I too, found a baby pigeon, took him home

[amamuffin]

i found a pigeon two days ago. im feeding him with a syringe but no tube. today i was able to feed him by myself, my mom usually helps me out but she was not here today. im scared of injecting food in the tracheea, really paranoid about that. today he ate more than usual, like 4 syirnges and was asking for more. i think he is about 2 weeks old. he is really sweet, falls asleep in my cupped hands and squeecks.
also, today i heard other than a sqeeck like a deeper sound, was that coming from the lungs? are his lungs full of food? how can i tell? i try to insert the food in through the syringe but he keeps on moving his head.
he does peck around but he does not eat on his own yet. is his normal?
he had sooo many mites as well, whe i picked him up, mites started crawling on my arms, yuck. but i got rid of them, got mite spray for birds and it worked. he seems really healthy, no broken wing (i think he did fall from a nest thoguh) and he opens up his wings as well, as if he wants to exercise. any advice? im feeding him kaytee mix right now. what about water? is the water in kaytee mix enough?
many thanks
ama

[Birdmom4ever]

Thank you so much for taking in this baby. If you mix the Kaytee thin enough to go through the syringe, it should provide enough water for him, too. Is this Kaytee Exact for hand-feeding chicks? At that age, feeding three or four times a day should be enough. Do you know where the crop is? It's that pouch at the front of their breast. When you feed him it should feel kind of squishy and nicely full, but not hard. If you are feeding him by putting the tip of the syringe in his mouth and squeezing slowly, you shouldn't get it in his windpipe. For some excellent hand-feeding instructions see these links, if you haven't found them already:

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pi...nge_method.htm

http://members.aol.com/duiven/medical/feedbaby.htm

http://www.internationaldovesociety....eedinghelp.htm

The other thing is to keep the baby warm. Place him in a small animal carrier or box lined with an old towel atop of heating pad set on "low."

If a pigeon, especially a youngster is dehydrated, you call tell by their eyes. You'll notice they blink slowly and their eyes look kind of "sleepy." If that's the case, you can give him a little extra water using a dropper.

[bklowe]

Thanks for taking care of this little one. The Kaytee is fine, we feed our orphan's with a " kitten " nursing bottle with the nipple cut back close to the lid [ pigeons drink sort of like us ] so that the bird can stick it's beak in the hole and feed. The formula may dribble a bit but it should work fine. Keep s/he warm .... we use a cardboard box with a towel-wrapped heating pad beneath the box, set on low. Feed about every two hours dawn til dusk.

[amamuffin]

hi, wow , thank you both for replying so fast. may name is ama and i live in NYC. i am starting my 3 rd year of college tomorrow so unfortunately the feeding will have to resume to only 2 feedings a day
feeding my pigeon feels so rewarding. he is so qute and helpless and a pure being, that's why i picked it up. he did not ask to be born and did not want darwin's theory to be the case here. some poeple said, well, there are too many pigeons in the world anyway at which i replied, and so are people. 3 yars ago i found a hamster (red+white) in the subway station, it looked so scared and was so cute but did not know where to go. someone must have dropped him off there to get frindly with the rats? anyway so my mom went home to get a shoe box and i stayed there with him. some guy came up and told me he had a huge fish tank he wanted to get rid off and went to his house to pick it up while my mom watched the hamster in the shoe box at home. we had it for about 1-2 years, he let him free in the house, he had such a cute face, loved those little beady eyes. he made a hole to our apartment door, rather ate through the door rubber are at the bottom of the door. some neighbor found it once but the next time he ran away we no longer found it. doors in my building dont end all the way at the ground but rather 3 inches above the ground.. im so afraid he went to someone else's place and people here usually have cats because there are no dogs allowed. aww((
anyway, so i have a huge cat now and he knows my pigeon is in my room, i have to be so careful. the tank has a lid which is good.
how will i teach the pigeon to fly? when do i release it? will it come to my window (i live on the 10th floor) after i release it? should i release it through the window or go downsatirs in the park, in the presence of many pigeons? i am sad i have to let it go when he matures. how tame to they get? i think he thinks my hands are mommy and wants to fall asleep between my couped palms. he pecks at them too. i want this story to have a good ending.
thanks again for your help, i will check in for postings from you everyday. i have a computer available to me at all times.
do any of you have pigeons as a hobby?
thanks)
ama

[Birdmom4ever]

LOL, many of us have pigeons as a hobby! I currently have 76 of them.

About releasing your little pigeon: he will be so bonded to humans it won't be safe to release him, as he'll go to anyone for food and won't know how to fend for himself. If you can't keep him you'll need to find a suitable home for him. Pigeons aren't wild, they're feral and non-native to North America, so it's not against the law to keep them. Hopefully one of our NYC members can help or will be able to take him once he is weaned.

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by amamuffin

how will i teach the pigeon to fly? when do i release it? will it come to my window (i live on the 10th floor) after i release it? should i release it through the window or go downsatirs in the park, in the presence of many pigeons? i am sad i have to let it go when he matures. how tame to they get? i think he thinks my hands are mommy and wants to fall asleep between my couped palms. he pecks at them too. i want this story to have a good ending.
do any of you have pigeons as a hobby?
thanks)
ama

Hello and Welcome to Pigeons.com

Thank you for taking such an active role and care in this youngsters life.

The youngster will teach itself to fly when it gets older. You should let it fly indoors so it can practice flying alot. Pigeons make excellent pets, especially if they bond to you ,like this one is bonding to you.
I have 48 pigeons, 2 pet pigeons, 40 homers, and 6 show pigeons.

[amamuffin]

hi again,
this is awesome. what an active forum. i am glad i found it.
ok, another question, i would like to get a band for my pigeon. i read it is not legal in US. is anything legal in this country?... so many restrictions.
does anyone know how i can get a band and why getting a band is illegal or why keeping a pigeon is illegal in US?
the porblem is i have a huge active cat whose eyes spark when he hears the pigeon sqeaking in my room. i live in a small 3 bedroom apartment in nyc, not very easy.
so, i can't set the pigeon free in two weeks when he would be about 1 months old? is that 100%? what if i relese it in a flock of pigeons? would my pigeon just come back to me? do your pigeons fly away and come back? do you live in a house or apartment with balcony?this is all new to me. my dad had a friend that had tens of pigeos on his balcony and home and when he had to move they still kept on coming back to that same balcony...
thanks for advice
i will post a video of my pigeon on my website in a couple of days, i will let you know...

[bklowe]

Hi Ama,
It is not illegal to keep a pigeon as a pey in the U.S. However landlords usually have rule about pets. It is also not illegal to band your pigeon. Bands can be purchased from pigeon / bird supply bussinesses, there are some online, just search for Pigeon Supplies on your search engine.
Hand raised feral pigeons will usually return to that location if set free. You are in an apartment building .... do you have pigeon that live on the roof there?
Keep fresh water and seed in s/he's container, monitor the water level in the container, put the seed in a pile in a specific corner .... if the water level goes down and the seeds are scattered this indicates s/he is self feeding.