Just Found a pigeon...or the pigeon found me!

[LuckWouldHaveIt]

Yesterday a pigeon came to my door step and it has a broken wing. I looked up the info on this site on how to care for it, so that is what I am doing.

He is being kept in the garage, draft free, with plenty of food and clean water. He is eating and drinking just fine.

My concern is this: I have had several people tell me that pigeons carry lice, and that I need to be worried about my children and myself catching them. Is this true? If so, what can I do to get rid of them, or how would I even know if he has them?

Any info on this would be greatly appreciated!

Moni
*New to pigeons*

[LuckWouldHaveIt]

By the way, we named him "Lucky" while he is in our care.
Moni

[LuckWouldHaveIt]

and he has a broken wing. This website has been a great source of info to me, and I'm glad to have found it.

I have a couple of ?'s that I hope some of you can help me with.

1. "Lucky" grunts when you try to touch him, but has never attempted to bite. What it the grunting noise for?

2. He has not made any other sound but the grunt. Is this normal?

3. He puffs his chest out, one side at a time it seems, and then the whole chest at once. Have any of you seen this? I know most animals that "puff up" do so to scare off potential predators. Does this mean he is scared of me?

4. How do I know if it is a male or female? Is there any way to tell?

5. He also pulses his wings to the sound of my voice when I speak to him. Does this behavior mean anything?

He came to my house, then ran off and I thought he was gone. About an hour later, he returned to my doorstep. I took that as a sign that I am meant to take him in and care for him.

Thank you for any help or advice!
Moni

[Lin Hansen]

Hi Moni,

Welcome and thank you for helping this needy pigeon. For your first question concerning lice, I have a link to a previous thread which discusses checking for lice and the remedies. Click on it:
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=7915

As for your other questions, I am sure other, more experienced members will be along to help you out shortly.

Thanks
Linda

[Reti]

Thank you for taking this sweety in.
my guess is, since he came to your doorstep and you were able to take him in, he might be comfortable with humans, he might be somebody's pet, or he escaped from a loft.
Does he have a band on his leg/legs?
It's amazing how those birds know where to go when in trouble.

I asume he cannot fly since his wing is broken.
Did you have a chance to examine him for any puncture wounds, , cuts or any other signs of injury?
Keep him in a cage or box, and please keep him warm.
First give him some water, see if he drinks. Later you can try some food, if you have bird seeds, would be fine for now.

If he is sitting with his feathers fluffed when you are not getting close to him, it might be a sign that he is not feeling well.
The wing has to be taken care off. Do you have a vet who would see a pigeon in the area? Also a wildlife center might take pigeons in and treat them.
Let us know where you live so we can look up rehab centers or vets near you.

The wing has to be set if broken and if it is not done right, the bird might not be able to fly again.

The grunting he does to scare you off, he is telling you to keep your distance.
If he fluffs his feathers when you go near him only he is trying to show you how big and scary he is.

The wing twitch has two meanings, one is "come closer and I will slap you"
the other, more common in youngsters is a sign of excitement for getting attention.

Telling male from female is hard right now, easier when he is feeling 100% again.

Please keep us updated on this little one.

Reti

[LuckWouldHaveIt]

I'm in Arizona and I called the SPCA and didn't get much help. I did get a phone number from a vet of a lady who takes in all wild animals, she is not breed specific. I called her and she was, in my opinion, less than friendly. She made it sound as though I were intruding on her day, and just acted indifferent to whether I brought this bird in or not. So...I chose not to bring it in to her.

The pigeon is full grown, and does not fly. He can walk/run just fine, but when he spreads his wings to fly, he falls on his face. (I'm speculating it's a male. I have no clue.)

I looked him over and noticed that on his good wing, there are a few little holes in his feathers, but only in one section. He automatically retracts his good wing all the way and it lays normal. His other wing, however, he does not retract all the way. It just retracts a little, and then lays differently against his body.

I don't want him to be afraid of me, as I want to help him, so I'm not handling him a lot. I do, however, talk to him softly through out the day, and he pumps his wings ever so slightly to my words.

He has no bands, but he is really sweet. Once you are holding him, he makes no fuss, and no attempt to flee. When I try to set him back down, he stays on my hand until I physically move him to the ground.

If you know someone who may be able to come get him, I would appreciate the help. But only if it is a reputable person with a good demeanor. Otherwise, I'll do what I can to give him what he needs until he can fly well enough to be released. If he can not fly again, then I will have to rehome him, and maybe someone on this board could help with that.

Truth be told, I have no clue how long the wing has been broken, or how it happened. I sure hope he didn't find me to late to have it fixed.

I'll have to locate a vet that deals with birds and get back to you on that.

Moni

[Reti]

Moni,

most likely he has not been out with his broken wing long, he could not survive without flying.
We do have some members from AZ, so hang in there, they will be on soon.
Where exactly are you located?

From your description of his behavior, the bird is too tame to have been a feral.

Is he eating and drinking?
Can you post a picture of the holes in his wing? Are they bloody? Do they go deep into the skin, or are they just on the feathers? If so, it must be just feather mites, but you have to examine the wing if they are puncture wounds the bird has to get antibiotics immediately. Cat bites and bites from other animals can kill a bird very fast from the bacteria they carry in their saliva.

Reti

[LuckWouldHaveIt]

The holes in his wings are very very small, and are only on the feathers, close to the edge.

I was thinking he may have been someone's pet, because he is so calm when being held. But we do have quite a few pigeons who live in our trees here, so it could just be that they are used to my family? I don't know.

If he can be re-habbed, will he be brought back to my place if I don't keep and care for him? I read that if you do care for a bird, and he can fly again successfully, that he is to be released where he was found, because he will fly there anyway.

I would love to care for him myself, but only if I am able to provide him with adequate care and comfort.

I'm such a sucker for animals....LOL! Usually it's cats and dogs that I take in off the street and rehome. I guess I have just expanded my clientel! LOL! Always makes me think of the line in the Dr. Doolittle movie, "You know, tell a friend!"

Thank you all for your information and concern. I tried doing some research on the web, and met a lot of pigeon hater info. I never knew people actually poisoned and shot them just because they don't like them.

It's unreal. We have quite a few that live in our trees, and I have never given it a second thought. They don't bother me at all.

Moni

[KIPPY]

Where in Arizona do you live? I live in Tempe my email address is BERLY002@aol.com. I am not a rehabber but have had a pigeon who had a broken wing and he healed and is off doing his pigeon thing. I currently have a morning dove with a broken wing.

[Lin Hansen]

Hi again Moni,

In ref. to your research on the web, have you checked out our "Resources" section? There are many, many good links (mainly thanks to Arty!) under Medical that may help you.

Linda

[AZWhitefeather]

I've just walked in & am glancing over your thread.
Obvisously I don't know who you spoke with but sorry you had negative experience.

Are you in the Phoenix area? I live in Mesa & there is a rehabber who lives in Chandler named Nancy. You might want to first try contacting her as she is quite experienced in caring for pigeons. Her email address is:
EVWildlife@aol.com.

As for the holes in the wings, your little one most likely has feather mites. Sevin dust powder (found in the garden section at Wal Mart, KMart, etc.) or a mite & lice spray can be used to eliminate the little creepy-crawlies.

Please post a more exact area in which you live.

Cindy

[Reti]

Yes, pigeons are much misunderstood. That is so sad, since they are very sweet, innocent, intelligent abd human friendly.

If you find a rehab center you have to ask if the pigeon will be returned to you after he is being rehabbed.
Some centers will euthanize a bird that cannot be released into the wild. Others will not let you know what will happen to the bird after he is turned over to them.
So, please be very careful, ask questions and don't leave the bird anywhere where you cannot learn about his fate.

I am glad he is friendly and lets you hold him. It is he is trusting you.
How is his behavior otherwise? Is he alert? Is he eating and drinking? How are his droppings?


Reti

[KIPPY]

Last time I took a pigeon to a rehabber in Arizona I left with the pigeon. That was the spoken plan from the get go.
From what I have been told from a rehabber there are no laws with pigeons, black birds and sparrows. They can release them back to you.

[LuckWouldHaveIt]

He is eating and drinking fine. His waste is runny, and some of the seed comes out whole, like I read it would when it comes to certain seeds.

I will look for the stuff you called seven and see if I can find that. I'm in Sierra Vista, and there really isn't much here.

I would like to see him stick around my home once he is able to get up and flying. I sure hope he will be able to.

Any thoughts on the chances for a full recovery?

Moni

[relofts]

Hello,

For your question in regards to lice, animal lice normally will not survive on humans as that is what my vet told me and I have had some dandy cases brought to me and have yet to have to treat myself only the pigeons. There are few ways to treat this, if you have Borax cloths soap or also called 20 muel team and can put about an 1/8 to 1/4 cup to a sink of water and dip the bird in that will help control feather mites and lice, if you have access to a feed store the sale a product called purge III and you can use that to spray under each wing and under the tail, if the bird has a broken wing then skip that wing. You stated you have already wrapped the wing and that is good, pigeons heal very fast so it is important to make sure the wing is back in place. If the bird has open wounds you may want to wash them out with peroxide. We have a person on the 911 Pigeon Alert that is located in Tucson, AZ also I have not seen exactly where you are located so I am not sure if she is close to you or not but her name is Tina Myers and she is a Rehabber and her email address is ipurr2@earthlink.net please keep you little charge warm and safe and try to offer food and water as it is important to try to keep up it's strenghth. Let us know how all is going.

Ellen