diarrhea

[hank]

Hi! my son found a young pigeon in town yesterday, (feathered, with a bit of yellow down on head & chest, a few pin feathers on head, and getting pretty color on neck).
He was going into shops, running into cars & young kids were picking on him, so sad! my son and freinds caught him & I was not home so they took him to a park by the river & released him. he flew alittle bit into a tree , so they thought he was OK. When he got home & told me, we went to try to find him & found 1 (same? or sibling)in doorway at town at dusk. He has alot of feed & water in cage (made splash sound in water) picked at food with finger, but I can't see he has eaten anything! he has all kinds of feed (poultry,cracked corn, apple piece, millet, reg. bird seed with peanuts,etc.) my husband is bringing home grit & lice/mite powder today, but I am worried! I don't want him to starve, but I am scared of drowning or chocking him if I force feed him. I think he is old enough anyway?! maybe the diarrhea is just from stress? help! thanks! p.s. how would you know about his crop being full? all the pictures I see, have a bloated neck/ chest look also.

[~pigeonlover~]

u may need to force feed it or a wee bit till it starts feeding for itself i always did bread wit water it same to like it and then it started eating it self after a couuple of days. the way to check if its croop is full by feeling a bit down its neck u should b able to feel the food if its full. P.S. welcome to pigeons.com

jason

[This message has been edited by ~pigeonlover~ (edited April 27, 2004).]

[hank]

Thanks Jason! guess what? after I posted, he pooped "normal" 2 times! (means he ate, right?!) I was SO thrilled. If a post is what it takes, hey I'm all for it. now I feel he has a good chance...funny how a little ugly, cute guy can steal your heart. Thanks for your help!

[Trees Gray]

Hello and welcome to pigeons.com,

Thank you for saving this baby.

The diarrhea could be due to stress.

He may not be old enough to eat on his own. Please check the story of Baby Sara on page 1 of this website so we can determine the age of this youngster.

Thank you for offering all the goodies, but it may just be that he doesnt know how to pick it up yet.

Do you have any puppy chow you can soak and feed to it in small bits? That would be the easiest to feed for now. Gently open its beak and put a small bit down past the tounge and it will swallow it. Also, the bird needs water immediately, or it will dehydrate. Gently dip its beak into a bowl of water, be careful not to cover the nostrils. If it won't drink on its own, use a dropper and squeeze a little water down in the throat, being careful not to get it near the air hole.

The bird should have a filled crop, like a belly infront of it when it is laying down when he is full. The bird should eat about every three to four hours, depending how old it is.

Please keep us updated on this little darling.

Treesa

[dano7]

Maybe no problem here - some birds leave the parents before they know how to eat well. Just get some baby food or dry dog food soaked to mush and hand feed using a spoon or a plastic syringe (no needle). If it feeds and poops well start adding small seeds to the mix and put some seeds down where it can peck at them. Dip it's beak in water to teach it drinking. If it's healthy it will be jambing in a few days. While you conduct this operation please keep the bird in a safe place. We really appreciate you helping this bird - pigeons are cool and it's good to help them.

[~pigeonlover~]

ur welcome i'am just happy to hear people are looking after hurt or baby pigeons. Thanks ,Jason

[hank]

Well guys, all is well tonight with the little fellow. Thanks for all the help, you are really a great group! so fast on the replys. I think he is about 35 days? he seems to be eating on his own...I will check poop aditions in morning I have a heavy water dish in with him & I have added grit to the cage floor. He is in a room all by himself (shut door) with a skylight & I have a large towel over 1/2 his cage for privacy.
I do have a question on the poultry dust...
I have read somewhere on here that some chicken dust can kill them...I have seen the lice or mites, on him, so want to use something. I have a product that says it can be used on pigeons, but it also sounds potent. It's directions only say how to do a large flock. Any suggestions? I do NOT want to hurt him! can the mites make him sick? should I wait until he is older?
I really want the little bugger to be healthy.
THANKS! Rohde

[~pigeonlover~]

when i first started pigeons i used pigeon insect spray i put it on the young pigeons my mate gave me a couple of days before they could fly didn't do any harm to them but the eyes needa b covered when spraying it i spray under the wings belly back and neck i ain't seen ne mite on mine since that time
Jason

[dano7]

Hank, the best solution is a permethrin based pump spray or dip made for pigeons. I know a person who owns pet bird shop who does everything right and she has used powders for dogs and cats (carbaryl?) and she has had no problems. Go easy on this but you need to deal with external parasites. You want to medicate for worms as well. If you have the resources call Siegel's (1-800-437-4436)and order something for external parasites and order Moxidectin for worms and blood sucking parasites and you will be in great shape.

Regarding the medication you have in hand, if you tell me the directions given for a flock treatment I can figure out how to do a single bird.

[This message has been edited by dano7 (edited April 28, 2004).]

[hank]

OK, thanks again. This powder I have is a brand name "Prolap" and says 5% carbaryl. It is a insecticcide for poultry and garden (says pigeon too) sounds like it kills EVERYTHING...that's why I am nervous. It says: "apply 1 pound to treat 100 birds".
Maybe I would be better off ordering some spray?
or maybe just put a quarter size bit on rubber gloves take him outside rub on? I wouldn't know how you cllose his eyes,tho. I geuss I call out for help
I will for sure order the wormer.
He is doing great today! thanks guys!

[Trees Gray]

Thank you so much for your continued care and concern over this noble bird.

If you are worried about the heavy duty stuff, you can use a parakeet lice and mite spray. I use a regular parakeet spray from the pet store for my young ones, if they need it. It kills the lice and mites and leaves them smelling nice too! it sprays on easy, just be careful not toget it in eyes, nostrils or beak.

Thank you for your updates!

Treesa

[hank]

Good idea! thanks! that sounds good for a chicken like me. OK, you guys have all helped me so much.....just one more ?
he is scared of me & I only held him once yesterday for a couple of minutes, with soft talk....I do want him to be tame, but how often should I hold him? I don't want to stress him, so I just check on him with a few words, & leave the room. To tame him, should the kids (17 yr. & 13, so they won't crush him) also hold him? should I wait a week or so? or just dive right in? also, when should I take him out of his own room & put him in the regular (where we are) part of the house? I have cats & dogs, but I have a Quail someone gave me to raise (he was only the size of a walnut) & after a while, they got bored looking at him and now he is like 3 yrs. so....I am out of practice! do you guys think after a while (when I know the pigeon is healthy)how long would that be?
that I could put their cages next to each other for about a week & then MAYBE? put them together so they have company? any advice I will take! sorry this jumps around....
what I am asking is...how do I tame him & what is the "stress" line & would you recommend him with a Quail? THANKS!!!

[This message has been edited by hank (edited April 28, 2004).]

[Trees Gray]

If you are going to keep him as a pet, by all means, pick him up gently and talk to him as much as possible. Feed him out of your hand and spend lots of time with him.

I have a youngster who sits on the couch with me and eats and drinks from a cup out of my hands. He flies to my shoulders now, and prunes and picks my fingers when he wants something. I've had him for 3 weeks, and he was about 16 days old when I got him. Too cute! Let him be with you during the day, unless his freedom would jeopardize his life because of a cat.

Make sure he has his own quiet safe place to sleep at night. A cage that is safe out of harms way, up high. He is still young and will need his night rest. pigeons sleep at sunset and wakeup at sunrise. Also, make sure you don't burn candles, use teflon pans, when he is in the house. It is toxic to their lungs.

Others will be along with different thoughts and ideas.


Treesa

I don't think pigeons and quails should mingle, as they are two different species with different needs and personalities. The pigeon will need space to fly around once he is airborne, and needs a pigeon seed mix diet. He needs grit for digestion and water to drink and bathe in. I don't know anything about quails, though.

[hank]

Thanks Treesa. Your right, Quial are ground birds & a Pigeon would not be happy like that. Bummer, I was just hoping they would be buddies, because outside I feed the wild Quail & the Mounring Doves, & they all feed together. No, I cannot let him loose in the house as I do have 2 cats (no more for me ever again tho, because they are such "good killers") I keep them in the house all day, to try to cut down the # of birds they get. He is in a safe place. I thought I would like to tame him, but perhaps I should just keep him long enough, for him to manage by himself. I live in a small town, and I only see 1 flock of Pigeons around. So after he is old enough, would they except him? or would he be an "outie"?
thanks!

[dano7]

Hi, just following on with the dialogue and good advice so far - if you raise them from babies they will often socialize well to human handling and my bird will step up to my hand anytime (anytime he's not pissed off!). But if they have had even four weeks in the wild, and if you didn't get them when they were helplessly weak, then they are really hard to get to handle - they will get comfortable with your presence and your actions, but reach a hand out and they will explode, though others have had better results.

Quail and dove eat the same mix - I buy a mix labeled "quail and dove seed" and they both like it - pigeons can eat this for the short term but they need peas, milo, etc. for the long term.

There couldn't be a lot of people who know first hand how quail and pigeons would go but they are close in diet and they are both birds and they are both prey animals. My birds pretty much ignore other species (except hawks).

Your right, it's no good keeping him indoors in a cage after he is fit - but maybe you can create a situation for this guy. First you get him strong - he will do this if the nutrition is first rate. He needs to be weened to eat and drink. And he needs to get his flying muscles strong which surprisingly he will do in the cage - he will fly in place. This is a drag because he needs a bigger space, but believe me, if you get him strong he will fly like an F16 the first time he goes oustside. At this point you can feed him with the quail and doves. The outcome is uncertain. At some point he will fly - the doves will disappear - he will be scared and on his own - he might stay close - if not he may come back when he gets hungry. There will be other problems to sort out if you go that route.

If he goes to the wilders: 1) There is no love lost in the wild and there will be no welcome wagon for your bird, but 2) if you build a strong, clean bird there will be birds looking for a quality mate - they will fly together and show him the ropes if he wants to make a break from the ranch (but he knows where you are and he could return for a meal or a good nesting sight).