Testing for diseases like giardia...

[xdartfrogx]

I know this might sound a little out there, but I recently took in a baby house sparrow when it was approximately 3 days old. These are not protected in my state/county/city as they are considered an invasive species. It has decided I am mom, and I am starting to consider letting it reside permanently within our home. My question is, should I be concerned & test for possible diseases? It is eating and very healthy from what I can see. I am weary however, as I have zebra finches, a dog, and kitties (they are not allowed in the bird area). Should I take him to be tested for anything? Should I get my zebras tested for anything? Would it be 'safe' to let him reside with my zebras once he feeding on his own? I think they would do well as a 'mixed' flock, but the health part is what I am most worried about. I know the health department always tries to make them sound like they are filthy and drenched with disease, but I do beg to differ. What do you all think? Is he a health concern?

[wildbird]

I raised several English Sparrows & kept as pets. None of them ever had anything wrong with them as far as diseases, mites or anything to worry about health wise. One I had for 13 years. If raised from fledglings or younger, they can become very attached to you. They are just as clean as any other bird & love their baths. The only concern I would have is that I don't know if they will get along with your other finches, as they can be aggresive. Since you hand fed him, you might want to keep him separate in a good sized finch cage near your zebras as a pet. I would not do any tests or treatments unnecessarily.

[xdartfrogx]

Good to know I had a starling that I raised from a nestling when I was younger. I always had him separate from my zebras. I fostered a blue jay until it could be released one time as well. But I never actually raised & kept a house sparrow. One thing that occurred to me is it would grow to be as big as a gouldian, and I have seen people keep mixed aviaries with gouldians and zebras. That is what gave me the idea. He is currently set up so he can hear and see the zebras right now. I am hoping an impression will be made that they are not a threat, and that he is one with them. He was a nestling @ 3 days when we found him. He's at the end of day 6 r/n. It is comforting to know that he is not likely harboring diseases. I hear a lot of negative things about them, such a negative stigma associated with their species in my area.

[MiaCarter]

I've raised quite a few sparrows as a rehabber (I was a licensed wildlife rehabber up in Boston) and they're wonderful. I kept almost all of them as pets (the babies I kept; the injured adults were released when they healed).

I wouldn't worry about any diseases. I never encountered any problems.
Generally, these little guys don't survive if they're unwell.
If you've had him from 3 days old, then his exposure time would have been very limited. The only thing I might do is worm him when he's older. Worms are pretty common in wild birds. But again, his exposure would have been very limited if he was only 3 days old so his chances of being totally healthy are very good, especially if he's acting healthy and happy.

I've always treated them more or less the same as finches and canaries in terms of medications, foods, etc.
I've kept my sparrows together and with finches and they did wonderfully. I had 2 little guys who lived with finches were introduced young, shortly after fledging. They started interacting with them during free flight time and ultimately became cagemates. They lived with a mixed flock with a couple zebras, societies and nuns, if I recall properly.

I never had any aggression issues, but each bird is an individual. And there are a number of sparrow varieties, each with unique tendencies.
If you do try to introduce him to the others, do it while he's young. That places him at the bottom of the pecking order, and animals are often happy to keep the status quo in terms of dominance. My sparrows who'd lived with the finches had been kept in line very early on by a snippity society (yes, the exist! LOL ) and I don't think either one ever realized that they were quite a bit larger when all was said and done! They were quite happy to play by Mr. Nibbles' rules.
I would try to integrate him if possible, as otherwise, he'll live a solitary life which isn't ideal for a social species.
I'd always thought I'd like to try a sparrow with a canary too, since they're more equal in size. A female, of course, as males can be snippity.

I loved my sparrows. I'd take another one any day! They're rather plain and common, but they're the sweetest little birds and I loved their vocalizations.

ETA -- I'm jealous about your starling! I'd LOVE a starling -- especially one of those gorgeous blue or purple ones!
I had a blue jay too. They're great birds. I had a male with a broken leg and we ultimately released him. He was a tough one to release. He was just so pretty and lively...though I did NOT love his vocalizations. Found them a bit grating! LOL

[Ginene]

I would ask an avian vet. Birds in the wild carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans as well as your other pets. So sorry to be a downer, but it is better to be safe than sorry ...

[cindy]

I would seek a full blood and stool work up with an avian vet to give you piece of mind.

[xdartfrogx]

I talked my my fiancee's auntie. I thought her practice was for 'normal' pets like cats and dogs, but there are a couple vets in her practice that are exotic/specialty vets. Her co-worker specializes in avian medicine and will be checking sparrow out for me. The price is going to be a little on the wild side (especially after gas) but it is worth it. It's a 5hr drive one way, so it will be a very long day for both of us. We are going to go once sparrow is more independent with eating. That will make things easier for both of us. In the meantime, sparrow is being kept away from the zebras in a separate room. I am really hoping the tests will come up clean, as sparrow is a wonderful addition to our family. My fiancee is always going over and peeking into sparrow's enclosure (and this is the man that doesn't care for birds at all! Lol!) Neither one of us have gotten sick from being around or handling sparrow. I think the real risk would be to the zebbies at this point.

@MiaCarter, He is acting very happy and healthy. Such a talker! The zebbies constantly answer the sparrow throughout the day from the other room As for worming, what do you normally use? I treat my kitty and dog for worms annually, but I have never treated a bird for worms before. How old should sparrow be before I treat him? Should I be doing that to my zebbies? Anything else I should treat birds for that's otc? I just externally treat for lice and mites. What else am I missing?

[MiaCarter]

xdartfrogx -- So glad to hear he's doing well! You're going to LOVE having him! Sparrows are just so darn sweet and the vocalizations are simply delightful!
Sadly, I'm not registered as a wildlife rehabber here in Florida as I was in MA, so I don't get them anymore. If they were buy-able, I'd have a flock of my own!

Do you know what variety he is? Is he a House Sparrow? Song?

I use a product called Worm Away by Morningbird:
http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/product_wormaway.php

I've used it on a super young birds, like right around fledging age. So I think your little guy should be just fine.

Also, if you're going to have bloodwork (quite likely), you're going to want to be sure he receives a good iron supplement before and after. The amount of blood they'll need to take is quite a lot for his small body.
I used to use UltraCare Iron and Blood supplement, but I think it may be discontinued as I can't seem to find it (and need more myself!)

I'm thinking of switching to Ioford, as it has iron, iodine, etc.:
https://ladygouldian.com/content/health ... -vitamin-d

If he's growing, gaining weight and active and peppy, he's likely healthy. In my experience, the infested/infected birds are obviously unwell, especially the younger ones. They just fail to thrive.

So by the sound of it, I think he's probably just fine but it will definitely be worth the peace of mind. And, of course, if he is unwell, he'll feel much better once treated!

[wildbird]

I hope Sparrow is not going to be put through a lot of stressful, invasive, & unnecesary testing. Doing a basic new bird physical should not be expensive. I can't imagine why anyone would allow a vet to take blood for testing on such a small bird that has no symptoms of illness. I would not do anything more to this bird than would be done to birds purchased at a pet store or breeder. A vet will sometimes treat for things the bird doesn't even have. Then you end up with a sick bird or worse.

[Ginene]

Avian vets can learn a lot from collecting fresh stool samples from your bird. It will take time to get the results of the cultures, but it will give you peace of mind.

[xdartfrogx]

Hmm... would just a stool test and basic visit be better? I don't like the idea of them practically bleeding out the little sparrow to test for something when there is no sign for illness. Is a blood test really necessary at this point? I know the drive will be stressful as it is. I don't want to be anymore invasive than necessary. As for the drive, is there anything I could supplement to ease the stress?

[Ginene]

I would do a complete work up...but that's my opinion. Especially if you are planning on keeping this bird and exposing it to your family and your flock. If you were just rehabbing the bird with plans to release it, then a basic check up would probably be OK.

[wildbird]

When I took my baby sparrow to the All Bird Hospital because of his twisted toe, all he did was check the droppings & it didn't take long at all. These birds do not carry anything that any person is going to get. This was a very well known avian vet & he knew what he was doing. There is no reason why he would need any more testing than a bird you purchased.

[Sally]

As for the drive, is there anything I could supplement to ease the stress?

Whenever I have a bird facing a stressful situation (bird mart, show, moving, etc), I offer NV powder in the water. It is an electrolyte with added energy boosters, and it can help get a bird through such situations. There are other brands out there of similar formulas too.

Everyone has to do what makes them feel comfortable. If you need tests done for peace of mind, then go for it. I personally have never had tests done on any bird I've purchased, I feel that problems will show up in quarantine. If you do opt for blood work, I wouldn't worry about the finch bleeding out, they usually just take a drop of blood by cutting a toenail quite short.

[xdartfrogx]

At this point I am not worried about sparrow passing anything on to humans, including myself. It would have happened already if it was a risk. My biggest concern is for the sparrow and for my zebra finches. They will be living in the same room and likely different cages. It's not worth the risk to the zebs or the sparrow to house them in the same cage. I believe sparrow is very healthy. But I would hate if one was a carrier of something and it spread. I would just rather be safe than sorry. I will have the droppings looked at for sure. As for the NV powder, how hard is that the find? Is it available to CA consumers?