Need help with young sparrow

[Kneedles]

Yesterday I found a young sparrow in my backyard. There were no other sparrows nearby and it had almost no ability to fly, so I took it inside. I have been keeping it in a cage with bread and water, but it has not been eating (even when I tried to put wet bread on its beak) or drinking. It survived the night inside, but I do not think that it will last much longer unless I find a way to make it eat. I would appreciate any suggestions about caring for it.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You say it is a young bird - how mature is it (not feathered at all, partially feathered, fully feathered)? Have you given it a thorough once over to rule out injuries? Keeping the bird warm and quiet are going to be key until you are able to sort out just what is going on and add other treatment steps that are appropriate. Bread is not a suitable food source and will only further compromise the bird's ability to come back from whatever is going on - establishing the approximate age and any underlying issues will help in determining the best alternative food source to use instead.

 

[Kneedles]

You say it is a young bird - how mature is it (not feathered at all, partially feathered, fully feathered)? Have you given it a thorough once over to rule out injuries? Keeping the bird warm and quiet are going to be key until you are able to sort out just what is going on and add other treatment steps that are appropriate. Bread is not a suitable food source and will only further compromise the bird's ability to come back from whatever is going on - establishing the approximate age and any underlying issues will help in determining the best alternative food source to use instead.

It appears to be fully-feathered, but it has visibly yellow skin around its gape, so it is definitely a young bird. It moves very quickly, so it is unlikely that it is injured.