Found Baby Pigeon!!

[Cyn79]

Hey guys! It has been awhile! I hope all is well with everyone. I have been busy with work and going back to school. Plus helping my BFF Kristen deal with the issue of my God daughter. Things have been a little tuff but I have been able to keep my head above water.

So anyway today my boyfriend called me from work, he works at Lowes. There was a young pigeon inside the store he has to get out. So he caught it and put it outside. Then when he noticed it was still hanging around he called me. I told him first to try to shoo it away to see if it would fly away. It did not. So then he told me it looks really young and even stills have a little yellow down showing out of the feathers. Fearing it would get killed in the parking a lot he put it in a box and now it is here.

I'm not sure of the age but if I had to guess I would say it was almost a month old. It's has all it feather, a little down showing, and it's tail feather is only about 2 inches long.

I have it in a box on my back porch, I don't want to bring it in the house just yet because of Reign. I gave it fresh food and water but I don't think it is eating on it own yet.

So what should I being doing? Is there a specail kind of bath I can give it for fleas and so on. Should I spray it down with my parakeet mite spray. Should I force feed it if it doesn't eat...???

I need a little help...

[Reti]

Thank you and your boyfriend for helping this little one.
Definately feed him if he is not eating on his own.
You can spray him with your parakeet mite spray to get rid of any bugs.

Reti

[Cyn79]

Here is a picture...

[Reti]

Oh, what a cutie. He looks healthy.
He should be able to eat on his own, maybe he just doesn't know how yet. Offer him some seeds and play with your fingers with the seeds, he might get interested.
Have you tried to dip his beak in water? He definately should know how to drink.
Anyways, let him peck at some seeds and then supplement with some additional food, formula or peas or whatever you have available, in a few days he will be eating on his own.

Reti

[Cyn79]

Well I just fed him/her some Exact until the crop was nice and full. The poor thing is all skin and bones. Also spray her/him down with Scalex Mite & Lice Spray for birds.

I'm open to anything else anyone can tell me...

Should I keep it outside for the night???

[maryjane]

He really is a cutie. I would keep him inside with you, just keep him in a separate room from any other birds, and make sure to wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap after touching him or any of "his stuff". He would undoubtedly get off to a good start if you could hang onto him for a few more days until he learns for sure to eat on his own, and put on a bit of weight.

[TAWhatley]

That's a darling youngster! Good on you for the rescue! If the box is his/her place for right now, you need to get an old towel, T-shirt or something down on the bottom for some traction.

Terry

[Charis]

Cyn...I've found it very helpful to put a mirror in the cage or box, with single pigeons...they don't feel so alone. I think the best would be to keep the pigeon until it's eating really well on his/her own, which realistically will be more than a few days and then follow the safe release procedure.
This is a very good thing you've done, rescuing this cutie.

[Cyn79]

Well so far the pigeon seems to be doing well. Though I did see lots of creepy crawlies on him/her. I hope that spray helps with all of that. I fed it some more Exact this morning and I did put an old towel in with him/her but then threw it out with the trash this morning replacing it with another one.

My boyfriend told me it was last week they set the pigeon out of the store. He just saw it yesterday at the spot he left it. Though it is very thin I wonder if the parent were still taking care of it. The little guy can't not fly at all though. He said he was suprise to see it and that it was still alive.