathers but not all of them yet! He's just the cutest thing, eating and pooping regularly. I found him over the weekend while camping, he was sitting in some sandy dirt on the ground. I tried to get him to his parents, but they showed no interest even as he called to them that's when I saw one of his nest mates dead on the ground. Perhaps the nest was attacked?? Anyways, I've got the ingredients to make a formula that was suggested online. His one leg doesn't seem to work, so I will be taking him in to a vet that I know will see him as more than a "pest."

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[RavensGryf]

Oh how cute! Lucky little thing . I'm glad you have a vet that will take the health and well being of this wild bird seriously. I wish you the best, and look forward to updates!

 

[sica1029]

Good luck, she looks good! Last summer my son found an injured house sparrow while out riding his bike and she had a hurt wing. I tried to get a rescue to take her in, but was told they were "pests" and to leave her outside and let nature take its course. Well, I did no such thing! I took her in, we fed her baby sparrow food, eventually taught her to "fly" (it was ugly, she never could have lived in the wild), and loved her to pieces.

Please let me know if you have questions, but I highly recommend the website starlingtalk.com. They have a ton of information about house sparrows along with the starling information. Best of luck! Our little Meep was the best, and if it weren't for her I wouldn't be sitting here with a conure preening my face!!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi and thank you for taking care of this little bird. Please if you can post some more pics, so sweet.

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

Well done for rescueing the little baby sparrow and doesnt he look so cute too...its possible perhaps that there may have been a young Cuckoo in the nest for they when they hatch out snd grow are usually larger than the residents and they toss them out of the nest ...Im just not sure if the cuckoo uses sparrow nests though I think its mainly Thrush nests but maybe sparrows too...hopefully the vet will be able to repair his leg...it sounds like he is thriving...well done Im so glad you found him and am sending lots of well wishes his way

 

[glutes]

Good luck, she looks good! Last summer my son found an injured house sparrow while out riding his bike and she had a hurt wing. I tried to get a rescue to take her in, but was told they were "pests" and to leave her outside and let nature take its course. Well, I did no such thing! I took her in, we fed her baby sparrow food, eventually taught her to "fly" (it was ugly, she never could have lived in the wild), and loved her to pieces.

Please let me know if you have questions, but I highly recommend the website starlingtalk.com. They have a ton of information about house sparrows along with the starling information. Best of luck! Our little Meep was the best, and if it weren't for her I wouldn't be sitting here with a conure preening my face!!

Aw that website has been my best friend!!


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[glutes]

Well done for rescueing the little baby sparrow and doesnt he look so cute too...its possible perhaps that there may have been a young Cuckoo in the nest for they when they hatch out snd grow are usually larger than the residents and they toss them out of the nest ...Im just not sure if the cuckoo uses sparrow nests though I think its mainly Thrush nests but maybe sparrows too...hopefully the vet will be able to repair his leg...it sounds like he is thriving...well done Im so glad you found him and am sending lots of well wishes his way

There's not many cuckoos around here, but it could've been a cowbird that "parasitized" the nest.


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[glutes]

Is his crop normal??

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[GaleriaGila]

I know parrot crops can be alarmingly bald, like that, in early days... it looks full!
Patagonian HUGZSZSZZSZSZSZSZS!

 

[glutes]

I know parrot crops can be alarmingly bald, like that, in early days... it looks full!
Patagonian HUGZSZSZZSZSZSZSZS!

So is it normal? He hasn't eaten in the past hour because the size won't go down.


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[OutlawedSpirit]

How long since he last fed? It will probably take a few hours for his crop to empty.

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[glutes]

He was acting sleepy so I've put him to bed. If his crop has not cleared by the morning, I will take action. I contacted the vet but she's away until August 9th. I've contacted another vet I've used before just now. I'm hoping he will be okay! Also, here are some pictures of the little guy:

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[glutes]

His crop has cleared! Thank goodness, I was starting to panic!


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[glutes]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to setup a cage for him? I have a large cage that is 2'Dx3'Lx3'H with 1/2" bar spacing, so he will have plenty of room to fly around. What I'm curious about is toys. Do sparrows enjoy toys like parrots do? Or should it be strictly perches and, of course, feeding dishes?


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[AmyMyBlueFront]

As a young boy..< I was 13> I raised a house sparrow from a baby. I used a regular sized 'keet cage for her. She slept in it at night and was outside all day. She would wait in a tree for me to come home from school,then go inside for the rest of the night.

Jim

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

He looks like such an adorable little grumpkin! I think that, compared to a baby parrot's "smile" their beak shape makes them look so grumpy and it's so cute.

Also, make sure his formula is warm when you feed him. If it's too cold, it will slow down his crop, and can make it stop emptying completely. I am not sure if they would want the same temp as a parrot, but I am pretty sure it would be close, since it's warmed to simulate coming from a parent's crop. So as close to 105 degrees Fahrenheit as possible.

 

[GaleriaGila]

My heart is completely melted!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sica1029]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to setup a cage for him? I have a large cage that is 2'Dx3'Lx3'H with 1/2" bar spacing, so he will have plenty of room to fly around. What I'm curious about is toys. Do sparrows enjoy toys like parrots do? Or should it be strictly perches and, of course, feeding dishes?


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Mine was just in a big finch cage, and she didn't play with toys, but she loved this from amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J...arrot+toys&dpPl=1&dpID=51DYV09wOpL&ref=plSrch

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

Maybe its the way Im looking at the pics as you have a towel round him in lots of them but in my estimation that little guy is not ready for a cage yet...he needs to be fully feathered before you place him in a cage...of course you can organise a play area cage for him if you think he is ready but dont leave him for too long in it as he could get cold...warmth helps the crop empty too. I wouldnt put him in the cage yet especially at night time. Put him in a box that resembles the security and warmth of his nest
When you get to ordering a cage for him I would order two...first a small cheap cage that is not tall that he can practice his wing flapping in that prepares him for the fledging stage and I would keep it simple with two perches (again not high just an inch or two from the floor of the cage where he can practice hopping from one to the other and begin his first flying lessons...you can also place a towel on the floor of the cage as you rsise the perches another inch or two when he succeeds at the lower level...the towel provides a soft landing in case he fslls off and you can add in some whiffle balls and a sprig of millet and some veggies and fruit...make the food a game for him to forage rather than leaving it in a bowl as this would be how he would spend his day in the wild. I would give him a clip on drinker to begin with thatis bottle like and has a little spout that is like a little beak size cup of water as you dont want him wetting himself by knocking over or falling into a water bowl...later you can give him a little shallow water dish to bathe in when he matures a little and moves into a larger flight cage that is longer than it is wide at least 30 18x 18( but preferably 36) nches and longer and taller if you can find it and afford it...remember that a long length of cage is way preferable to a tall cage as sparrows like to fly so he will need room. A swing or two would be good. Hanging toys and ladders too though they tend to use ladder rungs more as perches than for climbing. I ve even seen a baby finch thst enjoyed a bell but you can see what he likes as he matures and furnish his cage to his liking. Dont over clutter the cage though leave him space to fly...which is why bigger is better when thinking of a cage because you need space for items of interest to stimulate him and replicate his natural environment and space also to get a good flying stretch ...also the bar space in the cage needs to be about 9mm ...something like the Liberta Oregon flight cage would be good as his permenant residence...there are several that are similar on the market and many brands depending on where you live. I only mention the liberta Oregon as an example because I am familiar with it. When buying a cage remember you want easy access to be able to reach areas and clean it. I would remove the perches that come with the cage and replace with more natural ones tha resemble the branches of a tree. I actually have tree branches in mine but clean and wash the branches that you use from outside...Also if you can bake them it would be good I steam clean mine. Apple tree branches are good. Looking at his crop I was wondering if there might be a little air in it. Nothing to worry about if there is ...it just means that you keep an eye on it and if you see it devellop into a bubble then you may need to get help to release the wind or air which is done by gentle massage but you need someone who knows what they are doing to do it. Right now his crop looks fairly normal...I have not hand fed and raised a baby sparrow but I have hand raised a baby finch and the crop does stay sort of bald for a while and also as they devellop they do take longer to empty their crop between feeds You are doing great with him. Its not easy keep the wild baby birds alive because their need for food every 20 mins or so to begin with and then ever half hour and later every hour and then every couple of hours makes them hard to raise them and you have so far done a wonderful job. Try and make sure that once every 24 hours that his crop fully emptys. Did you try leaving him with a sprig of millet yet...it will do two things the stem will give him the inclination to perch all be it that it is still laying flat on the ground and the millet itself will arouse his interest at first to play with it and peck it and later on to start to eat it. When you hear him start to wing flap introduce the millet sprig. Well Done you are doing a wonderful job The pics are Adorable

 

[Tsali]

Thank you for saving this precious baby.