keeping and nursing a young pigeon

[baby_pidgeon]

yesterday i found a young pigeon at the local park so i went home and took my mum to the park to show her the pigeon. we could'nt find a nest or another pigeon so we took it home and gave it some honey mixed in water and also some breadcrumbs. it can't fly and we don't know what sex it it. can some one help?

[TerriB]

Thank you for rescuing this young pigeon and welcome to Pigeons.com! Keep the bird warm - a heating pad on low covered with a towel or a hot water bottle would be good. You were smart to offer a little honey in the water. This hydrates and supplies some calories. Please look the bird over for possible injuries. Gently open it's mouth and check that the insides are pink and smooth, with no yellow cheesy growths.

If you can get wild bird seed, that would be better than the breadcrumbs. Pigeons eat whole grains such as popcorn, rice, and peas. Make sure you've seen it eat and drink. If you found it yesterday, is it producing normal looking poop?

Regarding age, does your bird have feathers under its wings yet? If you go to http://pigeons.com/photogallery/baby/sara/sindex.html you can see the day by day growth of a baby pigeon and compare to your baby to get a rough idea of the age. Regarding sex, you can tell better once it matures.

I'm sure others will be along shortly to offer more assistance. In the meantime, there's a lot more information in the thread titled "2 Hatchlings" in Pigeons & People > General Discussions.

[baby_pidgeon]

thankyou terrib yes it's producing normal poop but no it dosn't have feathers under it's wings. can you tell me how long i would <possibly> have to keep Sunshine(temporary name)??

[baby_pidgeon]

dear terrib,
Sunshine isn't takin to the hot water bottle and would rather be outside in the strong wind. what should i do?

[baby_pidgeon]

i don't know how old Sunshine is. it has a little down on it's neck and back and not alot of feathers under the wings and on the torso area. can u help?

[Reti]

Sounds like you have a baby there.
He could be around three weeks old. At this time he can not feed himself.
You have to feed him formula, which you can purchase from you local pet store. The honey and water is good for a start, but he needs proper nutrition for him to grow.
Also, very important it is for him to be kept warm.
In about a week you can start offering him seeds and he should stat eating by himself.
As for releasing Sunshine, it will still take a while. He has to grow and be able to fly well and be able to forage for food. That could be difficult since he has no pigeon parents to teach him how to do it.

For now, keep the baby warm, fed and hydrated.
Please keep us updated on how Sunshine is doing.

Reti

[bklowe]

Hello Babypigeon,
Try putting s/he in a cardboard box lined with newspaper and a towel formed into a nest at one end and a water dish at the other. If you have a heating pad put this under the box on medium / or you can also put s/he under a 40/60 watt light. Keep in quiet room.
You will need some baby bird formula and some bird seed. We have had some luck in using a cat nursing bottle with the nipple cut off so the bird can insert s/he's beak into it and drink the formula. If s/he is older you could try mixing the seed with a little formula, scoop some up with your hand, make loose fist and insert the bird's beak into your fist at the thumb and index finger and they will usally open their beak and eat the mixture .... you may have to hold s/he in place and with the food hand roll with your fingers to sort of force it into the beak.
I am sure other's will be posting soon.
Check at the pet store about local rehabber's/pigeon fanciers.

[baby_pidgeon]

hi i'm back
well Sunshine keeps crying for it's mum and is always outside in the warm sun (hence the name) walking around looking for other pigeons. My mum wants me to make up a box and put Sunshine in it at night but she wants me to put it outside, i want to keep Sunshine inside at night on it's hot water bottle in a shoebox in my shower. what do you think i should do??

[Lin Hansen]

Hi Babypigeon,

Have you read all the posts with advice on how to care for this baby provided by members and moderators? Your best bet is to please try to follow the instructions everyone has provided.

If this baby can't fly, leaving it outside, in a box or not, is going to make it an easy target for predators (cats, etc.). The bird will not be able to fly away from danger and could be injured or worse. If your mom does not want it in the house -- a garage, shed or closed in porch would be a good alternative, if available.

Thanks for trying to help this baby....please try to do your best to keep it safe until it is able to fly.

Linda

[baby_pidgeon]

i have 2 questions;
question 1- is it alright to keep Sunshine outside during the day?
question 2- should we keep sunshine inside when we need to go out during the day?
i hope you can answer these 2 questions.

[TAWhatley]

Baby Pidgeon,

Your little one most likely should be staying inside all the time right now. I don't know where you are located, but if it is cold outside .. then the pigeon needs to be inside all the time until it has all its feathers and has been acclimated to the outside weather.

As was previously posted, if your young pigeon is not yet a strong flyer, then it is likely to get picked off by most any kind of predator .. dog, cat, human, hawk, .. just not safe for it out there yet.

JMO ..

Terry

[baby_pidgeon]

i live in settlers hills, baldivis in western australia it's sunny and windy right now and sunshine in inside in his make shift nest napping.

[baby_pidgeon]

i don't know what to do. today i came home from my riding riding lesson and i found sunshine on laying in the seed thats in a box lid on top of the basin bench (in the bathroom) which is about a metre high. should i relese sunny yet? oh yeah there is good news yesterday i sprinkled some leftover bread crumbs on the lawn and when i let sunny out this moring s/he started to forage.

[Reti]

Sunshine has to be a good flyer before being released.
He should be able to fly fast and high, otherwise he has no chance of survival outside.
Letting him exercise some free flying in an enclosed space- a room, garage, screened in porch for at least a couple of hours each day is suggested. That will help him to build up his muscles.
He needs to have all his feathers grown in before being released, and he needs to be able to find food for himself.
Don't release him just yet, please.

Reti

[TerriB]

Hi baby_pidgeon,

I couldn't replying sooner as my computer was down with a virus. The folks who responded are much more experienced and have given you excellent advice!