Sparrow going to sleep / dieing on window cill

[scarymonster]

Hi all,

I have another sparrow that has got to cold and wet asleep on my window cill. I have just collected him and bought him inside carefully and he is inside a box in front of the stove. Is there anything I can try to warm him up or get some fluids inside him?

This also happened about ten days ago and the poor little thing only lasted ten minutes after I bought him in.

I know I may get told to leave them where they are but it's not easy when it's right in front of you. The last one curled up on my door step!

We had 4 or 5 inches of snow overnight and all other birds feeding ok today.

I even saw a tree creeper while watching a wren under my pergola.

It did not feel as cold today so I was hoping they would be ok. This little fella is not doing so well it seems. Not sure if sparrows are prone to this in cold weather. The tits, robins and blackbirds etc look fine and lively and feeding all day.

[Dogghound]

This doesnt sound like the cold to me. Birds like sparrows can cope with cold winters or they would not exist. They live in colder climates than Britain.

It sounds more like a disease or that it has flown into the window.

[Farplace]

Take it along to your local vet.

[scarymonster]

Ringing them now.

[scarymonster]

They just said to keep him in the warm and see if he survives the night. I told them about the last one 10 days ago, also same species and they also said it maybe something else and then the cold is getting to them.

We have a lot of finches this year and I have not seen any with that infection they were getting a few years ago so I don't think it's that 'illness'.

Should I try some warm water with a bit of sugar in it and see if it drinks from a small spoon? I don't have any droppers and I don't want to pick it up and cause it stress anyway.

[Farplace]

Yes a little sugar (or glucose will be better if you have it) disolved in warm water will help - but dont try to force it to drink. Put it in a small tip-proof container, where the bird can reach it. Keep it warm-but-not-hot, and in a quiet room.

[scarymonster]

Ok, I'll have a look for glucose and if not use a little sugar.

I need to get a kit together of things that would be useful in this situation.

Does rescue remedy work in situations like this? I think there's a little bottle of that in the car.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by scarymonster

Should I try some warm water with a bit of sugar in it and see if it drinks from a small spoon?

No ... don't attempt to administer ANY fluids to a bird whilst it is in a cold, weak or shocked condition. If you do, it will almost certainly aspirate (i.e. inhale liquid into its air sacs) and die shortly thereafter.

First priority is to keep it warm, dark and quiet. By all means provide it with a little water in a shallow container (e.g. jar lid) and some seed or even a little bit of crumbled digestive biscuit or similar.

As the vet advised, keep it warm (not too warm), in the dark, and most importantly keep it away from disturbance. Check on it in the morning ... if it is still alive, we can give further advice as necessary.

best of luck.

[scarymonster]

Ok, will do, thanks for the advice.

[Farplace]

Originally Posted by scarymonster

Ok, I'll have a look for glucose and if not use a little sugar.

I need to get a kit together of things that would be useful in this situation.

Does rescue remedy work in situations like this? I think there's a little bottle of that in the car.

You could try a drop of rescue remedy in the water, but dont try to make it drink. You can easily kill a bird by drowning it (if the shock of being handled doesnt kill it first). Just put a small amount in a spill-proof container for the bird to drink if it wants to. Main priority is to treat for shock - keep it warm, dark and quiet. You will probably find that the bird wont touch the water. If it doesn't touch it, leave it alone. Dont be tempted to keep checking on it tonight. If it's still alive in the morning, ring the vet again for further advice.