raising a starling

[chajjo427]

I rescued a starling and hes about six weeks old, he is just starting to self feed, flys, hes very freindly and bonded to me, he flys to me but he has started to get nippy. He doesnt hurt me but he gets very excited when i let him out, he flies to me and squawks and nips until he calms down. He loves to play with tissues and paper and hide in the crease of my arm. How long does this nippy behavior last? it worries me as he has poked me in the face sometimes and i get nervous around my eyes.

 

[ronott1]

I have no experience with Sparrows.

Maybe @JaeG Does

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome to BYC!

 

[Featheredfluffs]

Nice! I’m a wildlife rehabilitator and happy to help with any questions you may have. Although most wild birds are illegal to own in the states, starlings are invasive so you are fine with that front.

Sadly, I doubt the nippy stage will go away completely, though it might decrease with age. Starlings are highly intelligent and curious animals and I’m assuming they are like parrots and like to “explore” with their beak. However, there may other causes as well. How long each day do you let him out?

Is he being forced weaned?

Thanks!

 

[chajjo427]

i take him out two or three times a day, i always play with him a good bit in the mornings. He has just started eating on his own i was hand feeding him until two days ago when i noticed he was eating all the food i put in his dish. About two weeks ago i would start leaving some food in his cage, he showed no interest but i noticed he was not eating as much when i would feed him. Now he eats everything i leave him and will still take some hand feeding. But he doesnt gape and ask for it, if i offer it he may gape for me and take it or he may not. He is drinking on his own....first i had a water bowl and he kept pooping in it so i went and got a water fountain with a hood it makes it hard for him to sit on the edge to drink he has to stand on his perch to drink from it.

 

[Featheredfluffs]

That all sounds great! I think he’s just a curious little baby then. They are learning a lot at this stage, and his nibbling is what would help him find out what to eat in the wild. It should decrease with age, think of it like a puppy “teething” (however, I bet he will always nibble a little bit, my hand tame society finch nibbled me right until she died of old age).
Good luck on your journey with this little guy! They make great companions. If it’s not already, I might put his cage in a main room so he is always with his “flock”. He is heavily imprinted on you, and needs to feel like he’s part of the group

 

[SimplyLivinthatFarmLife]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Good luck with your baby bird!

 

[Pork Pie]

Welcome to our community. I wish you the best of luck with your starling.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. I wish you would start a page about him at (Stories and pictures of my chickens(and starlings), so we can keep up with his adventures with you.

I wonder if he would have an interest in Parrot toys, so he would have other things to nip.

We used to see flocks of starlings that would blacken the sky when they were disturbed. But the farmland was sold off to put up about a zillion homes, and the birds went off.

 

[Featheredfluffs]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. I wish you would start a page about him at (Stories and pictures of my chickens(and starlings), so we can keep up with his adventures with you.

I wonder if he would have an interest in Parrot toys, so he would have other things to nip.

We used to see flocks of starlings that would blacken the sky when they were disturbed. But the farmland was sold off to put up about a zillion homes, and the birds went off.

The thing with parrot toys is that they are built for birds with hooked beaks that are able to exert lots of pressure and force. Starlings have a soft bill, so they can’t really do much. The best toy for a starling is probably a foraging type toy, or something really easy to shed/take apart.

I highly recommend also looking at this site as well!
http://starlingtalk.com/


Just curious; has your starling started talking yet?