i've found a pigeon!

[lee1234]

hi, i rescued a pigeon today from my local canal, it must have fallen from the railway bridge near by.It was compleatly egsausted from trying to stay above water, so i brought it home. i've been reading some of the post's on what to do but i still have a few questions. any help would be much appreciated.
( i've put the pigeon in a cage with an old t-**** because it was wet, i keep 2 parakeets so i have used some of my parakeets food an put it in a dish, and some water in a bowl and added some liquid multi vitamin drops that contain vitamin D3. i've put a heater near to the cage and the pigeon is sat next to it.
he's dry now and seems to be gaining strenth, but he hasnt had any food or drink yet.)

if the pigeon has any kind of illness, can it pass this on to my parakeets?

how can i tell how old it is ?

the pigeon seems to have fluff all over its head, its a greeny-yellow colour, looks a little bit like small stands of grass. does anyone know what this is?

can i catch anything of this pigeon? (illness)

when should i let it go ?

thanks guys!

[cyro51]

Hi Lee,

Well caught!

From the fuzzy bits it sounds like a baby that has fallen from the nest and straight into the water. Sadly that happens a lot when they nest under bridges.

You should always isolate any new birds from your own pets, whether they are wild or purchased, because there are diseases that are common to all birds.

AS long as you wash your hands after handling it

The baby may not be able to feed itself yet, you might have to hand feed it initially, making a paste out of the parakeet seed and something like soaked dog biscuits.

Can you let us know where you are? There may be a member nearby who can help.

It should be able to eat by itself, forage for food and fly strongly before it is released.

Cynthia

[lee1234]

hi thanks for the info ! : )

i am in Wigan, in the UK.

would keeping them in seperate cages, in the same room be okay??

any more details on how to make this paste?

i have a sringe ( no needle on it ) could i use that to feed him ?

dam! he's doing water'y yellow poop. what should i do ?

thanks for your help !!! lee.

[cyro51]

Hi Lee,

You are about 36 miles from Helen, she is in Blackburn but not very active at the moment.

A 1 ml syringe would be too small to feed a pigeon of that size, it would take forever.

Come to think of it I am not actually certain what seeds your parakeet mix has...do you have a list of contents? I have assumed that it would be similar to wild bird seed in which case I would remove the sunflower seed and put the other seeds in a blender with moistened wholemeal bread or dog biscuits and roll the resulting mix into pellets which can be placed inside the pigeon's beak.

Otherwise just roll moistened wholemeal bread into pellets and feed him those for tonight.

Another option for tomorrow (if you have a corn store near you) is to get some chick starter crumbs, soak then in hot water for half an hour (half water and half chick crunms). If you want to use a syringe to feed the cake of crumbs atht you will end up with then make it a 5ml syringe with the tip cut off. You will need to give it 30 to 40 mls three times a day.

I prefer to keep new birds in separate rooms, just to spare myself the anxiety, but if the pigeon is sneezing then it is very important to keep it in a separate room!

Cynthia

PS Just saw the photos, definitely a squeaker and so cute! I am so grateful to you for saving it.

[lee1234]

thanks dude, your being very helpfull : )

"little blue" has just done his first poop and it doesnt look good. its water'y and yellow what should i do ?

my bird seed contains- striped sunflower seeds, white sunflower seeds, natural groats, whole maize, milo, monkey nuts, paddy rice, peanuts, pine nuts, safflower seeds, pumkin seeds and whole chillies.

cheers, lee.

[cyro51]

Watery yellow poops are not good, but it could be stress. A good pro biotic would help. Avipro if you have it or can get!

Of the parakeet mix I would offer the milo and the safflower seed and would get some wild bird seed tomorrow.

Dip his beak in the water to make certain that he knows how to drink.

Cynthia

[lee1234]

he's had a good drink from the sringe (i put the muti vitamin drops in it) and is moving arround alot more. i cant get him to eat anything yet he's definatly not happy about being hand fed. i'll get him used to the sringe and make some paste.

if i contact th RSPCA will thy look after him ?

thank you so much your a star ! : )

lee.

[pdpbison]

Hi Lee,


Pigeons this age, if one is gentle with them, can readily respond to our overtures for feeding them, if we do the correct things, and if we do them in their 'language'.

Always have your hands lower than their Eyes, and always move slowly and gently.

Have the Bird's set-up at around your own shoulder height or so, or a little less.

If you dip your fingertips into warm water, and ( with one hand I mean, ) gently massage his Beak, and if you also, in a low slow voice hummm or voice a sort of "ooooOOOooo!" sound a few times, and then do his Beak 'massage', he will almost certainly 'nuzzle' inquisitively to ask if you really mean it...and so if you do it again, it will encourage him accept that you might mean it, and to nuzzle and probe your finger tips with his Beak.

Normally, they eat by inserting their Beak into the throat of their Parent...and, with this being their natural mode, they will readily eat correctly prepared foods presented to them in the hollow of a Baby Nipple.



At this point, if he 'squeaks' and 'nuzzles', then he is willing to let you feed him in his terms of it...and from here it gets a little more complicated.

This Bird can be self-feeding in-a-day or two, but for him TO do so, it would be best if you could feed him properly in HIS terms, first. Then he will trust you and you can work with him on toward his pecking and all the rest of it.

I would be glad to send you some info in the regular e-mail if you like. For which, just e-mail me, at mine -

pdp1@earthlink.net


Meanwhile, get some plain Canary Seed or Finch Seed to have handy a.s.a.p.


Now too, the 'yellowy' poop, if it is yellow urates, might signal Canker or it's relates illnesses, for which this little Pigeon would need the appropriate medicines and fast.

So, by all means, get with Helen or other able Bird people in your area, and either hand the youngster over to them, or get from them the meds and the regimin for useing them. If there are any sympathetic Avian Vets in your area, you may be able to obtain the appropriate meds from them.

ASPCA and their likes have neither the time or interest to care for these Birds, so usually handing the Bird to them is as good as killing it.

This Bird should be a fairly easy deal, if he is cared for correctly and deferentially.

If you wish to continue to care for this Bird, you will need to have them a few weeks, and for them to be able to develope their flying indoors without constraint untill they are ready for release.

As well as to make sure, NOW, that they are either evaluated technically to determine if they have Canker, or to simply treat for it, whether they definitively have it or not.


Best wishes!

Phil
Las Vegas

[lee1234]

hi thanks for all your advice guys.... : )

i bought some plain canary seed and hes eating it! : ) he's eating it out of his bowl and pecking it up of the floor of the cage.

his poops look fine now.

what do i do next? i relly need to get "little blue" back to the wild as soon a posible : )

cheers guys i would be lost without you!

lee.

[alvin]

Hi Lee.

It looks like Little Blue is just a bit too young to be released quite yet. You may have to feed him up a little for a while.

[cyro51]

I am glad he is progressing!

The RSPCA would most likely put him down if you handed him over.

If you really can't look after him I will ask around to see if any members in your area can help. In the meantime can you give him a little spray of clean water every two days? That will ensure that his feathering is waterproof when you release him.

Cynthia

[lee1234]

i will look after him untill he is ready, its not too much trouble. i could just do with knowing how long it will be untill he is ready??

can i leave him in the cage outside during the day ??

i'll defo give him a spay : )

cheers . lee.

[cyro51]

If the cage is predator proof then I would have him outside for part of the day, that wasy he will remain acclimatised and also get some beneficial daylight.

Cynthia

[arnieismybaby]

Lee, that is an adorable baby you've rescued. I wish I lived close enough to collect him and then pass him onto someone knowledgable in looking after pigeons. I know from experience that the caring RSPCA collect pigeons, but then have them "put to sleep".

Anyway good luck, hope the little one picks up and grows stronger.

Michelle

[pdpbison]

Hi Lee,


Glad to hear he is precious!

It is definitely a good thing when they can feed themselves nicely at a young age.

Still, make all your movements with him gentle...and gain his trust and comfort so he is st ease with you.

You need to spend time supervising him out of doors...scatter some Seed on the ground and just hang out with him while he grazes...do not put him in a cage outside, regardless of whether you are there or not...it is no good.

This is a pretty young pigeon yet...maybe 20 days old...

Please see my several posts under the following current thread, as they apply just-as-well to your little one and you -


http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showth...t=17342&page=2


Find some place near by where Pigeons graze, and start "NOW" to bring yours there to graze with them, and you stay close to 'yours' watching over him...do this often, every day if you can for a half hour or something, even twenty minutes would be fine...and do it often untill he can almost fly...then cease for a couple weeks, then release him to that 'flock' by just bringing him and letting him decide...he will almost certainly elect to join them then.

This will be in about three weeks or so...

Meanwhile, he needs to explore and goof around and develope at his own pace under your care, so let him be as free indoors as possible...no cage, and know he will soon start wanting to move about and so on even if for now he may tend to stay put on a shelf or other.


Best wishes!


Phil
Las Vegas