baby sparrow

[a_lou]

Hi all, I saw my cat scuffling under the bin today. Went to have a look and she had caught a baby sparrow. It wasn't a tiny baby and could flap around quite a bit. I checked it wasn't hurt, which luckily it wasn't. So I took the cat inside and put the sparrow in the middle of the garden so it could be seen by its parents. My partner and I went shopping for the day...when we got back, there was no sign of the sparrow, so i let my cat back out. Again, she was in the bushes pawing something. It was getting fairly cool outside and as it had been over 8 hours.... I have brought the bird in and put it in a box full of tissues and a bit of mud and grass. I spoon-fed it some watered down porridge, which it seemed to eat quite a lot of, although a lot went on the floor. Anyway... I brought the sparrow in because if I had left it outside, it would have died for sure in the cold. I really hope it is alive tomorrow......if it is, I will put it back out in the garden for a bit, as I think the parent's are only local.

If it doesn't survive the night, at least I have tried my best.........

Does anyone know where I can buy a pippette from?

And what food is best for a young sparrow? it is not a tiny baby....We have a garden centre that sometimes sell mealworm and stuff, but I have no idea how I would do that???? Would I keep it all alive and just chop up a couple at a time and mix it with water or something????

[lottie03]

Hello

I'm no expert but you might find Brent Lodge Bird and Wildlife Trust helpful as it gives advice on how to handle young birds, what to feed them and where to leave them (preferably at some height such as in a tree)

Good luck - I hope that your little sparrow survives and there's a happy ending to this story. At least you're doing your best and keeping it safe.

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by lottie03

where to leave them (preferably at some height such as in a tree)

That's the first bit of good advice - a tree or high bush would suffice - the second would be to keep your cat in at night and when you let it out during the day, attach a bell round it's neck if it doesn't already have one.

The parents will feed the youngster what it needs - you just have to ensure it's safe from your cat! (Is there anyway you could keep your moggsy in doors for a couple of days just to give the young Sparrow a chance to properly fledge?)

I'd also double check it's is actually an unfledged youngster and not an injured adult - not all cat injuries are visible and the most dangerous injury is fatal infections from cat claw injury that get worse accumatively. The reason I suggest double check is that it's fairly late now in the season for a bird to be unfledged!

[jacqueline]

if it's not too late I can also recommend contacting brent lodge - I am a volunteer there and they know their stuff!

[a_lou]

Thank you to your nice replies. I woke up the next morning and the bird was alive. scuffling around loads in its little nest box. I fed it, then let it go. I haven't seen it since. So hopefully it was ok!!!!!

I'm really happy with what I did anyway. x