FOUND two baby pigeons and I'm not too sure what to do! HELP!

[talena824]

Hi!
Name's Claudia from Texas
We recently had a hurricane, and the next day I found two baby pigeons
One of them can't move one leg *name's Flam*, and the other seems fine *name's Buddy*
I can't afford a vet I tried calling the zoo, but they said that their vets wouldn't inspect them unless I donated them to the zoo
I want to take care of them
I read a lot on how to care for them
I bought the baby mix, I feed them 5 times a day, on a schedule
At first they wouldn't let me, but now they are pretty good at eating
They poop green, white and watery (don't know if that's good)
They are always crying *making beep beep noises* (don't know if that's normal)
One of them moves around a lot, kind of like he has a fit, when we try to feed him/her (don't know if that's normal) but he/she opens their mouth to take food just fine
Once in a while the non handicapped one has a little fit. He'll spread his wings, beep beep *mind you I don't know what its called* walk around and move his head up and down. To me he sounds like he/she is freaking out, but I don't know if that's normal
I don't think I can get them wet, but the one with the handicap always ends up rolling over its poop. I tried cleaning him/her with a wet napkin, but it was dry and stuck on his feathers
They mostly only have yellow feathers on their head, and the rest are tiny grey feathers, I can't tell how old they are
I can't figure out if they're males or females
or when I can feed them seeds
I take them out sometimes, and lay them between my legs while I play video games, and they seem to calm down and sleep
They always peck at my hands real quickly when I put my hand into the box (don't know if it's because they're hungry though*
I've never taken care of birds before, and I don't know if I'm doing the right thing
I want to provide the best home for them
I'd appreciate any help!!
Thank you so much
You can email me:talena824@gmail.com, message me on my space (myspace.com/talena_spit), or add me on messenger talena824@hotmail.com
Thank you so much!!

[maryjane]

Thank you very much for caring for these babies. You're in the right place! I'll try to answer your questions:


Name's Claudia from Texas
We recently had a hurricane, and the next day I found two baby pigeons
I bought the baby mix, I feed them 5 times a day, on a schedule
At first they wouldn't let me, but now they are pretty good at eating

That's great. Here is a very easy hand feeding method used by a lot of us, as it imitates how they eat from their parents. The parent pigeon opens their beak, and the baby actually sticks their own beak into the parent's beak, then swallows the pigeon milk made for him by the parent. This is a very easy hand feeding method and they usually pick it up right away:

http://picasaweb.google.com/awrats3333/BabyFeeding


They poop green, white and watery (don't know if that's good)
It sounds like they probably need more food. Feed them until their crop, which is the area on the chest underneath the beak, is full but not stuffed. It should feel like an inflated balloon, soft but firm. It shouldn't be hard. Try to let the crop go down flat in between feedings. Mix the formula to the consistency of melted ice-cream, or thin pancake mix. You can mix in 1/4 teaspoon of plain yogurt (organic is best) with each feeding and this helps a lot with their digestion. When you mix the formula, be sure to let it sit for a few minutes as it gets thicker. Then add a bit more water until you have the right consistency. You can offer them water between feedings, using the same syringe method pictured above. When feeding this way, it usually only takes about 30 seconds to feed one.


They are always crying *making beep beep noises* (don't know if that's normal)

That is very normal. They love to make noise, and since you are "Mom" now, whenever they see you (or probably any person walking near them) they think it's feeding time. . .even if they just ate!
One of them moves around a lot, kind of like he has a fit, when we try to feed him/her (don't know if that's normal) but he/she opens their mouth to take food just fine. Once in a while the non handicapped one has a little fit. He'll spread his wings, beep beep *mind you I don't know what its called* walk around and move his head up and down. To me he sounds like he/she is freaking out, but I don't know if that's normal.
It sounds like normal behavior to me, just being excited about eating. Usually one is older and more aggressive about eating than its sibling.


I don't think I can get them wet, but the one with the handicap always ends up rolling over its poop. I tried cleaning him/her with a wet napkin, but it was dry and stuck on his feathers

They would love to be bathed, and it's perfectly good for them. What I do after messy feedings is fill the bathroom wink with a few inches of warm water, pop them in while holding them to make sure they don't dip their head accidentally, and then sponge them off. Pigeons love to take baths and my adult pigeons do this every day. If the poop is stuck and like concrete, soaking it for a few minutes will help a lot.
They mostly only have yellow feathers on their head, and the rest are tiny grey feathers, I can't tell how old they are


Sounds like they are getting almost ready to start eating on their own. Get some birdseed from the pet shop, it can be "dove" seed or the cockatiel mix if they don't carry pigeon seed. Spread some in a shallow, sturdy dish and tap your finger in it. This his how they learn to eat, by watching and imitating their parents. They should start pecking at the seeds, mostly just having fun and throwing them around, but they will soon get the idea and start eating. Most of my babies end up eating on their own and refusing baby food at around 3 1/2 to four weeks, though some I've fed much longer than that since they were slow to pick it up. Yours are probably around three and a half weeks old, but could be younger or older. If you could show us some pictures, that would help.

I can't figure out if they're males or females

Usually one of each, but you won't know that for sure for quite awhile. They are very tricky to tell the sex of until they're mature.

I take them out sometimes, and lay them between my legs while I play video games, and they seem to calm down and sleep

You are their "mom" so they enjoy spending time and bonding with you. This is great for them as they will soon be flapping their wings a lot and learning to run around and to fly, and the more room they have, the better for learning.

They always peck at my hands real quickly when I put my hand into the box (don't know if it's because they're hungry though*

They will do this to see if you are feeding them. Like I mentioned, with the poops looking green and watery, they probably aren't getting quite enough to eat. You can easily just give them more to fix that, though they will be excited to see your hand come near them for months, probably.

I've never taken care of birds before, and I don't know if I'm doing the right thing
I want to provide the best home for them

It sounds like you're doing a great job. Are you planning to keep them as pets? With wild animals, it is best to put them back out as soon as they are able to fend for themselves. BUT with pigeons, that is often not the thing to do. They do become attached to people and wouldn't be safe living outside, as they think people are their "family" and aren't afraid of anyone. If you would like, I would suggest getting or building them a nice, large cage, and plan to let them have some free time each day outside of the cage. There are even pigeon diapers you can get for them. Or, you could build a small aviary (flight pen) outside for them when they are older. There are plenty of opportunities for them when they grow up.


I'd appreciate any help!!
Thank you so much
You can email me:talena824@gmail.com, message me on my space (myspace.com/talena_spit), or add me on messenger talena824@hotmail.com
Thank you so much!![/quote]

Hope some of this helps! Keep us posted.

[talena824]

thank you so much for all of that!
I usually stop feeding them when they start falling asleep, or they won't swallow their food right away.
I thought that meant they were full. I'll try and feed them more
I didn't know they had a "crop" it was mentioned but not really when I was reading up on them
Thanks a lot! All of that really helped a lot
Yes I'm already getting attached to them so I think I'll keep them as pets
Would there be any complications with learning how to fly, with the pigeon who can't move it's leg?
The one that can walk, I take it out of the box and sit away from it, so that it can walk towards me.
They both flap their wings, which I hope is good
Hehe the bonding with mom comment made me smile. I'm super attached to them
And I'm ready to keep them, it's not a problem, we have other pets at home
I'm so thankful you took the time to answer all my questions
I'd love to know how old they are, so I can buy seeds for them
Thank you so much once again

[feathered_love]

Oh what adorable babies, thank you so much for saving them. I just became a pigeon mom myself on Monday. The people here are so helpful and are a tremendous help. You'll do great with them, you'll see.

[lwerden]

Hi,

Welcome to Piegon-Talk and thank you so much for rescuing these two precious babies.

They appear to me to be approx 7/10 days old. They will need to be hand fed for another 2/3 weeks.

The members here on this forum are the best friends any piegon loving person could ask for.

You are doing a great job.

Don't be afraid to ask any question as it comes up. There will always be someone here to help you.

Regards,
Louise

[talena824]

I'm not too sure how much I should feed them. I try to feel their crop, and it feels balloon like to me, but they are still pooping watery I give them from 2-2 1/2 tablespoons of baby food, but it's not enough, and it seems a lot to me
Thank you very much for the info though, I'm glad to know their age
I was also wondering whether Flam (the handicapped one) since he can't move his leg, if that is going to impair his ability to learn to fly. He can't walk around or anything. He flaps his wings fine, they both do actually

To feathered_love Congratulations! I got attached to mine so quickly They are super adorable and lovable. I know, I'm glad I found this website
Good luck with your baby

Thank you to everyone for all this wonderful information!

[lwerden]

Hi Talena,

You should be feeding the babies approx every 4 hours. You do not have to feed them through the night. As they get older you will have to increase the amount of formula.

When the crop looks and feels baloon like it means they are full. You do not want to overfeed them. It normally takes 4/5 hours for the crop to empty. It will appear flat at that point and is your best indicator that they need to be fed again.

I do not have the expertise to comment on the little one that can't walk. I'm sure one of the more experienced members here will advise you what is the best way to treat and handle the foot problem. It is something that should be addressed relatively soon. I know I have read here of different ways
to hopefully correct that problem.

You're doing great with the babies.

Thanks again for saving them.

Regards,
Louise

[talena824]

Thank you so much for that information
i usually don't feed them that late at night
but it's good to know
I tried feeding them more, and I felt the crop (I looked it up) and made sure it was balloon like, but not hard
but they still poop watery, they just poop a whole lot more now
I'm going to start saving up to take them to the vet... since the zoo refused to inspect them unless I donated them
I want to really thank everyone I'm so glad I've gotten so much help

[lwerden]

Hi Claudia,

I hope today some one with much more experience than I will respond and help give you advice for the little one that can not walk.

Your are doing a great job with the feeding!!!

Do not even think of bringing your baby's to the zoo. They have absolutely no regard for piegons. You would donate them and as soon as you left they would most likely be euthanized.

I'll be back with you later.

Regards,
Louise

[Lovebirds]

Claudia, since you've only had the birds less than 24 hours, just keep an eye on the poops and lets check them day to day. Something as simple as stress can cause watery poops. There's no telling what the parents were feeding these two either, so that could be a factor........if they don't clear up in a day or so, we can figure out what to do next.
Can you post a couple of pictures of the baby with the bum leg? They can get what we call spraddle or splayed legs. It's simply from not having proper nesting material and the babies weight causes it's legs to grow wrong. At the age of these guys, it can be fixed easily and in a short time, but time is of the essence. The older they get, the harder or more time it takes to correct.

Sorry, I was going by the date/time of you post when I said "less than 24 hours"..........actually we don't know how long you've had them. Still, the watery poop could be from the formula and the water in it. I guess pictures of their poop would be in order too.

[talena824]

No way! I wouldn't think of donating them to the zoo
I told them at the zoo that I wanted to care for them
I'm sorry, I've had them since Thursday night. Flam (the handicapped one) was pooping solid, but Buddy has always pooped watery
Now they both poop watery, and the more I feed them, the more they poop and the more watery the poop seems to get
I feed them "Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding Formula" One part powder, two parts water... those were the instructions on the package for birds older than 5 days
I got some pictures, but I don't have a digital camera, so they're cell phone quality, hope it's still helpful
This is the link to the folder where I have all the pictures I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1993482...7606400094850/
I included a brief description. I just took so many that I didn't want to attach them all on here
I thought he couldn't move/feel his leg at all, but today I saw him flex his toes, and he was moving his leg (by the hip socket)
And I took two videos of Flam (handicapped bird) trying to walk
For the videos of Flam trying to walk, I have them on this link:
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...alena824/Flam/
Sorry about the two different links, but the other website didn't support videos from a cell phone
Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer my concerns, I just want to provide the best home and do all I can to make my babies into happy birdies

[Lovebirds]

OK. He's not going to be able to walk on that slick floor at his age. How does he do when he's on carpet or something that is not slick. At their age, they sort of walk along on their legs, sort of scooting as opposed to standing up on their feet and walking.
However, looking at the pictures, especially the one where you say that the leg we can see is the good leg, there does appear to be something wrong because of the way he's laying.
How hard would it be to get another video of him on a less slippery surface? Short carpet maybe. His nails would probably get caught in a towel...........
We'll get someone to look at the droppings and see what they think

[talena824]

I got the video of him walking on a non slippery surface
Link is the same one:
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/n...alena824/Flam/
I put Flam walking first
Then Buddy, I tried my best to make him walk, but he wouldn't really move so much
The thing is they fell off their nest into concrete. I could see the empty nest above where they had fallen. I don't know if that's what hurt him. He always lays down on the side with the hurt leg

Thank you so much for having someone look at his poop
I hope it's just that watery because of the food

[Lovebirds]

Well, I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing broken. He's just moving it too good for there to be any broken bones. Buddy just didn't want to budge huh? He's a cutie and looks just fine. Flam is most likely flapping his little wings to try to keep some sort of balance. I would be inclined to tape up Flam's legs for a week or so and see if that helps any. It's sort of like that leg has grown the wrong way and he can't keep it in place. There's some links on how to tie the legs and I'll have to go find them and post them for you.
No one has come to look at the poop pictures yet, but they will. I wouldn't be OVERLY concerned about it right now.
Have you tried giving these guys some yogurt in their formula? You can add a bit to their formula and it will help with their digestive tract. Plain yogurt....not flavored.

[talena824]

Sure. Send me the links whenever you get the chance and I'll be sure to tape up his leg
I hope its just that.
I figured nothing was broken because whenever I would touch it, he wouldn't twitch from pain or anything. Plus, like you said, he wouldn't be moving it like that if it was broken. It just seemed to my parents and I that he didn't know how to or couldn't put weight on it.

Ok I won't be concerned. I'll buy some plain yogurt tomorrow and mix it in with their formula Thank you so much

I'll check frequently, to see if you've posted the links and for the poop update, but no hurry!

Thank you once again, your help means a lot