Injured Pigeon

[Grayce]

A staff member picked up boxes of used books and brought them to my place of work last Tuesday for sorting. Yesterday we discovered that one of the boxes contained a live white pigeon. The box was just big enough for the bird and had a small mesh window on the side. The bird was covered in its feces. I wrapped him (?) in a towel for about half an hour. He was quite tame and let me rub him around his neck...with no attempts at nipping. However, he is having difficulty walking...falls on one side and spins himself in a circle. His feet and legs look okay, and he flaps his wings but doesn't fly. Needless to say, he is home with me. He is eating bird food, especially corn, and drinking and pooping. I have an area with towels for him to sleep, but he prefers to sleep wrapped in a towel whilst I hold him (for hours at times, my hand is numb My question(s), whew, is, what do I do now??? I'm prepared to keep him, but for how long, and then where do I take him?

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by Grayce

A staff member picked up boxes of used books and brought them to my place of work last Tuesday for sorting. Yesterday we discovered that one of the boxes contained a live white pigeon. The box was just big enough for the bird and had a small mesh window on the side. The bird was covered in its feces. I wrapped him (?) in a towel for about half an hour. He was quite tame and let me rub him around his neck...with no attempts at nipping. However, he is having difficulty walking...falls on one side and spins himself in a circle. His feet and legs look okay, and he flaps his wings but doesn't fly. Needless to say, he is home with me. He is eating bird food, especially corn, and drinking and pooping. I have an area with towels for him to sleep, but he prefers to sleep wrapped in a towel whilst I hold him (for hours at times, my hand is numb My question(s), whew, is, what do I do now??? I'm prepared to keep him, but for how long, and then where do I take him?

Grayce, thank you for taking in this bird. It sounds like to me that the birds is literally starving to death. I see this in lost race birds after going for a long time without feed. They loose a sense of balance. For now, until someone comes along with more suggestions, keeping him warm is very important. Can you describe what the poops look like, although I pretty much know what they look like with no food for so long. The spinning in circles could be one of a few things, but nourishment and hydration is of utmost importance right now. I saw your post and wanted to answer so you wouldn't give up on us. Others will be along shortly so hang in there. Can you tell us where you are located? Someone may be close by that can help with hands on. Good luck.

[Grayce]

Thanks Renee,
The poops are green with some white. I tried to bathe him to wash off all the dried poop that was all over him. He is still in my arms now and when I look down at him he closes his eyes. He is the sweetest bird.

[Grayce]

Also, I live in the Niagara Falls area, Canada.

[maryjane]

Hi Grayce, and welcome to the forum. Lucky for this little guy that you found him! I rescue lost-and-found pigeons and have had a some that came in similar to your situation, found when they are starving and weak. Fortunately, he is tame, which will make your caretaking much easier. A heat source is very important, which can be a heating pad set on low, or in a pinch, a sock full of uncooked rice can be microwaved and provides a safe heat source for a few hours. An infrared heating lamp placed well above him will also work. The most important thing to an injured or ill bird is heat, as they don't provide their own heat when ill, and a low body-temperature can lead to death before anything else. For those times when you're not able to hold him , I would get a small box (not much bigger than him), put the heating pad inside, and make a towel "doughnut" nest with a hole in the middle for him to sit in. When they're weak like this, I try to keep them still, as they don't need to be losing calories and energy by struggling to walk. As he gets his feet under him in the next few days and grows stronger, you will be able to let him have a bigger space.

There are many household products you can use to aid in his recovery, such as mixing two tablespoons of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (found at a health food store) to one gallon of water. Garlic is helpful but I am unsure of the amount; Treesa will be along shortly to help out in that area, I would think. Pedialyte is helpful to add to the water as well, but I'm not sure about the mix with the cider (again, someone else will be able to help with more information soon). As for food, bird seed is good if you have some. Some pet shops will sell a dove mix in the wild bird section, for $5-$10 usually. If not, you can give a mix of different seeds, as well as unsalted, unbuttered popcorn, or even soaked dog food if you're in a pinch, though this is not good long-term.

It sounds like once he is able to eat and drink and get his strength back, he will be okay. The unsteadiness is probably due to weakness, as I've seen with several birds that come to me starved. If he is not walking normally in a few days, then we can address that issue. If we know where you are located, we may have someone in your area that can help find a permanent home for him, or if not, eventually you could explore shipping options to a permanent home if you don't fall in love with him and keep him. Please ask any questions you may have and we'll do our best to help you and him out.

[Victor]

Hello Grayce and welcome to Pigeon Talk. Thank you for your interest in helping this poor pigeon in need.

It seems "tame" because it is ill and weak. Pigeons are strong and hearty birds but when they are down on their luck they will act nice...quiet and not attempt to flee or peck.

You say the droppings are green and white. I imagin the consistency is most likely watery? A normal one would resemble a drop pf cookie dough, with green or brown and a spot of white (urates) in the center basically.

As Renee stated, please keep it warm, preferably with a heating pad set on low if you have one, and place a light towel on top. Keep him/her in a quiet isolated spot and allow the pigeon to get off the warm spot it it so desires.

Is he drinking enough water on its own?

What are you feeing him now?

I see Mary Ann posted above me, yes ACV water is the greatest thing.

[Grayce]

Thanks Maryjane.
I made a shoulder sling so I can walk around with him and provide him with body heat. Also, when I rub his chest area it feels like he's "purring" (not all the time). Could there be something wrong with his lungs?

[Grayce]

Victor,
He just made a fuss and I realized he had pooped in the towel. This poop was more like a drop of cookie dough! He is eating bird food (I steady him as he eats) and takes a sip or two of water.

[Victor]

That is a good sign Grayce.

He is eating...great.

Please provide him with water in a deep dish as they use their beak using the straw method to drink.

[Lovebirds]

I think that for now, the heat and supportive care is what is called for. We certainly don't want to go pumping meds into him for no reason. I suppose this is a feral bird? No band of any kind on it's legs? Also, like Victor stated, they calmness you see in the bird is due to it's condition. It could remain calm or get it's strength back and really start putting up a fuss. You'll have take that a day at a time.
I can not for the life of me imagine someone putting a LIVE bird in a box and just leaving it to die. Can you give us any other details on that? You mentioned a wire mesh window. I'm just wondering if this was done on purpose or if maybe the box the bird was in got misplaced or picked up by mistake? I guess at this point it probably doesn't matter. What matters is you found the bird and were kind enough to care for it.

[Grayce]

Renee,
I'm going to be naive and say that someone picked up the box by mistake. I don't even want to guess how long he was in that box before we got it. Anyhow, thanks everyone for your help. I made a box for him with towels and an extra donut towel. He also has a deeper water bowl. The box is on a heat register in the kitchen as I'm going to bake some cookies and want him near me. I'll keep you posted as to his progress. Your help and expertise is greatly appreciated!! I

[Lovebirds]

Well, it sounds like you are doing all you can for him and we ALL appreciate that. We will be here if you need anything or have other questions. It's very seldom that you can post and not get an answer in a short time. Baking cookies.........mmmm..that sounds good.!! LOL

[Lady Tarheel]

Grayce, welcome to the forum and many thanks for caring about this bird. If someone went to the trouble to cut a breathing area in the box and cover it with a screen they must have intended to do something for him, at least initially. In any event, he is a lucky little fellow to have been found by you.

As others have mentioned, warmth is the key to his survival right now and hydration. Without knowing how long it has been since he had water, I would make up a rehydrating solution of about 1 cup water with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Pedialyte is good also. Try to get him to drink this as much as you can. I know you worry about him eating but getting his body temperature regulated and getting him hydrated are the biggest concerns for the next few hours.

Be careful in placing him directly on a heating pad. There needs to be something like a folded towel between the pad and his body to keep him from overheating.

Your sling with him against your body is the best tho!

[JGregg]

Make sure that the heating pad is set on low. Higher settings will facilitate dehydration and add to your rescue's problems.

The bird sounds like it may have PMV1 to me. If you have other birds please keep the pigeon isolated from them and practice hand washing.

[AZWhitefeather]

Welcome Grayce.
Thank you for taking in this sweet pij.
It sounds like you have things under control.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do post them as there is usually someone on at any given time.

When time permits, & your new found friend is settled in, would it be possible to post a picture?
We love pictures.

Thanks again for all you're doing & please keep us posted.

Cindy