Urgent Sparrow chicks

[Birdbabe]

Oh my goodness! They look great, good on you.

 

[TikiMyn]

That way I can make their diet a bit more varied. I can catch bugs and worms here, but in small amounts, and I don't really have time to go bug hunting all that much.

Whaha I understand that!

Are planning on releasing them(sorry if I missed it!)? If so I think I would skip the fruit, At least for now. When they start pecking at their Own food you could offer them fruits like Apple and pear together with greens.

If they fall asleep you can tap the table/a plastic tub. Don’t be too shy, when they taught me to do that with the crows I tapped really soft because I was afraid of scaring them, but if I didn’t do that they would barely eat lol! I don’t think your babies are underfed at all, but it is annying when theh decide they want a bit more just when you’ve put the food away

 

[camelotshadow]

Wow & the tp with duckies is a nice touch of softness!

\Did read they fledge very early (aout 2 weeks) so that's good!

European Blackbirds as Pets - Captive Care and Natural History

hard boiled eggs, cooked chopmeat,

Pets fare well on high-quality commercial insectivorous bird food (please write in if you have difficulty in locating this) into which has been mixed Softbill Select, Myna Pellets, hard-boiled egg and some cooked ground beef.

European Blackbirds relish grasshoppers, katydids, earthworms, crickets, spiders, sow bugs, beetles, termites, moths, mealworms, waxworms, maggots, silkworms – almost any invertebrate, in other words! Please see these articles on Collecting Feeder Insects to learn more about increasing dietary variety.

Canned snails, grasshoppers and silkworms, marketed for use with captive reptiles, are a convenient means of increasing the nutritional content of Blackbird diets.

Fresh fruit, including figs, apples, plums, grapes, pears, berries and seasonally available varieties, should be offered daily; squash, cucumbers, carrots and cooked yams should also be tried. Your bird will likely enjoy prepared fruit/vegetable based “cook-and-serve” foods formulated for large parrots.

 

[SandraK]

Hey,

They are a bit tricky sometimes, they beg for food, fall asleep, wake up like 30s later, want food - and as soon as i give them they just go back to sleep. So I'm pretty sure they are just trolling at this point haha! I'm sure they are well fed. But I generally give them food as long as they beg.

On Monday I plan to visit the only pet store in town and see if they have some insects and bird feed. That way I can make their diet a bit more varied. I can catch bugs and worms here, but in small amounts, and I don't really have time to go bug hunting all that much.

What kind of fruits would you recommend? Ive read that anything is ok except citrus fruits, but an extra opinion wont hurt!

You can try calling the pet store and asking if they have any type of insects for lizards IF the store sells lizards. It might cut down on your running around and the store may be able to help.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thank you for rescuing them. They look like they are doing great.

 

[Inu11]

Whaha I understand that!

Are planning on releasing them(sorry if I missed it!)? If so I think I would skip the fruit, At least for now. When they start pecking at their Own food you could offer them fruits like Apple and pear together with greens.

If they fall asleep you can tap the table/a plastic tub. Don’t be too shy, when they taught me to do that with the crows I tapped really soft because I was afraid of scaring them, but if I didn’t do that they would barely eat lol! I don’t think your babies are underfed at all, but it is annying when theh decide they want a bit more just when you’ve put the food away

Naturally! There are loads of birds in this area, and loads of places for them to eat - its all farmlands here. As soon as they can fly they are off the hook. Wild animals should stay wild. But I won't mind if they hop back to say hi!

As for tapping the table - I figured that out. They react when you move them about. I usually just rock the nest a bit and they activate. But yes, they decide quite often that they want more after I put the food away! Lil scoundrels, too cute.

Wow & the tp with duckies is a nice touch of softness!

\Did read they fledge very early (aout 2 weeks) so that's good!

European Blackbirds as Pets - Captive Care and Natural History

hard boiled eggs, cooked chopmeat,

Pets fare well on high-quality commercial insectivorous bird food (please write in if you have difficulty in locating this) into which has been mixed Softbill Select, Myna Pellets, hard-boiled egg and some cooked ground beef.

European Blackbirds relish grasshoppers, katydids, earthworms, crickets, spiders, sow bugs, beetles, termites, moths, mealworms, waxworms, maggots, silkworms – almost any invertebrate, in other words! Please see these articles on Collecting Feeder Insects to learn more about increasing dietary variety.

Canned snails, grasshoppers and silkworms, marketed for use with captive reptiles, are a convenient means of increasing the nutritional content of Blackbird diets.

Fresh fruit, including figs, apples, plums, grapes, pears, berries and seasonally available varieties, should be offered daily; squash, cucumbers, carrots and cooked yams should also be tried. Your bird will likely enjoy prepared fruit/vegetable based “cook-and-serve” foods formulated for large parrots.

Thanks, I will use this!

You can try calling the pet store and asking if they have any type of insects for lizards IF the store sells lizards. It might cut down on your running around and the store may be able to help.

Yes, I was planning to! It's just that on Saturdays and Sundays stuff is closed.

 

[TikiMyn]

Naturally! There are loads of birds in this area, and loads of places for them to eat - its all farmlands here. As soon as they can fly they are off the hook. Wild animals should stay wild. But I won't mind if they hop back to say hi!

Very glad to hear that! When Some people find a wild animal that is still very releasable they are set on keeping them

 

[Shezbug]

Thank you for being such a giving and caring person.

 

[Inu11]

A little update!

The birds are still doing great, they started to grow their feathers out! They are also starting to be curious and wander a tiny bit when I take them out of their nest to clean it, even tho they cant walk properly yet - so its a really cute sight.

https://i.imgur.com/OK4rVLi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/j64p9TR.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/I2Eqkm5.jpg

 

[TikiMyn]

Ahwwww I just love baby birds!! You are doing a great job!

 

[Featheredfuffs]

A little update!

The birds are still doing great, they started to grow their feathers out! They are also starting to be curious and wander a tiny bit when I take them out of their nest to clean it, even tho they cant walk properly yet - so its a really cute sight.

https://i.imgur.com/OK4rVLi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/j64p9TR.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/I2Eqkm5.jpg

You are doing an AWESOME job! I do wildlife rescue and that sounds all like great work. Just be careful, no snuggling!!! You don’t want them imprinting on people (they will go up to people after release and therefore probably end up as dinner for someone’s cat, ect). Make sure they are totally off formula before releasing them, I’d wean them on a diet of bird seed, mealworms, a small amount of fruit/veggies, and possibly waxworms if available (if not, it’s okay). A soft release when they are ready is usually best, when you release them nearby and continue feeding them until they are ready to leave

 

[Inu11]

You are doing an AWESOME job! I do wildlife rescue and that sounds all like great work. Just be careful, no snuggling!!! You don’t want them imprinting on people (they will go up to people after release and therefore probably end up as dinner for someone’s cat, ect). Make sure they are totally off formula before releasing them, I’d wean them on a diet of bird seed, mealworms, a small amount of fruit/veggies, and possibly waxworms if available (if not, it’s okay). A soft release when they are ready is usually best, when you release them nearby and continue feeding them until they are ready to leave

Thank you!

I keep contact at a minimum, basically I only touch them when I need to move them about in order to clean the nest, etc, and when I feed them. They consider my hand as their parent, so there is that part haha!

They are really active now, jumping around, climbing around, being curious. Here, a small video!:

And yes, that's the plan. I started giving them small bits of raspberries here and there, and soon I'll start mixing in seeds. After they know how to forage alone (testing in the yard) they are off the hook.

To be honest, I'm still not sure what they are, blackbirds in videos I saw sound a bit different, but It's really hard to tell since all young nestlings look kinda the same. If anyone has a better idea, please advise!

 

[Featheredfuffs]

Thank you!

I keep contact at a minimum, basically I only touch them when I need to move them about in order to clean the nest, etc, and when I feed them. They consider my hand as their parent, so there is that part haha!

They are really active now, jumping around, climbing around, being curious. Here, a small video!:

And yes, that's the plan. I started giving them small bits of raspberries here and there, and soon I'll start mixing in seeds. After they know how to forage alone (testing in the yard) they are off the hook.

To be honest, I'm still not sure what they are, blackbirds in videos I saw sound a bit different, but It's really hard to tell since all young nestlings look kinda the same. If anyone has a better idea, please advise!

That’s great! I’m in the U.S, so I don’t know if I can help with species... you will just have to wait and see I guess!

I might give them something a little less slippery underneath them to prevent splay leg, but they seem great for now.

 

[Inu11]

Heya,

Well, they seem to be European sparrows! Not growing anymore, really hyper, chirping all the time and almost ready to fly. I'll make a new video tomorrow.

As for the surface - its usually paper towels! The video was taken in between cleaning.

 

[iamwhoiam]

They do look like House Sparrows. Definitely not Blackbirds. Are you going to release or keep them? If they are House Sparrows there are no legal issues for keeping them since they are not native birds. I should have known what they were. Sometimes it's hard to tell what a nestling is but how I didn't recognize a sparrow I have no idea. My mind has been elsewhere lately. DUH!!




Do they look like this little guy?

You have done any excellent job with them. Mine got a cat food mixture when he was a baby and now he gets Volkman Avian Science finch seed, millet and Mazuri Insectivore. He also likes little pieces of cashews, oatmeal cookies (given very infrequently) and corn (frozen that has been cooked).

 

[Inu11]

Hey,

Yep, mine are a bit different, less chunky! Sparrows here have smaller beaks and thinner legs.

No I don't plan on keeping them. As I said before, they are wild birds, and they should stay wild. Does not mean I wont look after them - basically this is the plan. I will feed them until they can fly properly (atm they can fly, but very short distances, and are very clumsy), and until they can forage alone. I moved them from the box, to an old birdcage I had since forever. There they have a bit more room to jump around - and I also left them some seeds. I will now start feeding them a bit less, to force them to look around and try to find the seeds, and eat them alone.

Here is the video as promised (tho a bit late!)

That's that for now!

 

[TikiMyn]

They are just so cute

 

[iamwhoiam]

They are very cute. They may have imprinted on you and may have difficulty with release. It's easier to release when there is more than one. Hope it all works out.
Spee is a little guy. Not chunky like most of the "piggy" sparrows here. He looked a lot like your babies when he was a baby. Never could release him, totally imprinted and has two broken legs with nerve damage and only one functional foot.

 

[Inu11]

Hey,

The contact with them was minimal and only limited to feeding and cleaning the cage. So here's to hoping it goes ok.

A tragedy happened however - before I went to sleep yday, I noticed that one of the birds was acting a bit off. Not the usual energetic, kinda slow and sluggish. As per usual I still gave it food, and it still ate it, and with that I went to sleep. Come morning and the bird was dead. I have no idea why or how. The other two are fine and are acting as usual, maybe a bit more quiet tho.

Really sudden and without warning. I have no idea if it was something I did or something else. If anyone know what could have happened please let me know.

 

[TikiMyn]

I am sorry that happened Sometimes those things happen, we can't always tell why. There could have been something going on 'inside' from the beginning fpr example. Still you tried your best for him/her
Fly high little one