I'm a mom to an abandoned house sparrow

[glutes]

Oh no! I'm so sorry! I hope you can arrange a vet visit for Gibbs, poor little guy. I'm glad he found you, if there is anything that can be done for him, I know you'll find a way. Hugs and I'm hoping for the best possible outcome.

Thank you. I had a small meltdown because I'm so worried, I will do everything in my power to help him.


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[RavensGryf]

Oh I'm so sorry he has this happening. I'm crossing my fingers for you and little Gibbs! I know you're really trying. Looking forward to an update!

 

[glutes]

A better update: I think I have figured out the kind of injury. He likely has an upper femur fracture. Thankfully it is somewhat treatable, especially since Gibbs is a young bird. The only way to actually fix it is an expensive surgical procedure, but this often doesn't make mobility much better. With young birds and because Gibbs is so small, the vet will likely tell me to keep his movement refined on a "donut" support(???) and maybe put some sort of cast on if that will be any help. I'm just so glad that he's probably not on the verge of death. I feel a bit more relaxed now.


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[glutes]

What an awful experience. I took him to an emergency pet hospital this afternoon and they told me that because he's wild they have to take him away, give him to the rehab center, and hey will treat and release him there. I finally got it through to them that I can legally keep him, but the rehab center still suggests that I take him there and they will limit human contact and release him. I'm sorry, but you cannot release a bird that will lay on his back for a human. He can also do the step up command and is excelling in his target training. They can't tell me that they can get that out of him, can they? The manager will be calling tomorrow. They wouldn't even look at his injury. When I was explaining that his femur was not where it's supposed to be, they really had no idea what I was talking about. I will never take any of my pets there again. However, I am in a dilemma. If I keep him, no vet will ever be able to see him unless I surrender him. I think the best thing is to keep him, but if you guys could give me your advice I would really appreciate that. The visit was so stressful, I almost got my baby taken from me. Thank goodness I knew more than they did.


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[Allee]

This has been a terribly stressful experience, that's so unfair since you've tried so hard to help. I know that you are already deeply attached to Gibbs, I'd hate to see you have to give him up. If it is in your legal rights to keep him as a pet, then I can only suggest you follow your heart. I imagine it would be a hard journey for Gibbs to be introduced into the wild with the femur injury. You had mentioned a vet that you thought would agree to treat him, is that still a possibility? It would make a tremendous difference if you could get vet care for him. Only you can decide, I hope everything works out for the little guy.

 

[glutes]

This has been a terribly stressful experience, that's so unfair since you've tried so hard to help. I know that you are already deeply attached to Gibbs, I'd hate to see you have to give him up. If it is in your legal rights to keep him as a pet, then I can only suggest you follow your heart. I imagine it would be a hard journey for Gibbs to be introduced into the wild with the femur injury. You had mentioned a vet that you thought would agree to treat him, is that still a possibility? It would make a tremendous difference if you could get vet care for him. Only you can decide, I hope everything works out for the little guy.

Thank you. The vet that might agree has not responded to my email yet as they are closed on Sunday's. I guess tomorrow I will find out, but if not then I honestly feel that it's best if he stays with me. If the rehab takes him, they will either release him or kill him, which in both scenarios he's going to end up dead. He still has so much fight in him and you're right, it's just not fair. At the vet they gave me an admittance form to fill out for the rehab,and on there it said "house sparrow fledglings and rock pigeons will be taken in discretion." That statement alone makes me want to stay away from that place.


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[CherylCali]

Only my opinion, but if you can give him a happy life, even though it could be shorter with his disability, isn't it better? I am of the idea of quality over quantity if possible.

CherylCali

 

[GaleriaGila]

What Cheryl said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gracebowen]

If the vet will see him at least once to fix his leg that will help. Either way if he is released he probably won't make it.

If you keep him even if a vet won't see him he's probably better off with you. And probably has a longer life expectancy too. Maybe a vet that can treat him but isn't a bird vet will work.

 

[janquito]

Anything new to report? I'm new on this forum, came across this post & am in awe. You're doing such a great job & I, for one, want you to be able to keep the little guy.

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[glutes]

Anything new to report? I'm new on this forum, came across this post & am in awe. You're doing such a great job & I, for one, want you to be able to keep the little guy.

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Yes, thanks for asking! A lot has happened since I posted last. No vet would agree to see him, so I did what I do best- research!! I came across one site about the more commonly kept finches, and it turns out that even "pet" finches are hard to find a vet for. The site said that many avian vets don't have a clue when it comes to finch health. The site listed the many different problems, including a hip fracture, and what you can do to help them. So I've put Gibbs in his small travel cage for now and he is getting a calcium supplement. He hasn't pulled any more toenails out and is not resting his bad leg nearly as much! He can climb all over the bars, too. He hates being in the little cage, but it has to be that way to heal. Unfortunately his hip will always be a little wonky, but he clearly gets around okay.

I cannot believe how smart this little guy is. I've done trick training just like I would've with a parrot, and he caught on so fast! He can step-up, is a pro at target training, and is learning to put one foot on my finger when I say "hello." He has an attitude too! Just now he went nuts biting my hand in tantrum style because I wasn't giving him cuddles. Now he's cozies up by my neck. Lol he makes me laugh everyday. The best part of my day is when he comes over and plunks himself down in the palm of my hand so I can give him head rubs. In turn, he often reaches out and gently preens my sleeve! He loves chewing, and trying to irritate me lol. He's such a sassy little thing. Sometimes when I ask him to step up, he runs away squealing with joy. I was so shocked at how intelligent he is, so I looked online to see if anyone else knew anything about it. Years ago, a man did several different tests on how birds respond to bird traps. The results showed that every bird would panic and thrash around, except the house sparrow, who would calmly observe his surroundings and problem solve his way out of the trap. Another source said that house sparrows have an intelligence that is comparable to a crow. That's awfully smart!! Incredible how such a tiny, unwanted creature is also possibly one of the smartest animals. And my goodness, he is so cuddly! He is always worming his way into my hand, forcing me to pet him. If I don't pet him right away, he looks at me sideways with a squinted eye and makes the sweetest little squeak. He is finally eating seeds too! Only when they're sprouted, but that's even better.

I just finished making him a harness. I used the style of an aviator harness, but it's really tiny!! Gibbs is currently terrified of it, so we'll work up to it. Here it is:

I can't sew, so I used eyelets instead. Hopefully it will work out!

And here are some pictures of course!

Fell asleep in my hand, adorable!

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[CherylCali]

That is a handful of incredible cuteness

CherylCali

 

[janquito]

Thank you for the update. I enjoyed reading it. He certainly is cute-has grown out quite a bit. It looks like you did a great job on the harness.

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[glutes]

He grows super fast!! I'm so glad he has chin feathers now. I was getting worried when I didn't see any peeping through.

I can't believe how stressed out Gibbs gets by strangers. One time a friend was over to see how he was doing(she was the one who initially found him and then gave him to me) and he was so shy. He wouldn't show her any of his tricks or let her hold him. He continually flew back to me and hid under my hair, whilst making his nervous squeaking sound. Just today I had someone come over who wanted to meet him. He again continually tried to be as close to me as possible, but then he started flying around the room sporadically and in a panic. His poop wasn't really poop, it looked like pure urine. No smell or signs of illness, but I will be keeping an eye on it to make sure his poop returns to its normal state. He's fine with everyone in my family, especially me and my dad, but anyone else he just gets so freaked out.

He's also started having tantrums.... If I am not giving him attention, he starts to aggressively peck and bite my hand. When he does this I shake my hand and if he still doesn't stop I put him on the ground. This usually gets it through to him and then he comes on my shoulder and starts inching towards my neck while making apologetic squeaks[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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[GaleriaGila]

I am helplessly in love!
The harness is brilliant.
Glutes, my dear... you are so *OWNED*!!!

 

[glutes]

I am helplessly in love!
The harness is brilliant.
Glutes, my dear... you are so *OWNED*!!!

Lol I am definitely owned!! He's the best thing to ever happen to me, and he blows my mind everyday. I can not believe how smart he is. I find myself wondering how it's even possible that his brain can contain and process so much, considering how tiny his brain is.


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[glutes]

I think it's time for an update!! Gibbs is doing excellent with his trick training. He's really taken to the water. I have a little dish for him to bathe in, but he won't go in unless my hand is in with him. Yesterday, I was eating toast so I couldn't put my hand in, but he really wanted to go in. He would nibble the dish and then squeak at me, as if to tell me he's ready for his bath lol. He was too impatient so he finally jumped in all on his own. I told him how good he is and then he came and fell asleep in my hand. So trusting! His leg is still wonky, but he has full use of it now and it isn't bothering him anymore. He's going through his first molt so there are little feathers everywhere! He has a little white feather on his head... So cute. He has pin feathers all over his head right now so he's constantly rubbing his itchy head on me. Speaking of his head... I got his picture of him wet and he looks like a little bald vulture!!

He's just so cute. He loves seeds now but eats everything I put in his dish. Did I mention he has started to sing? It's so cute. Not much of a song, but he makes a series of unique fluttery noises. I'm amazed at how much this little creature loves me. As soon as I get home I can hear him chirping for me. He won't cuddle for anyone else if I'm in the room. He's a bit aggressive towards my mom... He does not respect her yet. I'm trying to teach her to be more dominant and assertive with him while still 'ignoring' the bad behavior. He likes to bite her neck with the very tip of his beak. Such a brat sometimes. He did this with me for a while so I used the earthquake method. That often made him angry and sent him into a biting fit so I would quickly grab him and stick him on the ground. Of course he flew back up to me after, but it got the point through. I also will make a harsh whistling noise at him if he's nibbling to hard to remind him. He's a smart little thing. There is nothing he loves more than cuddling, it's so sweet. Here he is, a flattened floof on my leg:

He's really starting to look like a bird with his new feathers coming in.

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[Allee]

This is just the sweetest story! Little Gibbs is amazing, I'm so happy to hear how well he's doing!

 

[glutes]

This is just the sweetest story! Little Gibbs is amazing, I'm so happy to hear how well he's doing!

It's pretty amazing. When i found him, my sister said he was going to die anyway so we should just put him out of his misery, but I convinced her to give him a chance... I never thought it would turn into this! I've been contemplating making an Instagram account for him, he's just too great not to share!


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[CherylCali]

Please make him an instagram! Thank you for the update, he is just precious. What a cool bird to be able to have as a companion. I love it.

CherylCali