Baby Sparrow?

[_Cass_]

I couldn't Really figure out where to post this but, today I found a VERY young baby sparrow by our bike path. I have gone onto google and tried out some of the recomended things are to feed this little one, but he/she WONT eat!! The little one peeping and there are some feathers and ALOT of pin feathers, HELP! Sorry the pictures arent so great.

[asulli]

Maybe this can help:
-permitted wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. If the baby birds are determined to have been abandoned and you need to transport them to a rehabilitator, please do the following:

Use a small container such as a shoebox. Punch air holes in the lid.
Line the shoebox with a clean t-shirt or baby receiving blanket that you do not mind giving up.
Place the babies inside the shoebox and put a rubber band around the box and lid, securing it for the ride.
Babies must stay warm. Fill a clean tube sock with uncooked white rice and tie off at the cuff with a piece of string. Place the sock into a microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes. Place the sock inside the shoebox and put part of the t-shirt or other piece of clean cloth over the sock. You don’t want the sock to be so hot that it could burn the babies. The babies will crawl next to the warmth of the sock and stay there for the ride to the rehabilitator. Another option is to put a wet washcloth (wrung out) into a ziplock baggie and microwave until warm but not hot. This acts as a portable heating pad!

If it is going to be a length of time before you can get the babies to a rehabilitator, please do the following:

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED THE BABIES -- TO DO SO COULD CAUSE THEIR DEATH

Follow the instructions above as per the shoebox or other small container.
If you have a heating pad, set it on low and place the pad on a non-conductive surface (your bathroom counter or washing machine lid will do just fine).
Place the container with the babies half-on and half-off the heating pad. This will allow the babies to move away from the heat if they need to.

[_Cass_]

Thanks =] I have no access to a car right now but i will in about a half an hour, i hope the poor dear will survive!

[asulli]

Maybe they will pick it up. You can but try. At least you did not just leave it there. Hopefully you can contact someone.

[_Cass_]

Here is what happened:

First of all, Little Sparrow appeared to be dehydrated. We made some nourishing food out of cat food and Harrisson's mash. Little Sparrow hesitantly ate this goop every 45 minutes or so. A few hours and several poops later, he appeared to be doing very well. From the research we did on the internet, it is not that tough to keep a chick alive. The problem is more that they will imprint on humans and essentially become a pet wild bird. Well, we certainly do not need another pet bird in our home.

We called the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society. Although they already have 5 baby sparrows, they suggested to make a makeshift nest and put the nest in a tree in an area frequented by sparrows. Aparanly, wild birds have a poor sense of smell and a lone baby bird will often be adopted by another childless pair.

We rigged up a tupperware container with some straw in the bottom and put the container in a shrub at the edge of our patio. Low and behold, within 20 minutes, Little Sparrow was adopted by a pair of sparrows. They have been feeding their adopted baby every two or three minutes with one sparrow staying with him at all times. =]

[_Cass_]

One more tidbit of information:

Little Sparrow is approximately 8 days old. These sparrows will leave their nest at 7 - 9 days and hide in the bushes. They can fly at 14 - 15 days.

So, as it turns out Little Sparrow was on the right track being out and about on the ground. However, he was not hiding in the bushes but taking a walk along a bike path. Also, returning him to the wild and his parents was the right decision. In retrospect, he does not need a "nest" and we will set him "free" tomorrow morning.