Found young Pigeon: HELP!!!

[cyro51]

Hi Tinkerbelle,

Just stick to the Kaytee Exact and the bird seed for the moment.

It is best that you don't shoot liquid down a pigeon's throat if you don't know how to do it, if fluid gets into the trachea the pigeon can aspirate and die very quickly...the trachea is just in front of the throat so it can be dangerous.

Please try to get it to feed itself. This link shows another method that might help you (in the pigeon rescue album).

http://community.webshots.com/user/mrenya

Cynthia

[tinkerbelle]

Thank you, Cynthia, I'll check it out!

[vgri]

Thank you Cynthia for cautioning Tinkerbelle on the catheter method. I do not know all that much about birds, but when I first started volunteering at our wildlife center, they told us that if not done correctly the method could easily lead to a dead bird rather than a fed bird. If I understand correctly Tink, you said you offered breadcrumbs and rice. Although that does the trick if you really cannot get her anything else and the bird is starving, I was told many times that it is not good for the birds to feed on bread and rice for long. If you manage to go to a pet store, make sure you buy some birdseed. It is not expensive and it is much better for your little Aldwyn. Also, I don't know about leaving the liquid formula in her box. I think it spoils pretty quickly and she also may get it onto her feathers, and that would mean more squeaking when you'd clean her up. Have you tried cutting the bottom part of a syringe, covering the hole with a balloon membrane, and cutting a little slit in the stretched membrane? Your Aldwyn might feed a lot quicker if you just guide her beak into the slit, so she gets to the Kaytee Exact emulsion on her own.
Keep up the good work,
Violeta

[Izzy]

I have to give a HUGE thumbs up for the syringe/balloon method! I fed my two squabs with an eye dropper the first few days, but they were soooo tiny. From looking at your picts, he/she could definitely use the syringe method. Mine took too it immediately and they were just 6 days old when I first tried this method.

It's a bit messy at first, but you have no worries about where the food is going, lol! I was amazed that they knew exactly what to do once I put their beaks into the balloon slit and off they went, eating away.

Good luck, I'm hoping everything turns out well for you and your new friend.

Izzy

[tinkerbelle]

Unfortunately I do not have a syringe free for cutting up. I'm getting so worried! All Aldwyn does is squeak, and I can only get so much into him/her without feeling so sorry for him/her because he/she squirms so much. I'm also broke... no birdseed until next weekend. I can try to borrow some money from my sis maybe. I'll also need to find that syringe. The one I'm using now was lent to me by a fried, and I don't think she'd want it cut up. And also, what do you use to cut it? The plastic seems pretty thick... Thanks guys for all your help!

[tinkerbelle]

I got an idea and made an improvised ballon/syringe. It didn't work. He's in my lap and he's squeaking and trying to eat my hand apparently. And now he's walking on the keyboard and trying to eat it. I'm worried to tears, guys. He just doesn't want to eat. He's pecking at the keys and my fingers. He's screaming like he's insane.

[tinkerbelle]

Well I've finished feeding him and he feels really full and it's finally QUIET! I sing alot and usually as I'm coming up the stairs, singing, he can hear me and starts to make a racket, chirping like crazy from his room. It's finally quiet, apart from a small chirp every once in a while.

[ZigZagMarquis]

Hang in there Tinkerbelle. You got food in him, right? You must be doing fine then. How did you get him to eat??

[vgri]

I wanted to send you a private message but I did not know how, so here I go: I would like to send you some seed for dear Aldwyn. No bird of his caliber should go hungry If you email me your address I could do it.
Is this ok here: to ask Tink for her address? I want to help, and although I have Paypal, I don't think Tink has it on her end. Let me know Tinkerbelle!
Violeta

[Izzy]

I have Paypal also and it's free to join. I get my monthly check this upcoming Friday, October 1st and would be more than happy to send a little something to help also. It wouldn't be much, I wish I could do more, but hopefully it would be somewhat helpful.

I wish I could offer some advice, but everything I know about pigeons I've learned the past 10 days! I have no clue what Aldwyn should even be eating, but I'm sure Violeta and/or others know.

Violeta, if you get in contact with Tinker, you can let me know if she gets a paypal account or let me know how you are handing this. You can email me directly at its_isabel@sbcglobal.net

Izzy

[TAWhatley]

Tink, can you please privately e-mail your snail mail address to those who have offered to help out with food and supplies?

Members wanting to help .. I think it might be best to send food and supplies (like a couple of syringes and balloons) to Tink rather that try to do the PayPal thing or sending money. Tink's age shows as only 14 so the PayPal might be difficult to handle on the receiving end. Just a thought or two.

Terry

[TAWhatley]

For those needing to send a private message to another member ..

Click on the link titled Private Messages in the upper right of the screen .. right under the Welcome and you last visited ..

Once in the private message section, look on the left and click on the link to send a new message. Make sure you know the user name of the person you want to e-mail. This will be in the upper left of one of their posts to the board.

If you have private e-mail waiting for you when you log on to PigeonTalk, you will get a message and a link to click on for reading and replying to them.

Terry

[cyro51]

Hi Tinkerbelle,

1) Take a plastic bag, put some formula in it and force the formula into the corner of the bag. You will have a fat little bag of formula. Cut a slit in the bag and guide the baby’s beak into it, try to keep the nostrils out of the food. The community webshots link that I posted earlier will show you the photograph of this method.

Let the pigeon slurp while you count to 4 slowly, then remove the bag so the baby can breathe, then let it have another sip to the count of 4..



2) Bend two sides of a teaspoon inward so that the baby sees it as its mother’s lower beak. Guide the beak towards the spoon and see if it slurps that way. Look in the thread “New Arrivals” by Diogenese in Emergency care. Post 13 has a good photo of how to bend and use the teaspoon to feed a baby pigeon.

Cynthia

[tinkerbelle]

Hey, this is Tinkerbelle's friend who found the Aldwyn with her. I'm currently in possesion of the bird (we trade off). Anyway, he had been pecking at things for quite a while. Though as Brooke mentioned earlier, he's really young. Should I get bird seed or anything other than the baby formula? Is there a special brand that anyone thinks would be good?

[cyro51]

Yes, bird seed would be great. He might not eat it at the moment burt he wil learn to pick it us and consider iwhether it is food or not.

Pigeon mix is best but if you can't get that buy some wild bird seed and remove the unshelled sunflower seeds (they are not very good for baby pigeons.

Cynthia