NWA Baby Sparrow Rescue & Information

06/23/2022

This is a sweet Starling rescue from Rogers, AR. A kind lady drove almost an hour round trip so I could look after him. Now that he’s rehydrated and trying to stand on his own I’m finding he has a problem with one of his legs, but my goal is to rehabilitate him and release him as soon as his leg heels and he learns to fly.

It’s important to encourage them to p**p after each feeding. His initial p**p showed signs of dehydration. He’s eating soaked/wetted dog food (so it goes from hard/dry to spongy/wet) and I hope by tomorrow he will have more white and more moisture in his p**p. I’ve included it in the video so you can see what it looks like on the dehydrated side.

You’ll hear starling chirps in the background. I’ll try not to speak to him much. It’s better for him to be accustomed to vocalization from his species to limit his bonding to me as a human.

As a reminder, although it’s legal to keep starlings and sparrows as pets in Arkansas, it’s a gigantic undertaking. Our first Sparrow rescue bonded to us and we never released him because of that. We have made him a giant indoor enclosure (8 foot wide and 6 foot tall) but ultimately birds are happier in their own wild habitat. We consider making him comfortable and happy a responsibility we took on by over-handling him as a baby. My goal now is always to rehabilitate and release.

One more note. I’m not a vet, nor am I licensed in any way to do wildlife rehabilitation. I take care of babies that would otherwise not make it when their nest can’t be accessed to replace them in their original home for whatever reason. If you find a bird (baby or adult) that has been in the mouth of a cat then the only way to save it is a visit to your local vet. The bacteria in a cats mouth (even if it just licked the bird) is extremely toxic. Most birds will not last more than 48 hours and few even make it through the night. Sometimes the best thing you can do is give it a stress free quiet place and say a prayer for it.

I’m not on Facebook very often, so if you have questions it’s best to text or call me at (479) 799-8877.

07/08/2021

This is great information for a quick start guide. We’ve had outstanding results feeding baby sparrows dried dog food soaked in water. After the first few days we add nutritional powder (like Living World Prime Powder, 60-Gram https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002CKGZK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)

I rescued a baby sparrow two months ago and decided to compile what I have learned. For some people, sparrows are considered trash birds and not worthy of saving. Every one is entitled to his or he…

07/07/2020

Supply List for baby Sparrow rescue:
Here are the supplies you’ll need to gather in order to nurse a newborn Sparrow to adulthood:
Newborn to one week old-
+ Small box (shoe box is great)
+ Paper towels
+ Toilet paper
+ Blunt/rounded tweezers
+ Dry dog or cat food (preferably high protein)
+ Clip light with a bulb the emits heat (LED bulbs do not produce enough heat)
+ Heating pad
+ Towel
+ Select a room that your pet cats and dogs cannot get into.

One week to two weeks old-
+ Large box with a lid (need room for hopping)
+ 1/4” to 1/2” dowel from bird safe wood (length must be at least 1” longer then the shortest width of the box)
+ Blueberries, Bananas, or other fruit

Two weeks and older
+ Enclosure adequate for flight
+ Three or more perches in different diameters. These can be sticks or dowels but MUST be made of bird safe wood to avoid poisoning the bird

07/06/2020

It’s important for the baby to have both the room and freedom to learn. In the case of Snoop we found he was more likely to try new moves when other birds were flying and playing nearby.

07/01/2020

Feeding steps. After soaking a few pieces of dry dog or cat food in water to completely soften and become spongy, break off a small piece with a pair of blunt/rounded tweezers. Present the soft wetted food to the baby bird. It’s ok to touch the beak to let the baby know the food is there, but then pull the food back a bit. Let the baby reach out to take the food rather than actively sticking the tweezers into its mouth.

More videos and photos will follow to detail care for those unable to find rehabilitation for non-indigenous birds in their area. If you’ve found an injured bird you will need to contact a vet ASAP.

06/30/2020

Snoop has only been here 3 days, and he has taken charge. There is no doubt about who’s calling the shots here!

06/29/2020

Meet Snoop! He is hanging out until he’s big enough to go out on his own.

06/27/2020

This little cutie is doing well. He was found hanging by one leg off the edge of his nest that had been overtaken by other birds. His parents ultimately abandoned the poor little guy (or gal).

06/20/2020

Phone number for urgent matters:
We missed a message yesterday evening and time lost can make a big difference in a rescue situation. If we don’t respond quickly to a message here you can leave a message about a bird rescue with Ozark Mask at 479-799-8877 and we will text or call you back shortly!

06/18/2020

How to care for a baby bird:
Rule #1 DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GIVE THE BABY WATER! None!
Rule #2 Secure it safely in a box before worrying about food. Make a small nest out of something soft like toilet paper.
Rule #3 Make a donut out of rolled up toilet paper and put a flat piece or two on top, pushed in at the center to form the nest. Do not use cat or dog fur to line or soften the nest/bed. Cat fur has bacterial on it that can kill the baby. Be sure the baby bird’s box gets set inside something more secure, like a clean pet carrier. The baby can move around more than you think! You will probably need to line the temporary enclosure with window screen wire mesh to keep it from getting through the holes or spaces.
*Now we feed! Take a piece of dry dog food and soak it in water until it swells up several times it’s normal size with room temp water or you can speed it in the microwave in a pinch, but cool it completely before attempting to feed. It will look porous, like a sponge. It takes a couple of hours to do this at room temp. Use tweezers to break off a small piece of dog food. If the baby’s mouth is open, drop the completely soft swollen wet food in and it will swallow. If it’s the first time you’ve fed it, rest assured it will be hungry and will eat a lot. When it’s done, it will instinctively back up over the edge of your toilet paper “nest” and p**p on the outside of the nest. This is good. The baby is getting its food and water from the soft wetted dry dog food. You will get really familiar with what “good p**p” looks like compared to “bad p**p”. It may take a time or two to get good p**p. I’ll provide a photo tutorial when I get time.
* If your baby doesn’t p**p after it eats (should happen almost immediately) go wet a piece of toilet paper with warm water and dab the baby’s bottom to stimulate bowel activity. This shouldn’t be a problem once you get him on a steady wet diet.
*Stick primarily with wetted dog food as long as you are hand feeding. It’s fine to occasionally introduce a little apple sauce or a smushed blueberry, but only in the interest of exposing his palette to some taste variety. Castiel was given a little apple sauce, some blueberry, mashed banana, and strawberry. These are still his favorite fruits! Cooked green peas with NO SEASONING is also fine. Make sure it’s about as wet as the wetted dog food. If the peas seem dry, it’s ok to add water to the peas. Just don’t give the baby water until he’s weened.
* Watch our for signs of bugs or mites! These are NOT normal and must be treated by a vet!

If you’re getting overwhelmed, reach out to either a general wildlife expert or call me.

Please note: I have experience raising sparrows but I am not claiming to be a “wildlife expert” and I am not a vet. If you find an injured bird, or a bird caught by a cat, you will need to take it to a licensed veterinarian. Even a slight injury from a cat is life threatening. Cats carry bacteria that are lethal to birds. Most die within 6-12 hours from infection but could be fighting the infection for 4 days or more before losing their battle. If they make it 5 days they have a good chance of being “out of the woods” regarding recovery, but even that isn’t guaranteed.

06/18/2020

So you found a baby bird! Now what?

On July 9th 2018 we found Castiel (he’s now almost 2!) and got a crash course in what to do and not to do when you find a bird. I created NWA Baby Sparrow Rescue to save you from some of those challenges we struggled through. Here’s the crash course.

1) Chances are your bird didn’t need to be “rescued” but needed to be put back in his nest! It’s not true that the momma will not care for him if you touched him. There IS a chance she pushed him out and won’t take him back because of a health issue with the bird, but it won’t be because you touched him.
2) No, it is not illegal to keep a wild sparrow. Yes, there is a law against keeping wild animals (including birds) but there is an exemption for NON-native birds. Passer Domesticus (the common House Sparrow) is NOT native to the US. It was brought over in the 1800’s and is considered by many to be an invasive species. You CAN keep a rescued sparrow in Arkansas. It is not illegal. I checked with Arkansas Game and Fish.
3) If you are certain that the mother is dead or if you are unable to safely return the bird to its nest and if you are sure the bird will otherwise meet its demise (cat/dog/other predators) then by all means pick it up and get it in a secure location.
4) You must decide if you are willing to take on fostering this bird yourself. Sparrows can be released back in to the wild if you care for it with as little handling as possible but a human raised bird is at a disadvantage in the wild. They learn from their mother and the bird you are rescuing will not have that opportunity. Here’s what you can expect:

-You will be feeding the baby bird every 45 minutes to an hour 24 hours a day for the first 4 days or so then gradually increasing time between feedings until weened (about 3 weeks). That means never leaving the bird for more than an hour. All day. All night. After a couple of days you can space it out a couple of hours at night if you must, but do so with caution. I’ll cover food and water (or the lack thereof) in the next post.
-A wild bird will be miserable in a bird cage. Expect to spend $500 or more on materials to build an appropriately sized aviary. Sparrows need room to fly. Don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s a small bird and it can live in a small cage. You can use a large parrot cage with narrow bars IF you give your sparrow safe free flying time for several hours a day. That’s not feasible for most people and if you have cats and/or dogs it’s out of the question. Trust me. I went with a 6 foot tall, 8 foot long, 2 foot wide walk in aviary. It cost just under $600 in poplar, hardware cloth, and hardware and took 2 weekends to build. It takes up a significant amount of space in our home and requires maintenance and frequent cleaning.
-Wild Sparrows have been known to live to be 25 years old. You cannot get bored with it and release it. That’s a death sentence. So, are you willing to dedicate time each day for the next 25 years? It’s a lot.
-Sparrows can be loud and they are very very messy! When they get bored or annoyed with you they will let you know it and it’s very clear by their tone when they are pi**ed off.
- Be prepared to provide them fresh fruits and vegetables and a variety of grains, nuts, and grasses. Sparrows scavenge a lot, but the momma bird teaches the baby what not to eat. This means you need to check the safety of every fruit, vegetable, seed, as well as plants and wood they will have access to.
-You can’t use just any wood to build your aviary or to use for perches. If your sparrow gets bored he will chew on things in his cage. A lot of woods are very poisonous to birds. Be prepared to limit your material selection to materials that are safe.

Ok, so now the good stuff!
- Sparrows are fun to watch and they will imprint/bond with you.
- If you spend time with them each day you will almost forget that they are wild
-When they are happy, they make very sweet sounds...especially when the sun comes up.
- Sparrows are not complicated to care for. They require a LOT of care, but it’s not complicated care.

So, now you need to decide whether you’re prepared for this commitment. If you’re in it for the short term please consider either putting the bird back where you found it or contact me (479-799-8877) or someone else with experience caring for sparrows. For those up for the commitment I will begin posting instructions soon.