Help, I found a baby (?) pidgeon yesterday!

[Reti]

Doesn't sound like all is right with the baby. I don't like the fact that he doesn't respond with excitement to the feedings and he doesn't have too many poops.
Make sure the temperature of the feed is not too cold or too hot. It should be about 100F.
Also the water you are giving him should be on the warmer side. You can add a drop of apple cider vinegar to the water and formula. Make sure he is kept warm in his environment and please let us know how the baby is doing.

Reti

[azuur]

Thank you Reti. I think it might be the temperature of the food and water. I have been leaving them next to the shoebox (changing them daily, of course), but didn't wonder about heating them. The pigeon itself is warm, he is under a lamp, although he has some socks put over the box if he wants to hide and sleep.

Furthermore, I just finished talking to 'Palomar Alamos' on the phone (Alamos Pigeon Home. Alamos is a neighborhood on the western edge of the city). They told me that there is no kind of baby bird formula currently in the market, so I should keep making my own. Also I asked them about releasing the pigeon into the wild and they said they could do it for me. They have flocks that go by there, and they could help my pigeon get integrated with one. I didn't understand all of what they said, but basically they know their stuff. They told me to call back if I needed help. It was very good.

The pigeon woke up fine today, but sleepy in the same way as yesterday. I will try warming the food the next time I feed him. I still am wondering about the growth spurts and that, but I'm more at ease with the pigeons situation. He seems healthy overall, even if he is sleepy.

Anyhow, I will post, tonight or tomorrow, a report on how the warming the food and syringe force feeding are doing. Thanks for the advice, Adrian.

[Reti]

If you warm up the food in the microwave make sure the food doesn't get any "hot spots" that could burn his crop. I stir their food with my finger to make sure the temperature is ok. Also check the temperature where he is staying, he should not get overheated or get too cold. As he grows feathers he needs less heat.

Reti

[rzuur]

i'm a little concerned about releasing the pigeon into the wild, the one i had because extremely tame and would land on anyones head who was in the house. also if allowed to would land near my cats (we generally made sure the cats where locked out of the room the pigeon was in). it doesn't seem ethical to me to set a bird free if it is so tame it will be eaten right away by a predator. maybe not all hand fed pigeons get so tame though?

[azuur]

I weighed him approximately by comparing him with water. I think he weighs about 60 grams.

Reneé, I've read things on the internet, from here and other places, about birds released back into the wild. I think it's possible, although maybe too hard in some cases (like yours). Anyway, like I said, I found a pigeon home that knows how to do it. If it's not possible to release him into the wild safely, they can keep him and care for him well. However, I would like to hear more about this issue.

[Lady Tarheel]

Hi rzuur

No, not all hand fed babies become tame. We have rehabilitated many over the past 14 years and while they may be very tame initially, if they are put with other pigeons for a couple of months prior to release many become wild and want nothing more to do with you.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some become too tame for release. These are the birds that will continue to fly down to you in an aviary no matter how long they have been in there with other pigeons. We never release those.

[rzuur]

Originally Posted by Lady Tarheel

Hi rzuur

No, not all hand fed babies become tame. We have rehabilitated many over the past 14 years and while they may be very tame initially, if they are put with other pigeons for a couple of months prior to release many become wild and want nothing more to do with you.

that is good to know. thank you

[azuur]

I will write something quick. I tried syringe force feeding warm food. It worked great. He was more alert than other times I fed him, and I heard him chirp, the first time in the last day or two, I think.

I have a question on syringe force feeding. When I try it, it seems that the pigeon doesn't open his beak wide enough to get any substantial amount of food in his body. This is why I was being careful about only feeding him this way, and why I was still feeding him with my hand. However, the pigeon does eat, and it looks like he's being satisfied with the food. My question is, am I doing the syringe force feeding right, or should the beak be wide open?

Anyway, right now I'm going to my Japanese class. I'll be back in two hours.

[Reti]

I had only two birds opening their beaks wide to eat, the rest all put up a fuss.
As long as you get food down it's ok.

Reti

[JGregg]

I think that it is a good idea to prepare a fresh batch of food for each feeding, so you can avoid feeding the baby food with bacterial growth in it.

[azuur]

Warm food made a great difference! Last night when I fed him, he was very active. He was chirping and flapping his wings and seemed to be very alive.

Thank you all for your help. Right now I feel I know how to care for this baby pigeon.

I will post on this forum as soon as I have a question (which might be sooner than expected). Bye for now, Adrian.

[Reti]

I am so glad he is doing better.
We appreciate the updates.

Reti

[azuur]

Hello, it's me again. I just wanted to say that today the pigeon is trying to stand up. It's exciting. Today his legs seemed to be too long for his body. When I tried feeding him, we had a hard time getting him to stay still and be somewhat comfortable. He stretched his feet and it looked like he was having problems today. However, a few minutes ago when I fed him he tried standing up. He wasn't very successful, but now I understand why he was so uncomfortable. That's all for now.

[azuur]

I have sad news. The pigeon just died. I went to the stadium to a soccer game. My mother fed it while I was away. When I tried feeding him after I got back, his neck was very weak. His face fell in front of him: Immediately my father and I got in the car, and took him to a vet. Just before we got there, he died. I'm not clear about why he died, but he did. It's sad, I was fond of that bird by now. Well, thank you all for your help. Good luck to all of you.

[Reti]

Oh no, I am so sorry.
You did your best and really took good care of this little sweetie.
There might have been something wrong with him from the beginning, we will never know.

Reti