Help wanted!!

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:24:45 GMT

Im soo proud , haha

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:24:08 GMT

Yippeee, my 2 babies are eating from a dish all by themselves, clever chiklets , and they have started to perch too,

Re: Help wanted!!

Emma Purnell — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 17:08:39 GMT

Yep! The key difference with the two is that while the Dunnock (Tracy's) has a speckled brown tummy, the sparrows tend to have a pale, creamy tummy from fairly early on - the best way to tell the difference! A lovely picture Tracy - very cute!

Re: Help wanted!!

Tracy Windler RVN — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:17:56 GMT

I thought mine were sparrows for weeks, unti they started to lose their "wide mouths", then their beaks just didn't fit with sparrows. They were much broader, almost like finches beaks. I'll see if I can post a picture.

Re: Help wanted!!

Emma Purnell — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:00:49 GMT

No trouble! If I can help with any other wildlife question please ask - if I dont know I know who to pass you to!

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:05:46 GMT

thanks guys uv all been agreat help and ive learnt a lot. x

Re: Help wanted!!

Emma Purnell — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:42:30 GMT

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]

if they are off meat and eating other stuff I would leave off the meat unless very very occ

[/quote]

Agree with this. The egg food is far better.

It looks much more like a sparrow to me, dunnocks are darker on their underneath but otherwise pretty similar! Had a number of sparrows of this age recently, should be feeding on their own very soon, then will start to flit about of their own accord!

Re: Help wanted!!

Sal the 1st — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:14:43 GMT

if they are off meat and eating other stuff I would leave off the meat unless very very occ

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:25:07 GMT

these were found by a client after apparently falling from a nest, when asked if she could put them back she said "oh i havnt got time" there were 3 but one died, they were just pink and bald , more people have looked and said they are sparrows, they certainly sound like something that sings outside my house,

Re: Help wanted!!

Tracy Windler RVN — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:00:10 GMT

This looks very much like the bird that I hand-reared (very reluctantly- stupid people bringing it in!) and when it grew up, we reckoned it was a Dunnock. These are early fledglings, who are ground-nesters and are fed for about 3 weeks on the ground- fits with clients "rescuing them".

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:14:54 GMT

ok, sorted got some today mixed with a little water and oyster shell, they loved it, still having to feed from tweezers, now need to get them to eat from saucer!!!!! any tips, and should they still have the cat food, only they now are spitting that out!!!! oh god why did i start this lol

Re: Help wanted!!

Sal the 1st — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:27:16 GMT

its very fine crumbs made with egg - most pet shops will know what it is

http://www.haiths.com/Products/Egg-Biscuit-Softfood-CASF01005/

this is the one I use

http://www.haiths.com/Products/Prosecto-Insectivorous-CASF01008/

I like to hae some of this around as well

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:01:11 GMT

whats egg biscuit

Re: Help wanted!!

Sal the 1st — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:16:59 GMT

small amounts egg biscuit, cat food, fine oyster grit shallow dish - dont put too much food in as it will need changing pretty regular because the arent exactly particular about where they crap and another small shallow bowl with water. Mum would still be feeding them small amounts at this age to make sure they dont starve but they would be left for longer periods to encourage them to fend for themselves. sparrows hang around mum and dad for quite a while after they can fly begging for food. bear in mind this is just what I do - theres probably other ways of doing it

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:32:38 GMT

ok, so what else should i feed them, will they feed now from a small dish, so far they taking from tweezers?? when will they be ready to release? any tips welcome first time i have handreared a bird, when i first took them on they were just pink and bald not long hatched i think, am just so pleased ive managed to get them this far.

Re: Help wanted!!

Sal the 1st — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:18:12 GMT

does look like a sparrow - wrens have a finer looking beak than that and they arent as pale as that on their belly (well mine arent anyway). Baby swallows do perch - will try and get a photo on here of my 4 and their mum all sitting in a line on the top of my fence . As mine have got bigger they have outgrown their nest and we now have 3 sleeping in the nest at night with 1 baby and the two adults sleeping out on the burglar alarm wire - baby perches in between the two adults (wonder if it is the same baby every night or they take it in turns?)

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:52:23 GMT

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:48:11 GMT

hope this helps, not very clear tho sorry

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:47:24 GMT

Re: Help wanted!!

Emma Purnell — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:35:54 GMT

Great! I do love my baby birds, only have my foster duckling and starling at the moment

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:24:54 GMT

ok, will try

Re: Help wanted!!

Emma Purnell — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:46:08 GMT

We need pictures to help ideally!

Really you need to know what they are before feeding them as the food they need varies wildly. Sparrows will need seeds and more variety than meal worms and cat food alone ideally.

Re: Help wanted!!

FINNIGAN — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:08:01 GMT

ok, we now think they are sparrows!! lol, they are a week old, small size of wren at the moment, brown, beak looks like a swallows?? they have been reared on meal worms and cat food have thrived, starting to flap wings well and perching (swallows dont perch?) they chirp like the sparrows outside , help !!!

Re: Help wanted!!

Sal the 1st — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:20:58 GMT

can you describe these birds a bit more - ie are they small brown and with a cocked up tail, longish beak, long legs (wren) or are they black with white front and red splodge on neck , short beak, little legs(swallows) if they are swallows they can take a little longer to get going.

with wrens I have usually put them on a perch (not too high up tho so they dont get hurt) and let them flutter to the ground (somewhere they can have a soft landing) a few times and they usually get the idea very quickly - and before anybody calls me cruel I have handreared a lot of wrens with no casualties using this method. Wrens are one of my favourite birds we have had 11 babies out of the nests in my garden so far this year