very small mini Red Baby Pigeon, emergency please!

[Xenku]

Here are 2 pictures of a plant we got in our backyard hanging from a little roof and it seems that the same type of dove that I have here are using the plant to make their nest and lay their eggs on.

So I guess this is what my dove's eggs look like.

[TAWhatley]

Hi Xenku,

If you could pick out the larger seeds from your lovebird mix and offer the remaining smaller seeds to the baby, that would be fine. Or, just get some smallish seed like finch, canary, or parakeet to start the baby on. I wouldn't let the little one try to handle sunflower seeds, for example, just yet. If you still need to supplement with formula, please try some Gerber or other brand of human baby cereal. Mix it with warm water and away you go. I had a friend on another list suggest that masa might be readily available and that you could cook up a thinnish mix of this for the youngster.

We do realize that it may be difficult for you to obtain some of the suggested foods, so just do the best you can with what's available. If you do have any of the big chain stores like Petsmart or Petco, they will have either Kaytee Exact or another brand name of baby bird formula (like Lefeber, L&M, or perhaps Roudybush). Ordering on-line from Petsmart would take far too long .. their site notes 2-3 weeks shipping time to Puerto Rico. Also, if you have a place that sells food for chickens, you may be able to get non-medicated game bird starter, turkey starter, or chick starter that could be soaked in water and fed to the baby. I do believe that some of our U.K. members use chick starter quite successfully with their baby doves and pigeons.

Please do keep us posted and continued good luck with your baby. The photos caused quite a stir on the doves-pigeon list as the folks there are totally into doves .. the more exotic, the better for them!

Terry

[Xenku]

thanks, I'll look into the chicken starter. I think that will be available

[pdpbison]

HI Xenku,



Okay...


Now...even though if might be a little late to try, as far as having already set up certain contradictory expectations in the Bird...

Try this -

Go to the Grocery Store and buy some regular Baby Nipples.

Take one and with scizzors, cut off the flange or collar.

You will be useing the hollow side of it to put formula or Water in.

Any formula you feed them should be fairly thin, since they are in essense, drinking it more than eating it.

Small whole Seeds may be added to varying percentages to the otherwise 'gravy' of the formula.

Individual Birds, Doves especially, can be a little finicky, so, expect to try different formulass and or percentages of small whole Seeds untill you hit on a combo or recipe they go for.

The formula must be fed to them at around "wrist" temperature, ALLWAYS.

Make your formula in a cup which is sitting in a pan on of Hot Water. Keep it sitting in the pan of hot Water so it does not cool off while you refill the Nipple.

Test the formula by putting your finger into it and stirring. it should feel like 'no temperature'.

Also, get a small sized to-go-cup or Dixie-cup and cut off about 3/4 inch or 1 inch at most of the bottom to make a small, shallow Seed-feeding cup.


Moisten your finger tips in warm Water...

Approach the little Bird from straight on from the front, at about their eye level. Set them ON something even to do so, something where they have room and will not be precarious.

Slowly reach for their Beak while saying 'OooOOOooo! - OooooOOooo!' in a medium, slow, lowish voice. Kinda like if you were saying 'MmmmMMMmm!' to convey how something tastes good, but where the 'MmmmMMmmm' would have your mouth closed, the 'OooooOOOooo!' is done with one's mouth, one's lips, made into a little "o"...

Do this and gently, from the front, with moist warm finger tips, massage it's little Beak.


If the Bird "nuzzles" and or responds with signs of accepting your invitation to feed them...gently guide their Beak into the hollow BACKSIDE of the Nipple, into which you have put, say, for the first experiment, merely some TEPID Water.

Hold the Nipple at abouttheir Crop level and tilted toward them. Let the Bird guide you as for how they wish to pull their head 'in' for swallowing, and how they may stretch their neck 'out' for gobbleing or drinking. There is a cadence they will prefer and it is subtle,m so you have to let them guide you in how it works.

If you can get the Bird to be "nuzzleing" in this way, you can feed them IN the hollow back side of the Nipple, with various sorts of thin, 'Gravy' thin formula recipies.

YOU CAN ALSO gently guide their Beak into a small container, in this case, something LIKE a 'Shot Glass' or the bottom of a small size to-go Cup you have cut out from the whole to-go cup.

Gently, keeping your finger tips ON their little Beak, guide their 'nuzzleing' Beak into the little cup or glass which you have filled with PLAIN, WHOLE, SMALL, SEEDS...

The Baby or young Doves I have done this with so far, made 'gobbleing' - 'feeding' motions with their Beaks, and in effect, by opening and closeing their Beaks, ate very well the little whole Seeds in the small glass or cup bottom, into which I had guided their Beak...and on whose little Beaks I keep my finger tips gently resting untill they DO do this with out me doing so.

For the first few times of this, one keeps one's finger tips ON their little Beak.

One also ALLWAYS from the first, ANY TIME ONE IS TO OFFER FOOD OR WATER, one makes the "OoooooOOOOoooo!" sounds.

The moist finger tip Beak massage need only be done the first time. THAT IS THE INITIAL INVITATION, that is the 'Curtain Raiser' and that is why I wanted you to do it back when when I first referenced the link to it.

If all of this is not done, and done in an easy sensitive sequence for them, we get all the problems that almost everyone writes in with every day.

all these damned force feeds and problems and admonishions of how the Bird needs 'Tough Love' because no 'Love' has been shown them in any real terns THEY understand or will do well with.

I do not care of Dove parents make sounds other than or "quieter" than those which Pigeons do, this works just as well FOR Baby or young Doves as it does for Baby or young Pigeons, who very soon know what you are 'talking' about when you make the sounds for them. Who in fact after the FIRST time one does this and does it right, they know what you are 'saying'.

Mine (Baby or young Doves) tended to come running when I would announce the arrival of 'chow time' by these sounds.

This then, the little 'Seed Gobble' which they WILL do in a 1 inch or so little cup of SMALL WHOLE SEEDS, if guided to it gently and correctly, especially with a Dove as old as yours is...it will very soon, VERY soon, lead naturally and easily and effortlessly, to them pecking and eating Seeds ALL BY THEMSELVES out of the same little
cup or off of a folded Towell ( A folded towell lets them peck 'deeper' around the Seed to get a grip on it, than a flat hard surface will).

You can also 'peck' with them of course with your crook'd index finger. Have the back of your hand or your knuckles against them when doing this.

Now, part of what is crucial here, aside form doing these things right, and gently, and slowly, and in ways that defer TO the3 Bird, is to GET THEM SOME SEEDS so that they and you can do these proceedures!

Lol...( Not yelling, just being emphatic...)


Most Grocery Stores for that matter carry Canary Seed, Parakeet Seed and so on. Get the Seeds when you go there to get the Nipples.

Go to the Grocery Store and get some.

Doves, young Doves will prefer 'small' sized Seeds.

Good luck!


Sorry I was m.i.a. there a while, I had some computer problems...


Best wishes!


Phil
Las Vegas

[Xenku]

Thank you pdpbison and TAWhatley your posts have been very useful