HELP - A baby pigeon refuse to eat!

[HitchHiker]

Thanks Gingerpoo, that's great help!

I have this exact model at home and I will now go to liquidize anything I can find from your list.

There is no blood on the baby and he is now pretty active, running around in circles in his box and trying to jump out from time to time....

I don't thing his eyes are too foggy. Please see the attached pics.

I think he is very hungry. Last time I fed him he soaked his entire beak in the liquid and drank like crazy, finishing 2/3 of an espresso cup! The chest bone is quite sharp and not a lot of meat around it. I guess it will get better after I give him the correct food...

As for the weather, don't worry about it. it's hot and sunny all the time. about 91 degrees (33 Celsius), so I don't think I should warm it more than that...

Thanks again for the help, I'll keep you posted on developments.

[HitchHiker]

Hi Lovebirds,

You are lucky to be able to open these babies mouth... I couldn't do it. Therefore, I don't know the color inside.

[cyro51]

Hitchhiker, please try to have a look in the mouth. I have a baby woodpigeon with a bare throat and he has canker...if your baby has canker he will need treatment urgently.

PM me your address and I will post some meds to you immediately, just in case you need them. This video shows how I open a pigeon's mouth. It really isn't difficult.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU1SO0ZJoow

Cynthia

[gingerpoo]

one more thing to add to the mix of possible things you might have is oats.
and yes please take a quick peek into the mouth. its kinda like opening a cat or dogs mouth but takes way less effort. use your thumb and pointer finger and apply pressure on each side of his beak where his beak and head meet (sides of his mouth) and then the other hand will slip a finger into the opening at the front. the video above did a nice job of demonstrating this process.

[maryjane]

Thanks for caring for this baby. As someone mentioned, he is not squeaking in anger at you, so no worries there (they only squeak in hunger, excitement, or fear). I know you tried the balloon method, my method is a tiny bit different but I have found amazing results with it:

http://picasaweb.google.com/awrats3333/BabyFeeding

Of course that is if you have the baby bird formula. I don't see that it was mentioned, but you can also soak high quality dog biscuits or dog kibble in warm water until soft (usually takes about an hour) and feed him bits of this, short-term. Using your grinder, you can make a mix of this if you have it, along with some of the peas, and some birdseed if you have any. When I have to open a reluctant beak, I very gently use my fingernail (they're pretty short) or thumbnail to pry open the beak. After a few days of this, he will likely get the idea and start opening his beak for you. You can also try using damp fingers around his beak to trigger him to open it, and pop the food in. I hope he catches on and you are able to have an easier time of it with him, soon. And of course, I hope he feels better and gets some meat on him.

[HitchHiker]

Thanks for all the great advices. I learn a lot from all of you. Please keep going. what may seems elementary for you, is a whole new world for me.

As for the little baby, I mixed the following:
1. Brown peas
2. White peas
3. Barley
4. Hummus
5. Birds mix

I grind it to dust and than mixed with some olive oil and warm water (didn't let it soak for a while though.... ) I tried to feed the baby with the paste both last night and this morning (it's GMT-2 here). Last night he ate some but this morning, again, he refuses to eat. Is there anything else I should add to make it better?
Also, how often should I feed him? how much? do they eat at night? do they sleep?

I'll try the beak opening technique I saw here and will report the inside of his beak.

As for his eyes, someone asked if they are foggy. I checked with better light this morning and I afraid they are... What does this mean?

Please share with me any piece of information you think may help this baby!


thx

[HitchHiker]

ok, I managed to force open the little beak. It's all pink inside. I don't know how canker looks like (it sounds terrible, by the way) but it looks ok to me.

As for the feeding, the baby still does not want to eat. I tried to open the beak as shown in Cyro video, but it keeps shaking his head from side to side and back and forth, making this impossible. Eventually, I managed to put some food in his mouth with a syring (this time I soaked it in hot water for about 30 minutes before feeding). He ate about 6-7cc of the paste.

Can someone please tell me how much do they eat in every meal, and how often should I feed him?

As for the squeaking, it does not sound like excitement to me. It's probably fear. I expected him to get used to me already (I try to feed him for the past 3 days already...) Would that ever happen?


Thanks

[gingerpoo]

from the pictures you posted and what i can see..., his pupils look very dilated for the amount of light around him (I may be very wrong, the pictures are a bit blurry).. I am concerned he might be blind, and i would recommend taking him into a dark-ish room and then shining a flashlight into his eyes very briefly to see if his pupils contract.

He may also just have an eye infection which might be part of the reason his eyes may look foggy.

Fingers crossed.

is the hummus you used just the garbanzo bean? or is it the paste (already been made) because the prepared hummus may have a lot of salt and other things added to it.

Really the best thing would be to find a sterile syringe to feed him with. sometimes pet stores will carry them, or you might be able to go to a medical place and ask for one and explain your situation.
One other option.. would be getting a baby's 'nasal aspirator' or 'snot sucker'


cutting the tip back a little and soaking it in nice warm water each time you use it, and then using it like a syringe, putting the tip into the birds mouth (preferably into the back of his mouth) and letting it dribble out slowly or very gently squeezing it.

as far as him shaking his head.. try cupping the back of his head with say your right palm.. and use your right hand fingers to keep the beak open, this should give you a little more control. hope this makes sense. Also when feeding.. try wrapping him up in a light towel and hold him close. (I find its easiest to sit down, and place him on your lap and hold him up against your stomach

here is a picture of what trichomaniasis/canker looks like



and if by some chance you do see these nasty yellow chunky things in his mouth ever, dont try to pick them off.. they can start to bleed.

[HitchHiker]

Hi Gingerpoo

First of all, the hummus I used is beans, not paste.

I do use a syringe for the feeding now. It was sterile when I first used it, but I guess it's not so sterile now... Anyway, I hold his back and wings with my left hand, putting gentle pressure so he wont move. Than I lean the right hand side of his beak on my left thumb and with my right hand I gently open the left side of the beak with the tip of the syringe. Once the tip is in, I push the syringe gently and let the food come out into his mouth. I than take it out, release the baby and let him swollow. I repeat that until he eats the entire content of the syringe.

As for the eyes - I don't think he is blind. He keeps staring at me and if I turn him around he turns his head (at a frighting angle, that is) and looks directly at me. I will try to do the dark room test you suggested, but I don't think blindness is the case here.

[gingerpoo]

just be sure not too give him too much at once cause he can breath it into his lungs and get sick. so just little amounts at a time.
it sounds to me like you're doing everything great!
and sometimes it will take a few days for a baby to recognize that you're the food source and relax at bit more.
=)

[HitchHiker]

Hi everyone, here's an update:
The good news are that I found a way to feed the baby. He doesn't like too much yet, but at least it goes down...
I give him a mixture of the following grains: Peas (black&white), Barley, Hummus and Birds mixture. All grinded to dust and boiled together to softness. The result is a warm (and not very tasty) paste.
I use a syringe and feed him with a method I developed with your good advice.

Now here is a fresh set of questions:
1. Is the mixture enough? should I add anything to it (egg yolk, oil)?
2. How do I know if it's tasty for him? does it matter?
3. Do they feel taste? smell?
4. Why doesn't he WANT to eat? it's a strugle every time...
5. Most important: how much should I feed him and how often?

Thanks!

[cyro51]

The mixture sounds fine to me.

Birds have very few taste buds, and the food that they like would taste awful to you.

I wouldn't add oil or egg yolk, at his age he would (ideally) be on diet that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat...although ferals often have to settle for a high fat diet because that is the food that we eat and discard. You could add just a half teaspoon of chopped lettuce once a day.

At that age I feed about 30 mls three times a day, going up gradually to 40 mls ...keep your eye on the crop, when the pigeon is full it should feel soft like a 3/4 filled balloon.

Cynthia

[HitchHiker]

What is Crop?
Where is it?
How do I find it?

thx

[gingerpoo]

Its the first place the food will go when you feed him. Its a storage place for food so his parents dont have to feed him quite so often. After you feed him you should actually see a little bulge form on the front of him. and yes it should feel like a partially filled balloon. and never too full so it looks/feels like it could pop.

[HitchHiker]

Thanks again, Gingerpoo, you're like a pigeon encyclopedia!
Are you sure about the 30cc though? isn't that a lot? I gave him about 10cc this morning and he acted as if it is far too much (trying to escape me, by foot or wing). Also, I tried to feel his crop and felt something soft at his front but I'm not sure it's not the soft feathers covering this area... How can I tell the difference?

I can see he is now much stronger than he was when I found him. He's squeaking much louder and waves his wings (also jumps of my hand and crashes from time to time...). It is now a little easier to feed him, but I think it's because I became better at this, and not he likes it or anything (???)

When and how is he supposed to learn how to fly? find food by himself? leave home?

Also, is it ok he's in a box (in a quiet part of the house) all day with short breaks for feeding? should I put him somewhere else?