If you ever find a homeless baby bird, you might feel the need to take care of it.
Owning a bird could cause some concern for parents of newborn hatchlings. As long as you provide proper care to your baby birds, they will be healthy and grow up just fine.
There are many children who are worried that their pet birds won’t have water, so we decided to clear up their concerns. Just visit this article to find out more!
Do Baby Birds Drink Water?
Baby birds living in a nest don’t drink water because there’s no water source where they live. They remain hydrated through the food their parents provide for them.
Indirectly, baby birds consume water through insects and plants, but once they’re hatched, their parents give them water.
Birds that are born and raised in their parents’ nest depend solely on them for food and nutrition.
Baby birds don’t drink water while they’re staying in the nest. This is because there are no methods to have water on top of trees and no way to carry it.
Baby birds’ stomachs are too weak to digest water, so if they drink it directly, they’ll just throw it up.
But even if they don’t, older birds never skip water. They stay hydrated but only through their food.
Adult birds bring food for their baby birds in the nest by sticking their beaks into it. They vomit half-absorbed food so that their babies can swallow it with their mouths.
As food, parent birds feed eggshells and different plants.
More specifically, birds also feed their babies with seeds and insects which have water in them. This way, the baby bird can stay hydrated by drinking the water within these things.
Hens lay eggs that don’t need roosting and they get to drink water directly as their caregiver feeds them water in drops. Baby birds in the wild drink nectar and eat insects, not water.
When Do Baby Birds Start Drinking Water?
Baby birds are usually able to drink water once they’re old enough to fly. Also, a bird’s species and age decides when they’ll drink, too.
Usually, baby birds learn to fly 3 weeks after being hatched. Before that they can leave the nest and hop around while flying a bit unsteadily.
As a bird starts learning to fly, their body prepares for the moment when they can drink water without having to inhale it like when they were still learning.
So when baby birds start flying, they can get to sources of water on their own.
Keeping birds would be the alternative, but this is more challenging because they require additional care and food.
What Is The Drinking Frequency Of Baby Birds?
Baby birds consume water while they eat, so they take in water every few minutes of their parents feed them.
If your birds are less than a week old, give them water every two to three hours.
It’s crucial to keep the gaps in your feathers hydrated and healthy. When they reach the second week, you can extend them to drink a glass of water every six hours.
How Much Water Do Baby Birds Drink?
The amount of water a baby bird needs will depend on the bird’s age, weight and habitat. Young birds drink water through their food in their first week of life.
Older birds need to drink twice a day, but the amount depends on their weight and location. Baby birds are not actually as much water as other baby animals.
They try to drink minimal quantities of water while balancing their body weight with the amount of food they’re poking. This usually equates to around 5% or less of their body weight.
The amount of water a bird takes will depend on its species. In the chart below, you can see which species of birds drink how much water.
Parrot:
Parrots typically drink water like most baby birds once they reach the age of four to six months.
From around the second week and on, they increase their water intake up to about 3% of their body weight every day.
Parakeet:
A parakeet drinks 15% less water than any other type of bird. They should drink 3%-5% of their body weight in water each day, which is the basic amount they need per day.
Cockatiel:
Cockatiels drink between half and one tsp. of water per day. The amount varies depending on the needs of their body.
Finch:
Finches typically need 20% water per day of their body weight. That could be anywhere from ¾ to 1 oz.
Lovebird:
Lovebirds are very sensitive to dehydration. They need to drink between 5 and 10 ounces of water a day.
Dove:
Doves require water to drink 2.8% of their body weight, but this percentage may increase or decrease, depending on the bird.
Parrotlet:
The amount of water they drink is a percentage of their body weight and it usually ranges from 3-5% per day.
Cockatoo:
Cockatoos like all other parrots need water multiple times every day. The amount is minimal because they get most of their moisture from food.
Conure:
This bird belongs to the Parrot family and it drinks the same amount of water as other birds of the same type.
Pionus Parrot:
These small birds that are similar to the other varieties drink about 3% to 5% of their weight in water, indirectly with food. This is less than drinking pure water.
African Grey:
African Grey Parrots drink water after each meal because their food intake is frequent. They drink about 6 oz of water each day because of this.
Robin:
Robins are the only type of bird that sings and drinks water. They love to take baths, and while they’re doing this they swallow a lot of their water.
Why Do Baby Birds Drink Water?
Every day, humans need plenty of water to stay healthy. Baby birds need the same, only more.
Although baby birds get most of their moisture from their food, it is also important for them to drink water separately when they’ve reached an age.
When baby birds are eating, they sometimes experience difficulty digesting food if it isn’t fully chewed by their parents or raiser.
This is because they are mashing up the food in their bulbs – an act that forces them to sort of “chew” the food themselves. So if you give the birds water with their food, the water will be more easily absorbed.
Moreover, they fly and hop around much which causes them to lose water from their body. Thus, they get tired and if the amount of water lost is major, then they can suffer from various health issues.
Baby birds need to drink enough water to regain the fluids they lose through drooling and eliminating waste. If they don’t, then dehydration can lead them to illness.
How To Get Baby Birds To Drink Water?
If you end up owning a bird or find one, it’s important to know how to get the baby bird to drink water. One way is by using these three steps:
But before that, you should know that baby birds cannot drink water when they are young. As they can take it in their lungs and risk suffocating.
So dropping a huge amount in their mouth at once could be life-threatening for the babies. You can do a couple different things to get a baby bird to drink water:
Start with a little amount:
It’s important to give your baby bird feedings every day, but start with a single drop. You can use a syringe or dropper to help you place the food on the bird’s beak.
When feeding your baby bird, maintain a minimum of 3-inch distance between yourself and the bird.
Enhance the taste:
Birds are not familiar with water, so you can make the water more interesting by putting some honey in it.
A diluted sports drink or oral electrolyte solution also attracts baby birds to help them stay hydrated.
Maintain the perfect temperature:
Baby birds might refuse to drink old or warmed up water. The best temperature for the water is not warmer than an egg yolk.
Let them drink:
If a gerbil reaches its second birthday and has learned to fly well, it might enjoy being up in an open area.
Place some mini bowls with a little water near the area or outside of their enclosure. They may love taking baths while tasting the water in different areas.
Never force baby birds:
When a bird gets to an age where they’re ready to drink water, you should take things slowly.
Don’t force them to drink water if they’re not sure. Allow them to adjust gradually, and let them have their independence.
Summary
A baby bird does not drink water, especially while still in their nests. They can’t fetch the water and they aren’t prepared to drink it.
The water they get from their food is enough for them to stay hydrated. Once baby birds are hatched, they will be fed water carefully, but eventually they won’t drink it separately anyway.