House Sparrows in My House

Since House Sparrows nest in urban and suburban areas, when their babies fall out of the nest, they tend to be found by people walking on a sidewalk, or in a yard.  Intact nests are often taken down during tree removal and from crevices in homes and buildings.  Baby birds are vulnerable to cat and larger bird attacks.  Some of the babies are found in perfect physical health while others are injured or have congenital defects.  Baby birds should be examined carefully.  In many cases, fractured legs and wings can be splinted using tape.  If caught early enough, many minor fractures and other injuries can be treated successfully with splints, antibiotics, and antiinflammatory medications.

If baby birds are healthy, if possible, they should be returned to the nest.  If they are feathered and parents are feeding them on the ground, cats and dogs should be kept in, and the fledgling birds should be kept safe while they learn to fly over a few day's time on the ground.   A wildlife rehabilitator should be sought out to take care of any wild bird.  See the Wildlife Rehabilitation section on this page.  

 

If it isn't possible to return the baby to it's parents, and there is no wildlife rehab center available to take in a healthy baby, the finder will need to assess the situation and decide whether the baby will be raised for release or to keep.  See the Release Criteria section on this page.  

 

Aside from addressing injuries and congenital defects, feeding and caring for a tiny baby bird is tedious.  New nestlings require hand feeding every 20-30 minutes during daylight hours.  As the birds grow, the feeding interval can be increased to every hour. Featherless babies need to be kept warm in a heated nest of tissues.  Droppings must be removed to keep the birds clean and dry.  I use a coffee mug or small container to keep the babies snug and secure when they are tiny.  When they are feathered and moving around, I move them to a larger container.  Exam gloves filled with water can be microwaved and used as "hot water bottles" in the nest.  Birds should not come in direct contact with a hot surface.  The hot goves or heating pad should be placed underneath cloth and tissue bedding.

 

Feeding a high protein mix of kitten food, egg,  fruit, and a good calcium source (crushed egg shells) is important.  The store bought "baby bird forumulas" like Kaytee Exact are NOT appropriate for baby House Sparrows or most other song birds. Some are labeled "for all baby birds", which is an unfortunate misleading label.  In fact, birds raised on these formulas will gobble it down but end up with all sorts of feather and other metabolic issues as a result of malnutrition.  The Starling Talk website has a very nice description of handfeeding baby sparrows which includes an easy to follow Baby Bird Recipe. You will also find hand feeding instructions and basic baby bird care on the Starling Talk baby bird care page.  

 

Once the baby reaches 2-3 weeks of age, it will start to wean from the baby formula.  Offer millet spray for it to start pecking. Most of the babies will peck at the millet and eventually figure out that it is food.  Then brocolli, apples, grapes, lettuce, and a variety of other vegetables and fruits can be offered in tiny bite sized pieces.  Hand raised babies will slowly begin to eat on their own but will usually hang on to their hand feedings until 6-8 weeks of age.  Offer plenty of fresh foods in addition to a high quality seed and dry pelleted food such as Harrison's Adult Lifetime Super Fine.  They will start to drink water from a small dish at this time as well.  

 

If the baby bird(s) will be released, follow release instructions to the right.  But if the bird(s) will be kept as pets, they should be handled regularly so that they bond with their human flock.  My birds all enjoy sleeping in my hand, being hand fed, and sitting on my shoulder.  I spend alot of time with them from the beginning so they bond and are comfortable in many situations, with different texture and color clothing, and household noises such as vacuum cleaners.  Sunny likes to sit on my shoulder when I use a hand vac in her room!  

 

Set the babies up with a variety of toys and activities from the start.  They are very open to new objects and noises when they are very young but as they approach 3 months of age, they develop more of a predator fear instinct and become more skittish and less flexible with new environmental changes.  When Bobby met my son's red sweatshirt at 3 months of age, he literally flung himself into the back corner of his cage screaming like he was being attacked by a hawk.  Needless to say, I never wore red around him and completely stopped buying red clothes.  

 

Raising two or more babies together is challenging.  It's very nice that they have each other for company and warmth in the nest, but if they are to be "pets", then it's important that they bond with their people as well.  Spending alot of time holding them, hand feeding them, and working with them individually and as a group pays off in the long run.  My two "girlitas" were and are still a comical pair, especially when they started flying.  Their first flight was a choatic frenzy of two baby birds going in opposite directions across the living room.  One ended up in a book shelf, and the other behind the couch.  We reigned them in and eventually they became much more syncrhonized!  

 

For more sparrow-keeping info, go to the House Sparrow Home Care page.