If you find a baby sparrow, you can learn how to care for it. However, before caring for a bird, pay close attention to the area around the bird to make sure it doesn't have a mother. The mortality rate of birds kept by humans is quite high, so baby sparrows can survive if they are cared for directly by their mothers. In addition, baby birds should live in nests made by their mothers.
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Method 1 of 4: Avoiding Common Mistakes
Step 1. Make sure the bird does not have a mother
When the feathers have started to grow, the bird is still very young and may be learning to fly. Therefore, the bird should remain on the ground. Move the bird if it is being targeted by a predator, or the mother does not return after 1 hour. If the feathers have not grown, the bird is still a baby. Therefore, pay attention to the surrounding area and look for the nest. Take the bird gently and place it into the nest.
Sparrows are native to Eurasia, North Africa and the Middle East. However, sparrows can now be found all over the world. Because the population is so high, the sparrow is not a protected species. In other words, there are no laws governing sparrow ownership
Step 2. Protect your health when dealing with wild animals
If you are pregnant or have a poor immune system, don't hang out with baby birds. Baby birds can transmit various diseases, such as salmonella, which can infect humans.
Always keep yourself clean when caring for birds. Wash hands before and after caring for birds. Discard waste in a closed bag
Step 3. Don't let the bird think of you as its mother
If you hang out with birds too often, they will think of you as their mother. In addition, birds will no longer be afraid of you. This can complicate the process of releasing birds into the wild. If your goal in caring for a bird is to make it strong enough to live in the wild, don't pick up and hold the bird, especially when it eats. Make sure the bird doesn't lose its fear of humans.
- Don't let birds copy your lifestyle. In other words, don't let the bird assume that it is a human, not a bird. This can be a problem when it lives in the wild.
- Don't talk to the birds. You just need to care for and feed the bird without its knowledge.
Step 4. Don't give the bird water
Babies and chicks do not drink water and only eat insects from their mothers. If you give a bird a drink, the water will enter its lungs and make it choke.
Method 2 of 4: Keeping Baby Sparrows Healthy
Step 1. Make sure the bird stays warm
Place the heating pad on the low setting in the tissue box. After that, place some paper towels on a heating pad. Alternatively, you can also use a bowl lined with paper towels. Place the bowl over the hot water bottle. You can also place a heating lamp to warm the birds. Whichever method you choose, gently place the baby bird into its warm nest.
- The ideal temperature for a bird's nest is 27-32°C.
- Do not use a terry cloth to line the heating box. The hooves and beak of the bird will get caught.
- Place the heating box in a dark and quiet place. Make sure the heating box is free from distractions from children and pets.
Step 2. Keep the bird's beak clean
After eating, clean the bird's beak and head with a tissue or wet cotton. Bird's beak filled with droppings can cause bacterial infections.
Step 3. Measure the bird's development
You can use a gram scale to measure bird development. Before feeding the birds, weigh them. The weight of a healthy baby bird will continue to increase every day.
If the bird is to be released into the wild, avoid weighing the bird. The more often you hang out with him, the closer the bird will be to you. If you really want to keep birds, you can weigh the birds regularly to check their progress
Method 3 of 4: Feeding Baby Sparrows
Step 1. Start by giving the bird dog or cat food moistened with water
Add bird-specific formula or Pronutro to the water before mixing it with dog or cat food. Canned dog or cat food contains as much protein as adult dog food. Puree the food in a small bowl.
If the bird cannot eat on its own, break the food into pieces the size of a grain of corn. After that, use tongs to feed the birds
Step 2. Add small bugs to your dog or cat's diet
Sparrows eat dry food such as shoots and seeds. In addition, sparrows also eat spiders, ticks, caterpillars and other small invertebrates. Young birds prefer live food to dry food.
- Remember, don't give baby birds earthworms. Earthworms contain poison that can kill birds. Instead, give small crickets (can be purchased at the nearest pet store).
- Alternatively, you can also give maggots that are sold in fishing shops. Birds should only eat maggots on an empty stomach. The black line on the maggots is the food in their digestive tract. Therefore, wait until the black line disappears before giving the chicks a maggot.
- You can also give birds dry insects that are commonly used as reptile food. Visit the nearest pet store to buy it.
- If the sparrow you care for is a baby, don't let it eat insects. Instead, give him cat food. Insects, such as flies, can constipate baby birds and die.
Step 3. Add vitamin and mineral supplements to the bird's live diet
You can add a supplement such as Nutrobal (sold for reptiles) or IZUG. These supplements are generally sold in pet stores. Supplements can help balance the bird's nutritional intake if the diet is less nutritious.
Step 4. Feed the birds regularly
Depending on the age of the bird, you can feed it using tongs directly into its beak, or by placing the food in a small container when the bird is able to eat on its own. Remember, baby birds take 2 weeks to be able to eat on their own.
If the bird is very young and the feathers are not very abundant, feed him every half hour. When the bird is old enough, feed it every 1-2 hours. Birds will sing and open their beaks when they are hungry and stop when they are full
Step 5. Give the bird water to drink, but use a bird-only water bottle
Young birds can not drink from the container. Birds may drown when they drink water from a container.
Step 6. Change the bird's diet when it starts to grow up
When the bird begins to grow up, continue to feed it wet dog or cat food, but add some other type of food it can eat. High-quality wild bird specialty seeds are an ideal choice for birds who have started to eat seeds. Place the seeds in a small container and let the bird eat them when they can.
Make sure the bird food is kept clean of debris. Clean bird food containers once a day
Method 4 of 4: Preparing to Release Baby Sparrows into the Wild
Step 1. Place the baby bird in the cage when it starts to jump
Start by placing the cage outside during the day so other sparrows can visit. If you're not very close when interacting with him and he can interact with other sparrows, your sparrow will adapt better in the wild.
If a bird doesn't interact with wild birds, it must learn how its species whistles in other ways. By doing this, birds will be able to communicate with other birds while living in the wild. There are various audio files of bird whistles on the internet that your bird can hear and learn from
Step 2. Let the birds spend time outdoors
Let the birds play in the grass after 7-10 days. If your goal is to release it into the wild, place the bird in an open area so it can learn to fly. The bird's instincts will teach it how to fly. Birds will know the function of their wings by themselves.
- Wait for the bird's wing feathers to grow. If the bird doesn't know what to do, it's not ready to be released. To find out if the bird is ready, take the bird into your yard and place it on a surface that is safe from predators.
- Leave the bird for 20 minutes. If nothing happens, bring the bird into the house and try again later.
Step 3. Make sure the bird is ready to be released
If you are releasing a baby bird, make sure it is able to eat on its own. Also, make sure the bird doesn't think of you as its mother.
If a bird gets too close to you, it can't live in the wild. Birds must be kept
Tips
- When feeding a baby bird, put the food in the back of its mouth so it doesn't interfere with breathing.
- If possible, hand over the bird to the nearest animal rescue organization.
- Always wear gloves when handling birds. Wash hands after feeding or handling birds. Baby birds have mites that can interfere with human health. If you don't know what bird mites are, hold the bird with your bare hands. You will see small black dots creeping around your hand. Wash your hands after doing this.
- Feed the baby birds regularly.
- Baby birds will open their beaks when hungry. Never force it to eat because the bird will get sick or die.
Warning
- Do not give the bird earthworms. Earthworms contain many diseases.
- Do not give the bird milk. Birds will die of bloating!
- Do not give birds running water. It will sink.
