Help!

[SarahC]

We were driving today and almost hit a pigeion. He wouldn't get off the road. We looked in the rear view and he almost got hit by several cars so we pulled over. He wouldn't get out of the way of someone walking across the road and the guy kicked him. I'm not sure if he got hit by a car, I didn't see it but I don't know how long he was in the road for. We ran over to save him from the mean guy and scooped him up in a jacket.. and now we have no idea what to do with him.

We bought some bird seed and he ate a little bit and he drank some water. But he won't fly! He doesn't appear to be injured. He looks kinda old.. but I have no idea what an old pigeon really looks like. The SPCA won't take him, and I have no money to take him to a vet. What should I do???

He's living in a big cardboard box with a towel in a quiet room.

We're willing to keep him and look after him but I'm worried he may be sick.... help!! I'll be checking this forum every hour or so... I took a couple pictures of him in case somebody can look and see if they see anything the matter with him... any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Sarah and Brandon

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah And Brandon,

Thank you for saving this pigeon from an almost certain demise on the road. Actually, this bird looks quite young to me. It looks like I see the yellow fluff still poking through on his head. Can you do a once over of the bird? Looking for any cuts, abrasions, obvious trauma to wings, legs or body? You had mentioned that a motorist had kicked him, was it a really hard kick or just to get him off the road kind brush with the foot? Please keep the bird warm and quiet for now. He's probably very stressed out and somewhat in shock. If you could continue to offer seed and water to him for now and take things one step at a time, this would be great. Thanks again, report back if you see anything unusual.

[SarahC]

We used to live in Oshawa!! We live in BC now.. anyways.. back to the pigeon.. who we have named Bob.

We can't see any obvious marks on him. We didn't see the guy kick him, we were just pulling over as it happened and there was another person there yelling at the guy who kicked him..

We're wondering if maybe he has a broken wing? How do you tell? It doesn't look like it's broken.. But we're wondering why it is he can't fly??

He is eating, and he is drinking, and his poop looks normal...

Could he have some disease?

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi again Sarah,

This bird looks pretty young to me. It may not have full ability to fly yet as a youngster. It takes them practice and time exercizing their muscles as part of this process. Can you and your boyfriend try to open each wing carefully, comparing them and look for anything unusual? I know it's hard to tell but perhaps you will see something by opening up the wings. Will he perch on your hand? If so, lower your hand fairly quickly with him perched on your hand to see if he will at least flap his wings and if both wings move properly. DO THIS OVER SOMETHING SOFT LIKE A PILLOW or OVER THE BED in case he falls. You said he's eating and drinking and the poops look good so this in encouraging anyways.

[SarahC]

Hi again!

He flaps his wings.. but no go.. doesn't even get a cm off the ground..

We thought he was old!!! I guess we were wrong. So.. if he's a baby.. do we just keep him until he can fly? Do we teach him how to fly? I don't want to set him free yet because a big hawk could come and eat him...

[Pigeonpal2002]

Yes, this is best for now. He's young but not totally vulnerable. Sounds like he might be ok. He will learn on his own how to flap and fly. Just check him over well and if you see any cuts, abrasions, blood etc, let us know. Otherwise, just keep doing what you're doing for tonight, and keep him warm and quiet. Advise us if something comes up later or if you notice any changes;improvements or worsening tomorrow. It's after 9pm out there, so perhaps you should give him some time to rest.


Thanks again for helping,

[SarahC]

Ok one more quick question...

Should we leave the light on or off tonight? we have him in a big walk in closet because we do have two cats.... It's pretty much the only place in the house we can close off...

Thanks

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah,

Make sure your cats have no access to this closet. Also make sure he can't get out the top of the box but don't cover the top. You can either turn out the lights or use a dim night light or something. He will rest better when it's darker though. Thanks again for helping him out and let us know how things are in the morning.

[relofts]

Sara,

Thank you so much for caring for this youngster, he is very young and still has his peach fuzz, he is only what we call a squieker, and he should start to fledge soon. Like Brad stated you can take the cover off but you may find he will find his way out of the box. There are many supplies around your home that you can use to secure for a safe enviroment for your little charge, you can use a cloths basket over the top of the box or over a piece of card board or news paper on the floor, or you can take a oven rack or refrigerator rack and place over the box. Also you may need to dip him to teach him how to drink as the parents may not of weaned him yet, when dipping only dip his beak being careful not to dip him to deep so it goes up in his nostrils which are located at the top portion of the beak.

Ellen

[Pigeonpal2002]

Sarah,

I'm going to delete your duplicate thread in the "injured and sick pigeons" forum. Please continue to post your messages in the other one in "I found a pigeon now what" forum. It'll save on the confusion.

If you're able tonight, can you periodically check on the young pigeon throught the night? I'm at work right now so I will check the messages occasionally and if anything comes up, let me know and I'll try to help as best I can.

Thanks again and hopefully he will be even better in the morning. I think he just needs some serious rest right now.

[SarahC]

So far so good.. he's sleeping. He's eating and drinking fine..

I'll check on him throughout the night and in the morning.. but I have to work from 10am-6:30pm... what should I do during that time???



**Added later**

I am going to bed cause i work in the morning.. but I'll check the board when I wake up so.. if I should know anything post it before 9am British Columbia time... (same as california) Thanks again for everything

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for the update. Will there be anyone home with the pigeon during those hours tomorrow?

[Pete Jasinski]

Hello Sara,
Thank you for taking this lil guy in! Do you have another room that is cat safe that you can put him that might provide him sunlight? if not he'll have to sat put where he's safe. Be sure to be "bird friendly" when he's around! Don't smoke around him or use scented candles. Aerosol sprays and nonstick cookware are toxic to birds also, they have very sensitive respiratory systems that can be damaged very easily. Keep up the good work and keep us updated!

[SarahC]

I'm going to put him in the bedroom with the curtains open tomorrow and close the bedroom door. Right now he is in a walk in closet with the door closed so the kitties can't get in.

Unfortunately noone will be home tomorrow until after work :( I can't do anything about that because it's too late to call in sick for work.. otherwise I would!

[Pigeonpal2002]

Yes, I see your dilemma. Just make sure he can't get out of his box or whatever he's in. Try following Ellen's instructions on a housing setup for him but make sure he's got enough food and water. Whatever you are using for a water dish will have to be secured down somehow to prevent tipping. If he manages to get out of his box/cage setup while you're out, he may injure himself or not be able to get back to the box for water and food. Let us know again in the morning and try to get some sleep for tonight.

[maryco]

Hello and thanks for saving the poor pigeon from the road..

As everyone notice already your pigeon looks like a young one, should be able to eat on her own but try to make sure she gets the fluids first incase she is dehydrated.
Give her a bowl of water with 1 1/2 inch or so of water and see if she will drink, if not then try gently dipping her beak in, that should do the trick.
As for food, I would recommend small seeds now (Wild bird seed) with the milo and millet as they are easily digested and if she is one of those rare babies that would eat anything then go ahead and give her bigger seeds (pigeon mix with wheat, peas, barley..etc.) but start with the water to hydrate her and if she is weak and not willing to eat them you can hand feed her by giving her some soaked dog food.

I will attach a post on how to feed the youngsters:


Method #1: The soaked seeds.

This method is basically a handfeeding method that works very well and the babies like it though it can be a bit messy.

Instructions:
-Get yourself a bag of wild bird seed (without sunflower seeds) or a seed mix which contains smaller seeds like millet, milo and tiny seeds for smaller backyard birds.
-Soak an amount of seed in room temp. water for about 5 hours
-drain it and rinse the seeds well then add hot water to the seeds and let stand for 10 minutes or so.
-Once it warms up drain the seeds again and they should feel nice and warm but not hot to burn the pigeons.
-Next mix some formula, probiotic powder, a pinch of vitamin and mineral supplements(Prime) and powdered cuttle bone* with the seeds so it's coated nicely with a yellow powder which will disolve on the damp seeds.

*Powdered cuttle bone can be made by taking off the hard back bone with a knife then grinding up the white chalky part in a clean coffee grinder until it's a fine powder.
It can be stored in a little container and added to the formula when being prepared. I would suggest buying about 5 cuttle bones because once the back comes off and it's ground up it only makes a very tiny amount.

Now the soaked seeds can be hand feed to the baby by holding his mouth open with your left hand and scooping and putting it in his mouth with your right hand. He will swallow it.

Feed until the crop feels squishy, with the seeds it will feel like a
beeny baby but it shouldn't feel hard otherwise he is over fed and
could aspirate.

At about 15-17 days you can introduce dry seeds, put them around the
baby and peck with your finger at them, he should get the idea.

*** This method works with puppy chow too, soak the pieces then cut them in bite size pieces and give when they are warm as to make them easier to digest.
Also formula powder/baby bird formula can be omitted but I would suggest the cuttle bone as calcium for this growing pigeon.

[SarahC]

He's still just chillin in the box. I checked on him a few times last night and he was sleeping. It looks like he attacked his seed dish because it's all over hah I'm going to put him in my bedroom for today while I'm gone so that he can get some sunlight. Right now I have to go to work. I hope all of you have a nice day!

[SarahC]

Ok I'm home from work... he seems fine. Made a heck of a mess of his box.. seed everywhere... but it's all cleaned up.

[relofts]

Sarah,

Thanks for the update, I think that if you can continue with providing fresh water and food and letting it out when the kitties are no where near to hurt it, the little pigeon will soon learn to fly, watch for any signs of illness and s/he will probably learn to fly soon. You may want to see if there is a rescue person near you that could take over the care of this little one so that it can be taught to foriage for food if it is to be released back to a flock, that is unless you are considering keeping your little charge but then you may want to consider a cage for him to be able to get around in and be safe and secure, but with your kitties I wasn't sure they would be willing to share their apartment with a pigeon and it not be in danger. Please keep us informed of how everything is going.

Ellen

[SarahC]

We've let him out and he's walking around but he's really wobbly. If anybody could add me to msn crimsonandclover01@hotmail.com I can put him on the webcam and somebody can tell me why he's wobbly. I'm online now.

[SarahC]

I should also add the kitties are locked away in another room of course.

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for the update on the young pigeon. I'm sorry but I can't access my MSN from work here to see the video but I'm thinking that the wobbling is normal for his age. He's at that age now where they are testing out their leg and wing muscles and getting their co-ordination. He could also just be weak from lack of food, we don't know how long he was out on the road for wandering about. Keep doing what you're doing, providing fresh water, and food and keeping him fairly warm and report anything else unusual to us.

[SarahC]

Apparently he really likes CDs.. he's been pecking one on the floor ten minutes :D

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah,

You may wish to follow Ellen's advice as well by trying to locate a rehabber soon to look after the pigeon. Ellen also suggested letting the bird out when you can to exercise it's wings - this is very important as well for him to gain muscle mass and strength.

Young pigeons are very curious and they will peck at almost anything while they are in the process of learning what is food and what is not.

[SarahC]

We just went and checked on the pigeon.. he's breathing really heavy and laying weird... He was fine when he was walking around for a couple hours...
Any ideas as to what's going on?

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah,

Can you describe how he's breathing exactly and how he's laying? Is it possible that you've got it too warm where he is now? Pigeons will open their beaks and "pant" as it's called sometimes when they are too warm.

[SarahC]

His mouth isn't open.. he's just breathing fast.. like he's out of breath..

I'll go take a picture of how he is laying now.. brb

[SarahC]

He's stood up from the weird position he was laying in.. here's a picture of him now.. he's still breathing pretty fast. I turned the light out in the room to calm him down...

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah,

It's hard to know for sure anything over the internet and pictures are only so good. The only thing I can come up with at the moment is that he may be a little warm. Panting is the way a pigeon loses body heat because they don't perspire, much like dogs will pant when hot. I hope he's alright though. What exactly are you giving him to eat? How are his droppings? Is there any fecal matter in them or are they more liquid? How is the birds' over all behaviour that you've seen? Has he been blinking a lot - this is a sign of dehydration or being hot. Does he preen himself and just generally seem active or does he mostly sit around doing nothing? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get a better idea of what is going on with him.


Nice set up for him btw, looks safe and cozy for him

[SarahC]

He bobs his head a lot... preens himself once and awhile. I think he finally went to bed because he has his head tucked under his wing. His droppings look like regular bird poop cept bigger.. I looked at some pics online and they look normal.. they arne't watery...

My boyfriend just made him a little nesting bowl as suggested by Ellen on MSN. I hope the little guy appreciates it... that's my good pasta bowl!

[Pigeonpal2002]

All sounds good, Sarah. I wouldn't worry too much then. Perhaps he was just hot for a bit and cooled himself down. I'm sure he appreciates the nest bowl you supplied for him and we all appreciate all the kindness you're giving this lost soul. Ellen is excellent and very knowledgable so if you get any other suggestions from her, follow them:) I'm sorry but I have to sign off for a bit right now (I'm at work). Good luck, get some rest and keep us updated.


Thanks so much,

[relofts]

To all, the youngster started having some problems last night about 12:30 p.m. Pacific time. He fluffed up, was having some green runny droppings and was flapping around in the box all spiratic like is what Sarah was saying. I talked with Sarah and the youngster still only has some feathers with skin showing under the wing, I explained to her that this youngster may not be taking in enough food and water to keep him going and that she may need to assist, Sarah did not have many supplies in her house only some special vet supplied cat food that she soaked to try to feed him until today I think she was going to try to get some baby food, she went to feed him and was going to come back online and didn't so I hope all is well with her and the youngster. I also advised her to get some heat on this little youngster as she told me that they had him at room temp and they didn't have any heat on, they just moved in I think, so I ended up having her moist a hand towel microwave for 2 minutes place in a plastic bag and wrap another hand towle around and to make sure that it wasn't to warm, she did this and placed it in his box and she said spread out his wings and laid on it, I don't know that this is good or not.

I am not going to be by my computer all day so I wanted everyone to know the latest, I am trully concerned for this little youngster. I also had suggested to her to give it some electrolytes which I would use 1 part gatoraid to 4 parts water to make sure that he doesn't get dehydrated, only doing this for a day and watching him to see how he reacts, my pigeons get electrolytes once a week or so in the heat and when they are out flying.

Well if anyone should be on here and she comes on, I think I have covered what I can think of here for you to step in and take over where I left off.

The MSN messenger works great for contacting but I think that I should have tried to keep the topic on here for everyone to help follow, I guess it is hinesight again.

Thanks,

Ellen

[SarahC]

I'm so sorry!! I couldn't get back on MSN.
Update... I fed him some of the mush with the syringe... he calmed down.. I went to bed.. checked on him a few times and he was sleeping. This morning I checked on him and he was fine. I gave him some more food.
I'm just on a break at work. I just wanted to apologize for disapearing, I couldn't log back in. I'll give another update when I get home from work.
Sarah

[relofts]

Sarah,

Thank you I have been really concerned about this little one, I hope he is ok please let us know how he is doing when you get home.

Ellen

[SarahC]

Ok good news! I finally got in touch with a wildlife rescue that was willing to take him! I dropped him off this morning. They said he was thin but that he would be fine. They have this huge enclosure that was full of pigeons so now he will have some pigeon friends to teach him how to fly.

Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it!

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for the update and thanks for doing your part in caring for this wayward little guy. He should do well there by the sounds of it:)

[Pete Jasinski]

That's great Sarah! I'm so glad that there's going to be a happy ending for this youngster! Keep us updated if you ever decide to go visit and check on his progress :D

[relofts]

Sarah,

Thank you so much for the update, I am so happy that you were able to place your little charge with a rehab I am sure they will care for him and this will take some of the stress off of you, you did great thank you so much for caring for him.

Ellen

[SarahC]

I have a case number on him and I will call in a couple of days to see how he is doing :) They think he may have some sort of parasite but that they can fix him up :)