If you find a baby sparrow that is abandoned, you can take it to your home and feed it.Wildlife refuges and concerned people care for sparrows until they are old enough to fly.Before attempting a feeding, check the sparrow's appearance to determine if it is a newborn nestling or a young bird.Pet food and insects are appropriate for the sparrow's age.Feeding sparrows is easy, but they need more food every 20 minutes.You can take and care for a baby sparrow until it is ready to leave the nest, because there are no rules against keeping sparrows.
Step 1: Start with chicken food for your dog or cat.
Pet food can be broken into smaller pieces for your bird.The ingredients list is a good place to start when choosing a food.It's important to get a food with a high percentage of fat and calories.Adult pet food is usually better to use than puppy and kitten food.If you can, choose dry food.It can be softened and broken up to be a consistency.Specialty foods may be marketed for hairballs or a healthy weight.
Step 2: To break the food up, soak it in water.
Put it in the water.The food will change.You can pick it up with a pair of tools.Cut it into bite-sized pieces about the same size as the sparrow's beak.To cover the food you plan on using, put a small bowl of water in it.Before giving it to your sparrow, make sure it is nice and soft.Adding a multivitamin to the water is a good idea.It is easier to put it in the water than it is to sprinkle it directly on the food.
Step 3: You can add an animal supplement to the food.
Some things that can't be found in food will be provided by the multivitamin.Look for vitamins that are meant for wild birds.They are easy to sprinkle onto soaked pet food or food mixes.Human vitamins can be an okay substitute if you can't find avian vitamins.Make sure the vitamins have ingredients like A, D, E, C, B1, B2, B6, B12, K, and D-pantothenic acid.You can look for them online, but most pet stores carry them.
Step 4: Use cat food and other ingredients to make your own food.
To make it softer, soak a whole cup of pet food in water.Then, without draining the water, mix in about 14 of a cup of applesauce and a hard boiled egg.If you want to make a paste with a similar consistency to oatmeal, you can drop in a 750mg calcium carbonate tablet and mix it all together.eggshells can be used if you don't have a calcium carbonate antacid.Add the hard boiled egg shell to the food after you blend it into powder.It is easy to freeze and thaw this food blend.It works well for baby sparrows.This mixture can be used to feed animals.It's possible to combine 1/2 of a cup of pet food and 12 of the same amount of mealworms instead of using a whole cup.
Step 5: If you want to make feeding easier, choose a baby bird formula.
If you don't want to make your own food, most pet stores sell baby bird formulas.Formula can be given to baby sparrows if they are hand-fed.It is more expensive than making your own food.In addition to pet stores, formula is also available online.It's made from the same things you could blend and freeze for food.The advantage of using it is that you don't have to shop around for supplements.
Step 6: Feed the sparrow for 12 hours.
Baby sparrows eat a lot.Set an alarm to time out feedings because it can be a little disruptive.The sparrow will chirp and open its mouth wide when you are near it.You won't have to worry about feeding the sparrow because it will sleep the rest of the day.When the sparrow isn't hungry, it will let you know.If you try to give it food, keep its mouth closed and ignore it.You can change your feeding schedule every 30 minutes becausegling sparrows don't need food as often.Call a wildlife professional or vet if the sparrow won't eat.Baby birds should start eating food from humans within 1 to 2 hours.
Step 7: Scoop up the food with a tool.
If you want to deal with formula, inject it into the sparrow's mouth.For softened pet food, use something that won't break.Don't use cotton swabs or toothpicks because they are a choking hazard.There are other tools you could use.You should be able to pick up and move small pieces of food.
Step 8: The sparrow has a beak.
The baby sparrow can't chew so it has to swallow whole.Pick a small piece of food and move it into the sparrow's mouth.Don't push it all the way into the sparrow's mouth.Drop the food and let the sparrow eat it.Feed your sparrow cautiously.If you push the utensil too far into its mouth, it can choke.
Step 9: If you have dried food on the sparrow, use a cotton swab to clean it.
The dried food can get into the bird's eyes and nostrils.You can use a dry swab to wipe off as much as you want.If you can't remove some of the food, lightly suck the sample from the water.Make sure the cotton is dry.Feeding time can get messy, but you should clean off leftover food right away.If it isn't taken care of, it could lead to infections.Before using the cotton swab, shake off excess water.There is no chance of the sparrow breathing in or swallowing water.
Step 10: After 4 weeks leave a bowl of food with the sparrow.
Sparrows can feed themselves after this point.The sparrow will most likely open its mouth and wait for a snack.Keep hand-feeding the baby, but reduce the number of times you do it.Feed it by hand a couple of times a day until it's between 6 and 8 weeks old.Once they are 6 to 8 weeks old, most sparrows don't need hand-feeding.This can be different from bird to bird.After 3 weeks, switch the sparrow to an adult diet.Wild bird seed is eaten by adults along with pet food and insects.
Step 11: To identify a bird, look for open eyes and feathers.
Miniature versions of adult birds are what speckled sparrows look like.Birds start turning into birds about a week after birth.The baby will begin to grow feathers and move around its nest.It is ready for some solid foods, such as insects and seeds.It will need to feed itself if it is to transition into adulthood.Sparrows are about 10 weeks old.Birds under a week old can't move or open their eyes.They do not have feathers.
Step 12: Live mealworms and other insects are safe to eat.
Food for sparrows can be found in insects.Mealworms can be found in many pet stores.Bloodworms, crickets, and other bugs are good and you can get them from an angler shop.You can usually get a baby sparrow to eat dry bugs.Stay away from them.sparrows do not eat earthworms in the wild.Pick something that reptiles eat when you are unsure of what insect to get.There are different types of pet supply stores.The insects are also safer for the sparrow.
Step 13: Before feeding a sparrow, you should chop up larger bugs.
It is a good idea to keep the food half the size of the sparrow's beak.Place the bugs in the sparrow's beak with a pair of tweezers.Pick the bug up by the head and squeeze it between the tweezers.Increase the size of the portions as the sparrow grows.It is okay if you end up crushing live bugs when feeding them to your sparrow.It is a part of nature.The sparrow would eat bugs in the wild.Even if you feed a food blend that includes insects, you should still feed it solid insects on occasion.
Step 14: As needed, mix in seeds and grains.
As they transition to adulthood, raw, unshelled, unsalted sunflower seeds are considered safe.They are good for you, but don't neglect the baby foods that are high in calories.Adding these foods to the food you give will make them no more than 14 of the sparrow's diet.Other foods to try include sesame seeds, millet, and rolled oats.sparrows do not need fruits and vegetables.They don't like bread and dairy.It's more than enough if you mix it with some grains or seeds.