Question:

What to feed a PET House Sparrow?

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I found a house sparrow today. She eats on her own, and can fly so i know she is not a baby. Most people in this city (Toronto) hate these birds, but I think she is actually adorable and I want to keep her as a pet, since it is legal to keep her. I would really love to know what I can feed her...how much, and when? Also what treats I can give her? Where to house her..a box? a cage? Any other info I would appreciate so much. You can email me at meandnegro@hotmail.com if you would like to see photos of her. Id love to meet others who have them as pets. Id also like to know if its possible to hand tame them and how. Thank you so much.

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  1. birds that are fully feathered, able to fly and unharmed should be best left in the wild. http://www.starlingtalk.com/babycare.htm


    if it needs help, adult sparrows (fully feathered and able to fly) are seed eaters. you can buy a bag of canary seed mix or finch seeds. I mix both. Mine was rescued when it was around a week old.


    they also love fresh fruits and veggies. but beware of poisonous fruits and vegies. corn, brocolli, spinach, carrots, salad leaves, corn, apples, blueberries, pear are safe. For fruits and vege that is poisonous to birds refer to starlingtalk.com.


    insects is their source of protein. they need it for a balanced diet and they need is increased during molt because that requires alot of energy. if you can't give him/her insects, cat or dog food is fine. Hard boiled or scrambled egg is a very complete source of protein. starlingtalk.com has the recipe which many birds love.  


  2. Place a small tree like plant inside the cage. Growing wheat in a small pot would also bring her/him happiness seeing the plant growing and finally she will harves it. I often notice that while passing by on the GO train. 


  3.  hey you are so lucky to have a sparrow and i was wondering how you got it?


  4. I have a pet sparrow for four years now.  He was a fledgling when I found him.  There was a hail storm coming and I took him home overnight thinking to release him the next day.  I did call a rehab person for wild birds and she told me to keep the bird until early fall, releasing him then.  When I called the rehab lady back at the end of summer to ask more about releasing the bird, she told me no that it was too cold and keep him.  That was four years ago now and the bird is very healthy, and I would say happy.  He has a cage that is not too large and not too small...He lets me put my hand in the cage and he sits on it like a perch...he sings all the time and actually growls...or sounds like a bark...when I am not in the room with him.  He has no fear of my dog either.  I feed him finch bird seed and hand feed him various fruits, vegetables, breads, etc..  He is a pleasure to have as a pet.

  5. Well, if the bird is healthy, alive, and is a WILD BIRD that can care for itself, release it. NOW. they are meant to be in the wild! besides, its NOT going to take food/water from you, i guarantee it. it will end up dying from stress. plus, almost every single wild bird carries diseases that don't harm them but can harm you.! so you are hurting the bird, and yourself. what if you were the bird, wouldn't you want to go back into the wild??? if you really, really, REALLY want to do this, i can give you a ton of advice as i have a pet house sparrow too. but i hatched & raised her, and she has imprinted on me so i cant let her go. she refuses to leave. :/ actually shes on my shoulder right now... if you want more pics & advice, email me at CarolineElinor@Gmail.com .

    as for taming your sparrow, it wont happen. the only way you can keep a wild bird that's tamed, is if its imprinted (since its speicies is not domesticated and not familiar with people) and it would only imprint if it was a baby, ir very very very young and you were carring for it. so the bird is going to hate you, if it lives.

    as for food, feed it a special wild bird mixture. mine is just berries, fruits, veggies, and mainly, chicken/meat for protein. she loves it. you can look up different ways to make a special food for your sparrow, because petstore birdfood wont work. plus, just give her unlimited food she will eat what she wants when she wants and she will never overfeed, dont worry.

    as for housing-she will die in a box. if the cage is large enough, (like.. a HUGE parrot cage) then it'll work but since sparrows arent domesticated they need more flight room than a parakeet or a conure or some other petstore bird. I transformed an old, un-used closet into a cage for my sparrow. I cover the floor with fresh newspaper every week, and the closet doors are chicken wire. (if i left the old closet sliding doors on she would have suffocated, plus this allows A LOT of natural light.)she has tons of perches and toys. but shes only in her cage at night at night. most of the time shes all over me! i open up the cage door, and she comes speeding at me. she loves attention! so basically, a huge cage with lots of flight room and natural lighting. (NOT so the whole cage is in direct sunlight, or she'll fry!)

    also, for treats, I give her petstore bird treats. (ex: yogurt nibbles. little vanilla yogurt things she loves)

    I have TONS  of other info all about caring for pet sparrows. please, email me at CarolineElinor@Gmail.com and ask ANY questions! please, I'd love to answer.

  6. Well, if the bird is healthy, alive, and is a WILD BIRD that can care for itself, release it. NOW. they are meant to be in the wild! besides, its NOT going to take food/water from you, i guarantee it. it will end up dying from stress. plus, almost every single wild bird carries diseases that don't harm them but can harm you.! so you are hurting the bird, and yourself. what if you were the bird, wouldn't you want to go back into the wild??? if you really, really, REALLY want to do this, i can give you a ton of advice as i have a pet house sparrow too. but i hatched & raised her, and she has imprinted on me so i cant let her go. she refuses to leave. :/ actually shes on my shoulder right now... if you want more pics & advice, email me at CarolineElinor@Gmail.com .

    as for taming your sparrow, it wont happen. the only way you can keep a wild bird that's tamed, is if its imprinted (since its speicies is not domesticated and not familiar with people) and it would only imprint if it was a baby, ir very very very young and you were carring for it. so the bird is going to hate you, if it lives.

    as for food, feed it a special wild bird mixture. mine is just berries, fruits, veggies, and mainly, chicken/meat for protein. she loves it. you can look up different ways to make a special food for your sparrow, because petstore birdfood wont work. plus, just give her unlimited food she will eat what she wants when she wants and she will never overfeed, dont worry.

    as for housing-she will die in a box. if the cage is large enough, (like.. a HUGE parrot cage) then it'll work but since sparrows arent domesticated they need more flight room than a parakeet or a conure or some other petstore bird. I transformed an old, un-used closet into a cage for my sparrow. I cover the floor with fresh newspaper every week, and the closet doors are chicken wire. (if i left the old closet sliding doors on she would have suffocated, plus this allows A LOT of natural light.)she has tons of perches and toys. but shes only in her cage at night at night. most of the time shes all over me! i open up the cage door, and she comes speeding at me. she loves attention! so basically, a huge cage with lots of flight room and natural lighting. (NOT so the whole cage is in direct sunlight, or she'll fry!)

    also, for treats, I give her petstore bird treats. (ex: yogurt nibbles. little vanilla yogurt things she loves)

    I have TONS  of other info all about caring for pet sparrows. please, email me at CarolineElinor@Gmail.com and ask ANY questions! please, I'd love to answer.

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