How old are the babies? Are they pretty well feathered out? If they are getting ready to leave the nest Mom may stay away to urge them out. If they are still pretty young I would contact a rehabber. Good luck I hope she shows up!

I feel bad because I don't know exactly how old they are but I'd say around 7-8 days old but not 100% positive. Would you happen to know how often the mom should be visiting the nest to feed them?

I'm pretty sure I heard the father earlier, squawking at another bird or someone who may have been walking by but not positive.

In a few minutes, I'm going to sit outside and watch the nest for a good while and make sure she's not sneaking in to feed them without my seeing her before I contact a rehaber.

Thanks Lisa!

They are probably ready to fledge (they fledge at 12-14 days). If you hear a wren singing, then someone is there feeding the babies.

Don't scare the parents away by sitting too close to the nest, and don't disturb the nest unless you are 110% neither parent is visiting the nest.

I was a rehabber, and for some reason, House wrens were the most common brood that people tried to "save" for the reasons you mentioned. They were always fine and we ending up raising almost-fledglings that were very very hard to feed, since they were only used to their parents.

I have been sitting in my bedroom watching the box and have not seen any Wrens approach the box since I woke up this morning, or should I say, since yesterday. The last thing I want to do is disturb this nest but I sit for 10 and 15 minute intervals and no mom.

I am going to just leave them alone and let nature takes it's course. It does break my heart to hear them, but where I don't know what to do or what to feed them, I'll leave well enough alone and hope they fledge soon.

I'm sick now and feel just awful. I managed to get up on a step stool and look in the box and three of the six baby wrens are dead, with the remaining three gaping and getting weaker by the moment.

By the looks of it, I don't think the momma bird has feed them since yesterday. That's the last time I saw her doing so. I wonder what could have happened, why she just deserted the nest, she must have got hurt. I can't imagine her just leaving after going through all that.

I have been searching for a rehaber in the area but the closest one to me appears to be at least 40 miles away and my husband currently has my car.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I would not know what to feed these babies or where to keep them. I also would not trust them around my 98lb chocolate lab. I don't think they will make it through the night, they look pretty weak.

I feel so bad right now, what a horrible day...

Oh, no! I am so sorry.

Line small box with a towel and tissue paper to make a nest. Keep them in a safe warm place. Soak a few nuggets of dog food in water until they are spongy, and offer the babies little bites.

Call your rehabber and get directions or maybe she can tell you of someone closer.

Okay, I will try that, thank you elly, at least it will feel like I'm doing something.

How feathered are they? Can they stand? Do they have wing feathers? Are their beaks pointy or fat?

Oh those poor little babies. I hope you were able to save some. I bet it was a cat that got her.

Try to get a message to your husband to bring you home some wax worms. Any bait shop and many gas stations carry them.
Saying prayers.

Update?

I have a similar dilemma..I have a nest with 5 babies...now 2 days old and haven't seen the mom around. They built a nest in some of our old plastic pots from plants in our garage. She was there all the time hatching the eggs and now we are in the 2nd day if not seeing her. What does anyone suggest...I don't want them to starve. I have checked the box daily after finding it...with mom in there, then the eggs,then the babies...making sure not to touch. Mom accepted me...wasn't afraid...now after they were born she's gone.

I have a similar situation. I haven't seen Momma bird since I have been home to feed her babies. I didn't see her last night either. The babies are hungry!! Every time I go outside they hear me and start to open their mouths and cry. Momma has seen me a lot out there and even before they were hatched she would see me look in to talk to her. Now I haven't seen her and hope she isn't feeding them. It looks like there is only 3 of them in the nest and I really don't want them to starve. I did put out small pieces of bread on the ledge hoping she would feed them last night and when I went out this morning before I went to work they were gone. So maybe she ate them or gave them to the babies, I don't know!! I just noticed they were gone. I just wished I knew how often she would feed them. I think they are about 4 days old or maybe a little older. Their eyes weren't opened yet on Saturday. I am soooo worried that she won't come back or maybe it's because I have been on my porch and out on my deck watering my plants a lot and she just doesn't want to come around while I am out there. I hope she comes while I am in the house or when I go to bed. I want to check on them right now but I don't want to scare her away if she is out there.!! Should I leave them alone for now??

Jackie-Ga

I know this original post is from 2011, but since others have commented just last June, I thought I'd put in my worries as well.

We had a Wren couple nest in a little clay birdhouse outside our porch. We hang out there, but they didn't seem to mind us - continued building the nest, then a couple weeks later we could hear the babies. The parents just went on feeding them until Friday night. I hear the babies but the parents weren't feeding them. I decided to stay away, but on Saturday morning, I saw a dead baby hanging out of the entrance. I watched from my bedroom window all weekend, but the parents never returned. By Monday there wasn't any more chirping and there was a lot of fly activity and odor (gross, sorry!), so I put the whole birdhouse in a bag and discarded it.

I'm so upset about the situation because east of my state they are in decline and I can't figure out any reason why the parents abandoned the babies. The dead one I saw was fully-feathered and I assumed the parents were trying to get the babies to fledge...but instead they all just died. It's very depressing.

As I posted in another post, I had a nest of Carolina wrens right outside my window, in a pot up on a table. Soon after the babies were born, a cat got into it. The mother never screamed at the cat and never came back. There was 1 dead baby and one injured one, but alive. I decided to let nature take it's course. I protected the nest from the cat returning. I think some mother birds just get either killed or just too scared to go back. Nature can be cruel. There are some things I do to help, but after living out in the woods so long, I've decided to just let nature take it's course most of the time. But....I'm learning how to at least try to protect some of the nests from predators. I know this is an old post, but it's an age-old problem......so nothing wrong with keeping it going. It's weird how some birds can nest in such an obvious place, and nothing bothers them........while others seem to be so well hidden, but predators still find them. I've learned to not go near a nest now, no matter how curious I am. The one on the porch table was nice, 'cause I could discretely watch it without being seen, or leaving a scent. Nature is beautiful and cruel..........

I'm sharing this to lift the spirits of those who have tried to help and been met with sad results. I hope this gives hope to anyone who wants to try and save an abandon baby. Rescue centers try to tell that you have to be licensed/certified (and that you can't transport them over state lines...like the bird knows) and that they can't help or give advice and you're breaking the law. We are animal people with a small farm and have raised baby chics from eggs, so I felt confident we could do this and be successful. Not to mention I couldn't let a living thing perish under our very eyes. I had a nest with 2 eggs in a helmet in my garage and an active Mom who trusted us being in and out quite frequently and looking in on her. After hatching (7 days a go) only one hatchling remained and no sign of egg shells or Mom. After almost 24 hours of no Mom, we decided to intervene by feeding and keeping warm. We named her Stimpy the Wren. The hatchling can live for 24+ hours as it absorbs what is left of the egg inside (we learned this hatching chickens). To feed the bird, we soaked and mashed cat food (12 pieces) in sugar water (1tbsp water with a sprinkle os sugar), then added a pinch of mashed egg yolk to the mix. We take a pea size amount and warm it up (for 6-7 seconds in the micro). I made several tsp size batches and froze them for the days ahead. She eats a pea size amount every hour via tweezer from 8am- 10pm. She was eating 1 tsp over 2 days, now she eats 1 tsp a day. A week later her eyes are opening and today she made her first audible peep today to eat! Her feathers are coming in rather quickly, she has doubled in size, eyes are opening and she tries to hop around in circles in her nest. She poops once for every 2-3 feedings or so and we remove it with q-tips to keep her and the nest clean and free of bacteria. We are being careful not to imprint on her and vice versa as we want to return her to the wild. Things we are being mindful of: we don't handle her; she stays in her nest in a box on a heating pad with a small dish of water to create some humidity (**not for drinking, they cannot drink or be given water this young or they will drown...her water comes from the food we've prepared, water can be offered in a shallow dish once they are fledglings and able to dip their own beaks**); it is quiet and dark with little to no voices and we stopped parking in the garage on day one; it remains quiet and there is nothing loud to startle her; we keep all of our dogs/cats out of the space. We will have to give her a bigger area (store bought bird cage from what I've read) so she can begin to hop and flap about and incorporate bugs into her diet. Below is a useful website if anyone encounters an orphaned hatchling/nestling or needs more information: http://www.2ndchance.info/insecteater.htm. FYI: a fledgling is the last phase of growth and by then the bird is well on its way to flying and independence, best to let nature take its course at this point unless it is injured. I am hopeful that all I have read and tried thus far will aid this little one into a happy bird life and I hope to have been helpful to other readers, this process is trial by fire just like having a newborn baby!

Thank you for this post. I have a wren’s nest with (I think?) three babies in a planter on my front porch. The parents haven’t come around for more than a day to feed them. I can see them without disturbing the nest. They are still opening their eyes but not moving. I hate to just watch them die if I can do something. If I feed them without touching them, will they fledge on their own? Or does a parent have to teach them to fly?

I have a bird house with three baby birds, parents stopped coming to feed them and they are so desperate. I don't understand what happened. Today only one was coming out to the window in bird house and he peeked out so far he fell out of house. I had read to just put him back in his nest in this case in the bird house. He has now stopped chirping and not coming out. My husband thought that perhaps parents were coming when we weren't watching, but I am afraid they are dead. My husband also said he has seen several wasps going in through the ventilation openings of the bird house. Could this have caused the parents not to come back? How can we stop the wasps from nesting in our bird houses?

I have a nest that just hatched we noticed over the 4th of July weekend. I can see about 4 mouths. My concern is I have not seen dad for a long time (unusual) and mom was last here at 3ish. But a Finch was stalking her and when she took off the Finch shot off after her. I have not seen mom back since then. She typically is there often. When I am out in the yard working nearby and her little ones call she answers quite quickly. She is now housing I believe in a near by tree but this is not like her. Her babies have been crying off and on since we returned from my grandmothers around 6p. It is almost 9:30p and she has not returned for her two evening feedings. I am trying to keep my distance and watch for her from inside our house. Her nest is in a house on my patio so we can see when she is here and not. I am going to give it 24 hours and see if she comes back but after that what do I do?

Not but a minute after posting this, this little one fell out of the nest. It was still moving so I got gloves on and picked it up. I am hoping it is ok. It is getting concerning now as mom still is a no show at 10 and they are hungry. Who would I need to contact?

this is for whoever needs help in the future. When these things happen you can soak dog or cat food in good water and a bit of sugar until completely soft. you can use tweezers which helps many people. The birds will open their mouth and you just want to give small pieces (make sure it is much smaller then its beak so it doesn't choke.) If there is a stuborn one in the clutch we open their beak carefully and put the food in. After 2 times the stuborn one will get it. I am a Herpitologist and Rehabilitate many many birds each season and what I do is feed them and put them back in their boxes and observe. If no parent still come after dedicated viewing of the box then the parents may be killed or chased away. You will need to get a bin or box or even tank and make them a little nest even with a cloth or cotton shirt. They will churp to let you know they are hungry. House wren eat every 15-20minuits from 7am-9:00pm, so you may want to take them to a wildlife rescue when you can. for the meantime Soaked dog/cat food is ok. we use mealworms and crickets making sure we squish their heads so they dont bite the baby wren from within. Hope this helps someone in the future.