It's true that Java Sparrow's will succcessfully rear their young without live food...I know, as I've had some great results with my bird's.

I'm a great believer in giving captive birds a diet that emulates the type of food they would eat in the wild.

Most small seed eating birds will take live food when rearing their young and Java Sparrows are no exception. It was pretty obvious to me when I first gave mealworms to my Java's will readily take them as they were devoured within minutes of being offered.

I believe that the nutrional properties of mealworms greatly benefit the development of young Java 's. They consist of approximately 50% crude protein which is vital in the development of young Java's (and all animals in general).

Mealworms also have a high fat content so I closely monitor how many are offered to reduce the risk of my birds becoming overweight which, in-turn, can bring health problems.

They also contain a high level of amino acids which is well documented to be essential for birds during the moulting period. When my birds are in the moulting stage I offer mealworms sprinkled over eggfood (also high in amino acids) to help them through.

The amount of mealworms I give my birds depends on the time of year. When my birds are not breeding then I offer a small number of mealworms once or twice a week. During my breeding season they are offered daily to parent birds that are rearing young.

So do Java Sparrows need live food?

The choice is yours......but for me, I will continue to offer my Java's live food as I believe they are beneficial to their health.