How to Care for Baby Sparrow?

Sparrows are small birds, true to Eurasia or North African regions. However, these sparrows are now found commonly all over the world. 

The birds are mostly wild, seen flying around in your backyards. Although, if you ever find one in need of help or plan to raise one – you could do so easily. 

Caring for adult birds is less complicated. However, caring for baby birds requires lots of patience, especially if they’re as small as a baby sparrow. 

Want to learn how to look after a baby sparrow efficiently? Keep reading to find out a few tips and tricks.

Make Sure the Baby Sparrow is Healthy

If you ever come across a baby sparrow – whether on the ground or in an abandoned nest, make sure it is healthy and not hurt. 

If you have found it on the ground and the baby sparrow has not yet grown feathers, it is most likely the baby was blown out of the nest.

Make sure to place it back into the nest. 

However, if you cannot locate a nest, you can take it in and care for it yourself. 

Keep Out of Reach from Any Potential Risk

A very obvious thing, which should also be one of the first things you do when you bring in a baby sparrow.

Keep the baby sparrow out of reach from any potential risks.

If you have pets that could attack the bird, such as cars or dogs. Or even children that would generally disturb the bird. 

Baby birds are very fragile and sensitive.

Even the slightest of scares can turn fatal for them. It is best to keep them in a safe place, out of reach from such happenings. 

Build Appropriate Shelter

Once you have gotten yourself a baby sparrow, you will need to make a safe space to associate as its nest or shelter. 

The most ideal is to use a shoebox or a nest if it is too small for a cage. A shoebox is perfect for a baby sparrow.

That way, you can always keep it close to you and look over it whenever needed. 

Moreover, if the sparrow has developed wings – you can probably shift it into a cage. Although, it is always better to keep the cage open at all times

When the cage is open, the bird will not feel trapped inside. Once you place food and water inside the cage, it will automatically associate the cage as its home. 

They are most likely to fly around the house but always return to the cage for warmth and rest. So, you do not need to close them in. 

Keep the Nest Soft and Warm

Whatever shelter you choose, an essential part of it is to remain soft and ventilated at all times. Baby sparrows need a lot of heat

Make sure that their bed is lined with either cotton, old soft clothes, or socks. Any material that is soft and will keep the baby warm is ideal for this purpose. 

Not only should the bedding be warm, but the nest must also be ventilated properly. 

Any source of indirect sunlight is another great option. However, you have to be careful about the amount of sunlight baby sparrows are exposed to. 

Too much sunlight is not good for the baby’s sparrow. However, do not eliminate sunlight. They will need to have some source of direct sunlight to gain color on their wings. 

Don’t Give It Water

If you have found a baby sparrow from outside, there is a high chance that it is dehydrated – however, baby sparrows must not be given water as a source of hydration

Parent birds usually feed baby sparrows an all-insect diet with no water at all.

So, as an alternative, you can give your baby sparrow dog or cat food diluted in water to make it soft and chewable. 

This way, the soaked food will provide them with the moisture they need. If you want to hydrate your bird, add moisture to its food instead of giving direct water. 

Also, do not give your baby sparrows milk. They may die from drinking milk as lactose doesn’t suit them.

The best way to provide calcium for your birds is through their diet. 

Feed Baby Sparrow Every 2-3 Hours

Baby sparrows typically need to be fed every 2-3 hours. If you ever notice that the bird is hungry, you can feed it then as well.

Within the first few weeks, you will need to feed it with a needless syringe.

Alfie Pet - Wrigley Pet Feeding Syringe Kit for Bird

By letting the paste drip from the syringe, you will be encouraging the baby to eat on its own without having to feed it.

You can make some easy porridge recipes for your little birds, such as soaking dog food into the water and making a paste.

This is bound to be very filling and will keep your baby sparrow healthy. 

Add Bugs to Their Diet

Baby sparrows are normally fed an all-bug diet or a mix of dry foods. So, if you want to give your bird an enriching diet, then try adding as many bugs as you can. 

It is better to feed them live insects instead of dry food since the young prefer that more. You can add small crickets, white maggots, etc. 

You can add these insects within the cat/dog food paste, and your bird should gobble them up right away.

One thing to stay wary of always, do not to feed your baby sparrow earthworms. Earthworms are toxic to birds in captivity and can be fatal for their health. 

Clean After Feeding

Once you are done feeding the baby sparrow, make sure that none of the food has dripped onto their body or feathers. 

The porridge tends to try and harden the feathers, which could then be hurtful for them. 

Furthermore, you must also ensure that no paste is left on their beaks or nostrils.

If you leave it to dry there, it will probably cause difficulties for them to breathe and may even become fatal. 

This is why, after feeding your baby sparrow, make sure to clean its beak and body for any drippings. 

Measure Weight Everyday

Measuring your baby sparrow’s health is an effective way to keep a check on its health.

You can use a gram scale to see if your baby sparrow is gaining weight. 

Ideally, your baby sparrow should be gaining weight every day. So, a healthy baby bird should be gaining weight every day.

Keep Lots of Containers

Another way of ensuring that your baby sparrow remains active and healthy is by providing it with multiple containers within its cage. 

Preferably, your baby sparrow should have a container for water, one with sand, and one with food.

This way, your baby sparrow can use the sand as a litter box and the water to shower and stay clean.

Do Not Let it Imprint

If you intend to release the baby sparrow back into the wild once it has reached maturity, you must make sure that it does not imprint on you. 

Imprinting happens within the first week of the baby sparrow’s life, and they begin to depend on you and count themselves as a human as well – making them less likely to survive in the wild. 

To avoid imprinting, avoid too much human contact with the bird.

You would best want to avoid picking up the bird, feeding it, and nurturing it unnecessarily. 

Moreover, even though those tiny little beings are precious, it is best not to speak to the bird at all if you want to avoid imprinting. You should act as an invisible force. 

Give Them Lots of Space as They Grow

When your bird is reaching maturity, and you notice that it has begun to start hopping around the place – it is time to consider a more permanent shelter solution. 

Whether you want to release it into the wild or keep it indoors, you need to develop a solution. Releasing it is always the better option since they require lots of space. 

However, if you plan to keep the baby sparrow, you better be ready to get a big cage. The sparrow will need lots of space to practice their flying skills. 

VIVOHOME 72 Inch Wrought Iron Large Bird Cage with Play Top and Rolling Stand for Parrots Conures Lovebird Cockatiel Parakeets

One thing we usually tend to ignore is the space between the bars on the cage. Bar spacing is essential when buying a cage for small birds such as a sparrow. 

If the bar space is more than half an inch, there is a chance that your sparrow’s head could get stuck between the bars. 

So, when choosing a cage, make sure to choose the one with bars less than half an inch wide. 

Final Words

We hope this blog will help you take better care of your baby sparrows. 

Sparrows truly are tiny yet beautiful creatures, and taking care of one teaches us how to become more responsible and caring. 

So, if you ever come across a baby sparrow, follow our guide, and you should be good to go. 

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