Without a shadow of a doubt, birds have become popular as pets in the pet community. Who wouldn’t want birds? They’re intelligent animals and are able to foster a meaningful relationship with humans.
Among all the bird species, one of the most common would be the sparrow. There are tons of birds that belong in the sparrow family and the House Sparrow is the common one in the bunch.
People won’t have a hard time looking for these birds as they can be found just about anywhere. It’s important to note what behavior House Sparrows have to know whether they’re compatible with your lifestyle or not.
- Can I Keep A Sparrow As A Pet?
- Is It Legal To Own A House Sparrow?
- Do Sparrows Make Good Pets?
- Sparrows As Pets
- Can You Domesticate A House Sparrow?
- Could A Sparrow Be Caged Like A House Bird?
- Can You Tame A Sparrow?
- Are Sparrows Easy To Tame?
- What Should I Feed A Baby Sparrow?
- How Many Times Per Day Does A Sparrow Eat?
- Where To Get A Sparrow As A Pet?
- Resources:
Can I Keep A Sparrow As A Pet?
It depends on what type of sparrow you’re going to get. If it’s a bird that’s being protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, sadly, you can’t own one.
The only sparrows that can be legally owned by people are non-native ones. The sparrows that you would want to avoid are the following:
- Rufous-winged Sparrow
- Botteri’s Sparrow
- Cassin’s Sparrow
- Bachman’s Sparrow
- Grasshopper Sparrow
- Olive Sparrow
- Five-striped Sparrow
- Black-throated Sparrow
- Lark Sparrow
- Lark Bunting
- Chipping Sparrow
- Clay-colored Sparrow
- Black-chinned Sparrow
For those who are interested to know more about the birds that can’t be legally owned, please refer to this website. They have an updated list of various bird species, apart from sparrows, that are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Is It Legal To Own A House Sparrow?
Yes, it’s legal to own a House Sparrow.
A House Sparrow can be legally owned since they’re not a part of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Also, they’re not native or migratory birds, so it’s completely legal to own one.
Do Sparrows Make Good Pets?
It depends, according to most people who have experience with these birds, sparrows tend to be aggressive.
Not every sparrow has been completely domesticated for the purpose of being pets. If people decide to own one for themselves, they would probably have a hard time raising it.
First of all, sparrows aren’t the most popular kind of birds as pets and there are a few reasons why. Sparrows are known for being aggressive and violent towards other birds, to the point that they kill and injure other birds.
There have been cases where they have driven out birds from their nests or steal the nests of other birds because sparrows are territorial. House Sparrows are known for this kind of behavior as well.
Sparrows are very likely to not only attack other birds but also their own kind as well. So it’s hard to imagine that there would be people who are interested in such birds with a violent nature.
Another thing to take note of when it comes to sparrows is how easy or hard are they to handle as pets? Would it be difficult to provide the needs of sparrows? Well, one thing’s for sure, sparrows can’t be kept the same way as Parakeets.
What do we mean by this? Unlike Parakeets who have no problem being kept in small cages, sparrows can’t be and shouldn’t be kept in cages, not to mention small ones.
This is because sparrows need a bigger space to fly around in for them to be happy and get their exercise by flying around, thus keeping them healthy.
If an owner is also planning to keep sparrows in the same room with a different bird, then that would surely cause trouble. Instead, try to keep a sparrow with its same species of sparrow together, they’re social birds after all and they need that sort of companionship.
Overall, it’s not really recommended that sparrows be kept as pets due to the likeliness of them not living up to the standards of being good pets.
Sparrows As Pets
There are numerous people who actually have experience in keeping sparrows as pets and they have also shared their own insights and tips for those who are interested in owning their own sparrows as well.
In this case, we will be talking about House Sparrows. Oftentimes, hand-raised House Sparrows are common in the pet scene.
This is because the instance where House Sparrow nests are taken down due to tree removals (and other activities) ultimately results in baby birds falling onto the floor. People stumble upon these baby birds and some even take them into their own homes.
Some of these people will start to care for the birds and provide them with their needs in order to survive. One blog has mentioned the specific needs of orphaned House Sparrows such as their diet and the enclosure they must be in.
The gist of what the author had to say was to build an outdoor aviary for the birds and to feed the birds with healthy food such as wax worms, eggs, and green leafy vegetables.
It’s imperative for house sparrows to have enough space for free flight in order to stay healthy. Of course, an outdoor aviary fulfills other purposes aside from providing a space that’s large enough for House Sparrows to free fly in.
An outdoor aviary will protect birds from predators and harsh weather conditions. In addition, House Sparrows may be kept in cages, but only for a short amount of time.
For instance, if owners would go somewhere to do errands, they can keep the sparrow inside a cage.
When it comes to their diet, it’s pretty easy to get the food they need to eat to maintain their healthiness. Green leafy vegetables, eggs, and worms are pretty easy to find. All that’s left for the owner to do is to clean the vegetables and boil the eggs.
House Sparrows, and other sparrows for that matter, as susceptible to illnesses. Illnesses such as fungal infections and metabolic disease are some examples. Be sure to take your sparrow to an avian vet if you spot any symptoms.
Pros
- In a general sense, sparrows live from five to seven years. Of course, this would depend on the type of sparrow.
- Hand-raised sparrows typically develop a close relationship with their human family.
- Feeding sparrows, at least House Sparrows, is easy. Their food is easily accessible in supermarkets.
Cons
- House Sparrows only have short lifespans (three years).
- Sparrows have a violent and aggressive nature.
- Sparrows can’t be kept with other birds in one aviary.
Can You Domesticate A House Sparrow?
Yes, House Sparrows can be domesticated, although it’s difficult.
House Sparrows have been viewed as domesticated birds (sort of) since they’re always seen in places wherever there are humans. But the fact remains, they’re not domesticated birds.
Attempting to domesticate these birds will be difficult because House Sparrows are extremely aggressive birds.
Could A Sparrow Be Caged Like A House Bird?
Sparrows can be caged like house birds, but only for a short period of time.
Usually, sparrows are wild birds that roam around freely so it’s unnatural and cruel to keep them locked up in cages for a long time. Sparrows need plenty of room for free-flying in order to stay healthy.
Can You Tame A Sparrow?
Not all sparrows can be tamed, however, there are other kinds of sparrows that are willing to be friends with humans, a House Sparrow is one of these.
As aforementioned, the majority of sparrows are wild, meaning, they will remain to be wild birds.
Are Sparrows Easy To Tame?
Sparrows aren’t easy to train and this also applies to sparrows that are actually tameable.
The main cause would be due to the nature of sparrows as they are known to be aggressive.
What Should I Feed A Baby Sparrow?
A baby sparrow should be fed foods that are rich in protein. An example of this would be insects.
If insects aren’t available in your area, then cat food can suffice as an alternative. Hard-boiled eggs should also be added to the cat food, a crushed calcium carbonate tablet, and avian vitamins.
Like any animal, there are certain foods that sparrows shouldn’t consume in the first place. Here’s a list:
- Dairy products
- Pasta
- Bread
Baby birds can get hydrated easily because they can’t drink water by themselves yet. As an owner, avoid hydrating your baby bird with droplets of water as this can drown them. Instead, use Gatorade to hydrate baby birds and do this by placing a few drops on its beak.
How Many Times Per Day Does A Sparrow Eat?
The frequency of feeding a sparrow would depend on its age. For instance, a baby sparrow should be fed more frequently to gain weight to be able to fly.
To be more specific, here’s a timeframe of how often sparrows should be fed according to their age:
- Baby sparrows: feed them every 15 to 20 minutes from dawn until dusk.
- Once a baby sparrow starts to grow wings: feed them every 30 to 45 minutes.
- As the sparrow continues to grow, they can be fed more as time goes by. The same goes for how often they should be fed (time between feedings can be increased).
- Once the sparrow is able to jump out of the nest by itself, it can be fed once every hour.
- If the sparrow has now shown comfortability living outside its nest, it can be fed every 2 to three hours.
- By the time a sparrow has reached one month of age, you can leave a bowl filled with food in its enclosure.
Where To Get A Sparrow As A Pet?
People can buy their sparrows in person or online.
There are several breeders that sell sparrows, but that may be hard to find. Your best chances at finding a pet sparrow would be online through this website.
Resources:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Sparrow/lifehistory
