Do they have diseases?

[hankreuter]

I found an pigeon and am trying to nurse it back to health, and your posts are very informative, I think it's about 17 days old. What I want to know is this: do they have diseases that I need worry about? I have a 17-month old son and pregnant wife, so obviously I need to worry about keeping them safe from any potential illness. Anybody know? -Hank

[pdpbison]

Hi Hank,



What is going on with your little Pigeon for you to be trying to nurse him back to health?


As for diseases Pigeons can have, the short answer is -


Wash your hands WELL "before" handling any Baby or young Birds...and, if the Bird is conspicuously sick, of course wash your hands after, also...or wash your hands after anyway, just to be tidy.


The very few illnesses Pigeons can have which we could get, are rare...and incidence of anyone getting them is about one tenth o one twentieth that of being hit by Lightning.



The illnesses we can give them, are far more a matter of concern.


Human saliva ( as with Cat or Dog saliva or people-children saliva ) can kill a Baby or young Bird.


Any time one has touched any people children, Dogs, or Cats, Hamsters or any other Animals, or one's own mouth, it is important to wash one's hands well before handling any young Birds.


Anyway, any average Cat 'litter box' just by being in a house, presents a real, actual and potentially very serious danger to any pregnant women, just so you know...


Any Ketchup Bottle, Door push, or Salt Shaker at any restaurant or school cafeteria, is thousands of times more 'dangerous' for people, than even conspicuously sick Pigeons are, as far as anything you can get by touching or handling...


So, just basic old fashiond hand-washing, common sense, if handling sick Birds do not put your fingers into your mouth, nose or eyes or handle other Birds untill you have washed your hands well...and regard the safety of the Bird from people-germs or other germs we can transmit to them...



Change to clean bottom cloths daily, for any Sick Bird Cage...as with change to clean water and Food, daily, disinfecting the feed and water Bowls nightly.



...is about all one needs to be fine.




Phil
l v

[John_D]

Originally Posted by hankreuter

I found an pigeon and am trying to nurse it back to health, and your posts are very informative, I think it's about 17 days old. What I want to know is this: do they have diseases that I need worry about? I have a 17-month old son and pregnant wife, so obviously I need to worry about keeping them safe from any potential illness. Anybody know? -Hank

Hi

As Phil says, what health problem does the pigeon have? Could be relevant to your question.

If a pigeon (or a parrot, cockatiel, budgerigar and several others) suffers from 'psittacosis' (Ornithosis in non-Parrot like birds) then it is possible for close contact without sensible hygeine to cause a human problem. Not a very commonly encountered illness, though, in my experience.

If a pigeon has paramyxovirus (Pigeon PMV-1) then lack of the sensible precautions Phil details could just conceivably, if rubbing one's eyes after handling the sick pigeon, cause conjunctivitis. (As can the vaccine for it).

Only other possible problem is not an illness of pigeons, but an allergic reaction in people to feather dust and other particles - this also applies just as much to anyone who keeps cage birds as pets, however. So, birds are best not kept in a room which is used for a large proportion of the day.

John