Expert: Roger Lederer - 9/4/2004

Question
Hi Roger. My friend and i found a wild baby sparrow. He seems like he is less than  2 weeks old. We feed him bread and water blended together. He almost knows how to fly too. I want him to have a basic seed diet and learn how to catch bugs before i release him into the wild. When and how would i be able to feed him seeds and bugs. Thanx

Answer
Hi. The absolute best thing to do right now is to let him go where you found him since he was being fed by his parents when you took him away. Only if you are absolutely sure his parents are dead should you try to raise him yourself.
If you have to raise him yourself, the first thing is to supplement his diet with mashed bugs immediately; he will die if he only has bread and water.If he survives until he learns to fly, let him go immediately. Do not try to feed him seeds; young sparrows do not eat seeds. The longer you keep him the more dependent he will become; he needs to be freed as soon as possible.
Roger Lederer. See Ornithology.com for more information on wild birds.