Abandoned Pigeon

Mama · #1 9th February 2007, 11:04 PM

I work in a drug store (Duane Reade for all the New Yorkers here!) and last night a customer apparently came into our store, wrapped the pigeon in a plastic bag, put it on one of the shelves and left. Another customer found the pigeon and told my manager. My manager brought the pigeon to the front of the store and put it in a cardboard box with holes punched into it. She was going to take the bird home but left without it so my assistant manager asked whether I wanted it or not. We live in a small space but I decided that I could at least bring it home and give it something to eat or drink before I take it to the near-by animal hospital. So here it is, in my little home. It's a pure white adult with clipped wings, no band on it's legs and seemingly healthy. We did not have a bird cage but rather a small metal dog cage. The bottom of the cage is not solid - it has thin metal bars with a tray beneath it. Should I put something flat on the bottom of the cage so that it'll be easier for it to walk around? I have two small bowls of water and sesame seeds in the cage. Before I had some crumbled crackers in the food bowl but then I read that they like sesame seeds, which I had, so I thought maybe it would like that better until I can get it some bird food. I also made a little nest out of a bowl with a hand-towel and shredded toilet paper. There is currently a heavy blanket covering the cage (with a part left open for circulation) because it's cold in the heat-less kitchen where the cage is. Is there anything else I should do to make it comfortable? What sort of home-made toys or perches can I provide? I do not have a lot of money to spare so any money-saving tips would be appreciated.

Maybe it's previous owners being so heartless was a good thing...
now it has a good home with an owner who really cares for it!
I shall post a picture of it soon!

PS - Is there any easy way of figuring out which sex it is? I'd like to stop calling it "It", you know?

Victor · #2 9th February 2007, 11:21 PM

Hi Mama, and bless your heart for taking this orphan pigeon. The place you selected should be adequate for securing the pigeon. The kitchen should be fine as long as there are no drafts, it will be fine, as long as it is otherwise healthy.

Does it seem alert?

How are the poops?

Please try and get some wild bird seed. It is the closest to pigeon food that you can readily get, other than going to a feed store or a place such as pet-co. Most supermarkets carry wild bird seed. Please do not feed it bread or crackers. Salt is a "no-no".

If you place newspaper for now on the bottom, it should help it walk with better footing, but change it at least once daily.

Is the water dish deep? They dip their beaks in the water as we do straws. and suck it up.

If you can put a brick inside, he can perch on that just fine.

Some pigeons will play with bell toys and small stuffed animals.

Now, the sex can many times be determined in ferals by the deeper darker iridescent colors around the neck, but your is white, so that makes it a bit harder. Place a small mirror in front of it, and if it puffs up, pecks at it and generally becomes vocal, the very likely it is a male.

Victor · #3 9th February 2007, 11:26 PM

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing Mama, if you have your pigeon in the kitchen, be very careful if cooking with teflon pans, as it is toxic to birds when heated. If you can move it to another room, at least while cooking that would be great.

Mama · #4 9th February 2007, 11:51 PM

Right now it seems to prefer one of the cage corners and hasn't ventured very far from it. Whenever I take a peak in the cage it looks at me and doesn't seem very frightened... I think it just wants some "alone" time since it had a very exciting evening. As for the poops... I haven't noticed any on the newspaper I put in the tray. In the box it originally was kept it there was plenty. I'm going to stop at a petstore that is nearby tomorrow and see what they have. I'm sure they have appropriate food.

I love looking at birds but I'm kind of afraid of handling them.
Is there any tips to getting over that?
I've read here that pigeons can become attached to their owners and I'd really like that... if only I could get over my bird fear. My husband handled it for a while and it didn't get very flustered nor did it try to bite him. I wanna hold the pigeon too!

As for the teflon, I'm not sure we have anything that has teflon. It is possible to move the bird into our room with some rearranging... I'll ask my husband about that later!

I just finished reading your thread about losing and RECOVERING Tooter. I am sooo glad that he made his way back home!
He's a pretty special bird, that's for sure!

Victor · #5 9th February 2007, 11:57 PM

You are right but it works both ways...they get attached to us too. Your pigeon is frightened because it probably went through some bad sad times, after all it was abandoned and maybe even mistreated or at least ignored...we do not know. Once time progresses, the pigeon will get comfortable and be more accepting of you and your husband. It takes time and patience. He/she does not know your intentions. Pigeons make wonderful devoted pets.Thank you for reading Tooters thread.

Pidgey · #6 10th February 2007, 06:30 AM

Every now and then a bird with an odd story comes along and this certainly sounds like one. Bless you for taking the poor thing in! To my mind, it usually takes them about three days to calm down and figure out that they're not in any danger. Sometimes they even decide that the ready food and water is so nice that they'd like to own the place.

When you finally start getting poops again, you might want to describe them and also feel the pigeon's breast to see if it's well fleshed or if it's close to emaciation. One of the ways to describe that is by noting whether the breast muscles feel as if they are hollowed out between the ridge of the keel and the root of the wing or whether they bulge, or neither.

Pidgey

Trees Gray · #7 10th February 2007, 08:22 AM

Hello and thank you for your kindness in taking in this bird.

I don't have much to add other then, God must have sent you this little sweety as no one else seemed to really care. Bless you!

PLEASE do update us in case the bird may need some help and support.

Here is an example of the correct pigeon diet. You can easily put it together between wild bird seed, and what is available at the grocery store and health food store.

http://purgrain.com/ingredients.htm

Larry_Cologne · #8 10th February 2007, 09:23 AM

Hello Mama,

Should I be calling you Mama? What will my own mother think? Well, you are probably someone's mother, or at least a potential mother. My Dad used to send Mother's Day greetings to some spinster aunts because he said that they were potential mothers. They were women, had the motherly instinct, and that they hadn't given birth to a child was often due to something beyond their control. They were motherly towards him. And you are taking on the role of a mother to this pigeon.

The pigeon was certanly abandoned, by someone, at some point.

But don't judge too harslhy. Someone in a hurry (which they had no control over), or someone who absolutely couldn't take in the bird for whatever reason, or someone who had no clue what to do (it happens) left the bird to be found by others. Theoretically a person dashing to the drugstore for urgent medications for someone else, or someone with a job not permitting animal passengers, such as an ambulance, or whatever, could come across the bird and have done absolutley the best he could think of, without setting up a scenario for rejection of the pigeon. (No prisons or drug re-hab center in our neighborhood! Build it somewhere else! (Even though our neigborhood contributes its share to the miseries of society)).

If they wrapped the bird in plastic, perhaps it was because they knew (or hoped) the bird would be quickly found. The plastic wrapping might be a message "Don't be afraid to touch or help this bird, it's safe, it's sanitary." The plastic wrapping might be only because the bird was taken into a drugstore, where people expect sanitary conditions. (I once had my rescued-as-a-4-to-8-day-old and hand-raised pigeon Pidgiepoo on my shoulder at the check-out line in a grocery store when the manager quietly informed me Es ist nicht erlaubt (it is not permitted) and I mumbled thanks or excuse me or of course or something of the sort. An unwrapped pigeon might bring howls of indignation from fearful customers. A wrapped pigeon signifies that he must be safe to handle because someone obviously already did so.

You mentioned that the bird's wings were clipped. Perhaps he belongs to someone nearby who is looking for him. Even tame pigeons do manage to go off on adventures of their own devising occasionally. What is most dangerous about a tame pigeon on the loose in a house is that they own the place, the floor, everything, and they can get underfoot when least expected.

Placing a lost but not yet re-found pigeon in a drugstore might be an effective way to advertise, since it probably gets people talking.

And there is always a Good Samaritan out there. Thanks, along with the others for taking him in. Pigeons are wonderful, and deserve the best (or almost the best, so I don't have to get involved in discussions) we can offer.

Larry

Victor · #9 10th February 2007, 09:57 AM

Larry, I sure enjoy your deep well thought of posts. Your comments about how the pigeon was placed in the drug store is sure some food for thought.

Mama, I should have thought about this last night, but I was up late, and found myself nodding off at the computer. I will add this...

Pet co sells a pigeon mix called "Kaytee Paloma and dove mix" which has the right amount of pigeon seed and nutrients. The grocery store has some things you can add to the seed, such as lentils, split green beans (also found in the package bean section),yellow pop corn (not the cracked corn), and raw unshelled unsalted sunflower seeds (mainly as a treat). Raw unsalted peanuts are also enjoyed by some pigeons and you may have to break the up a bit. Safflower seeds are part of the pigeon blend, but you can buy this at most pet stores or feed stores and Walmart now has this seed available. I add just a little bit, as they too are high in calories.We have so much to offer in the way of food and seed/water additives, such as apple cider vinegar properly diluted in the water, but we can discuss this at a later point. Let's just get this pigeon settled in for now.

Good luck with your precious gift and till we talk again, have a great day.

Mama · #10 10th February 2007, 10:14 PM

As you can see, we have poops!
I saw it eat and drink so it seems to be getting comfortable in it's new home.
I was unable to run to the pet store on Sunday but I will try to today.
Work. Blegh.
Isn't it pretty?! I can only wonder why someone left it in the store the way that they did. Sure, they obviously knew someone would find it... but who was to say that the person who found it didn't just chuck it out into the streets to freeze? It was lucky that the person who took it home was me, an animal lover. The chance of that was slim... especially since most people in New York hate pigeons... so regardless of their reasons, it still wasn't right.
Oh well. Their loss!

PS - I am a "Mama" to a little destructive girl named Angie who is 15 months old. I couldn't think of a better username so I stuck with what I'm used to - Mama!

Victor · #11 10th February 2007, 10:25 PM

Hello Mama,

Thank you for posting a picture of your newly found white angel. It is a beauty too. It has good structure, the feet look good, the poops, well just a bit watery, but near normal. The pigeon has gone through some stress and change, but judging from the picture, it looks healthy.

TAWhatley · #12 10th February 2007, 11:00 PM

Mama,

What do you want to do here? You are free to adopt the bird if you like or we can help you find a home. Please let us know.

It's a most beautiful pigeon, and we all thank you for rescuing the bird.

Terry