Good news and Bad news.

[FeatherBrain]

Good News:
I found a baby pigeon today! My driver found him perched on top his bathroom door. (outside)I think its a she....she was in a shock and wouldnt move...Her feathers arent fully grown..seems like she "?flew" unsuccesfully out of hernest somewhere. I have lots of stray cats around so I decided to bring her in rather than leave her around.
My driver put her in with Gypsy!!!! But I immedialtly seperated them, (despite my family telling me it doesnt matter, and that she'll be happier off with a friend) Now she is in a box, (away from my parrots) in my house...with birdseed and water.
I have learned enough of past experiences and other posts to put a feral in with a house pet. I will keep her there for a day two...so that I can easily monitor her progress. Pl tell me if i did something wrong.
Bad News: My baby Parrot Ernie tried his first flight...he crashlanded on to the carpet..and has lost feeling in his legs...he was in shock but now seems better...isnt in pain..but cant walk..he was twittering and eating fine...I contacted the Vet...he was away on a visit...So I plan to take him as soon as he is back. (My mom agreed cz she LOVES my parots)I cried to see him wriggling pathetically around...Pl pray for him..

[FeatherBrain]

Hi..
The little Pigeon seems to be doing fine...It has completely forgotten its shyness and flys onto our shoulders and arms itself....It hasnt eaten much though...And its poop is getting smaller and smaller..I ws surprised to see it overcome its shyness so soon. It sits quietly with its eyes closed and then suddenly spurts into a run and also spins around (does circles , is this normal?) It has an exceptionally long beak...and loooks like a dove. (wid small head...but isnt) Also it has a strange way of twisting its head around to look (like an owl)Is this ok for it or am I just paranoid? We are thinking of naming it either Pyrene , Akela or Twister (lol)
I am very very worried about Ernie my baby IRN parrot though..he hasnt improved...and I went to two diffnt vets..each has a diffrnt opinion. One says it is in pain , has welling or internal injury....the other says nothing to worry about. I have him on Vits and Painkiller cz the vet says so..(he seemed ver calm about the whole affair..Im thinking he isnt much concerned cz ringnecks are very common here..and he was more into the siamese n alsation waiting.) Sorry I know its a pijjy forum..but Im frantic about my baby...i dont want it handicapped for life...and I knew manu of u have parrots..so any help will be graetly appreciated,)
I'll update u on Akela/Pyrene/Twister.

[Trees Gray]

Hello,

This baby pigeons shows all the signs of PMV. Please make sure you isolate this pigeon immediately from your other birds.
Pigeons with this disease cannot eat on their own nor drink.

Please keep the bird warm and in a quiet place. Make sure you give it water and feed it.

I will try to get the PMV esperts to answer your post.

Treesa

[Trees Gray]

Please check the following website for pigeon diseases:
http://wingswest.net/pigeons/health/paramyxo.html

Treesa

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello FeatherBrain,

"The little Pigeon seems to be doing fine..."

If your pij is displaying unusual symptoms, unfortunatgely he isn't doing fine.
As Treesa suggested, isolate him immediately & observe his behavior.

IF, & I'm only guessing, this pigeon has PMV, he will have difficulty eating his seed. We suggest you place some seed in a fairly deep dish. They are less likely to 'toss' all of seeds out & are able to consume some.

A few of us, including myself, own PMV pigeons. With a little extra attention, they are able to live a fairly normal life.
Mine eats, drinks, 'poops', preens & 'coos' as well as a non challenged pigeon. He has 'spasms' at times & I do my best to ensure he doesn't harm himself.

I'm very sorry to hear your parrot. Sending 'special thoughts' that his condition improves.

Please keep us posted on how things are coming along.
Cindy



[This message has been edited by AZWhitefeather (edited May 15, 2004).]

[Feefo]

Hi Featherbrain,

This pigeon could be suffering from PMV. As far as I know it doesn't transmit to parrots but because it is a virus and they can mutate it is best to keep it separate from other birds for the time being and wash your hands between handling the sick pigeon and the parrots.

Pigeons with PMV have difficulty picking up seed and I had one that couldn't feed itself and had to be hand fed. Can you get something like porridge oats, egg food or canary rearing mix? all these contain suitable food and can be soaked then rolled into little balls which you have to hand feed the pigeon (but NOT dough!!!). Gently open its beak and push the food to the back.

It should be able to drink on its own if you dip its beak in water.

Keep it somewhere warm and stress free.

Most of the pigeons with PMV that I have nursed back to health have thrived and show no sign of the illness now.

Please let us know how you are doing.

Cynthia

[FeatherBrain]

What I meant by "seems fine" was that it seemed healthy n alert and friendly after its initial shock state.
My sis thought that Twister looked cute when it circled etc...but it didnt seem normal to me so I posted the symptoms...and lo behold! she has PMV ? Thank God she is seperate from Gypsy...however she was there for 10 min (when my driver put her there) Could this 10 min encounter be dangerous to Gypsy? I have her in an old chicken coop outside. cz my mom didnt want her pooping in the house. She has eaten since yesterday cz her poop was bigger.
I thought maybe she had had a concussion from flying into something...so I tried to give it Iboprufen...but it wriggled too much and I wasnt able to open her beak....So I added a few drops to her water bowl. (I found on a site that Iboprufen shd be given for pain or concussions. n a parrotforum said the same thing.) Her symptoms of twisting n holding head upwards happens in birds with concussions.
My parents wanted me to release the bird after allowing it rest...said it wud be better to release it if it is diseased. But i\I Havent done so..cz Im afraid it wont survive.
How do I open her beak if I want to feed it or medicate it? Its too narrow for any straw or syringe. (My parrots voluntarily open theior beaks thinking i hav food)
I'll browse around the site for PMV info.
Thanx for the help.

[FeatherBrain]

This baby pigeons shows all the signs of PMV. Please make sure you isolate this pigeon immediately from your other birds.
Pigeons with this disease cannot eat on their own nor drink.

Please keep the bird warm and in a quiet place. Make sure you give it water and feed it.
Treesa[/b]

It can drink on its own...but it makes unaimed swipes at the food. but ut must hav eaten if its poop seems bigger today. It is outside...but a corner of her cage gets sunlight...I hav water in an earthen bowl..cz it spills lighter containers when she does her circles. And birdseed..I wiill get her a deeper bowl ..or fill seed to the brim so that it is easier for her to eat. As i mentioned i cant get her to open her beak...so pl tell me how, incase i hav to handfeed.
Is there anything else I can do for her.?

[Feefo]

The beak swiping that you describe is very typical of PMV and one of the first symptoms I notice in the feral flock.

It sounds as if you are doing very well at the moment. The deep dish of seed should solve the eating problem. It is always better to let an animal feed itself if at all possible and PMV pigeons can be very difficult to hand feed.

But if you really have to hand feed then wrap the pigeon in a towel first, not too tightly. Set it on your lap and hold the beak gently just under the wattles with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand (I am assuming you are right handed). Then very, very gently slide your finger nail between the upper and lower beak at the very tip of the beak, grasp the lower beak and ease it downards and open. As you do this shift the thumb and forefinger of your left hand just that little bit forward and use that hand to hold the beak open while you put the food in the mouth with your right hand. The beak need not be opened too wide so do everything ad gently as you possibly can. Because the mouth has to close for the pigeon to swallow you have to go through the same procedure for every morsel of food which can be a tedious exercise for you and a distressing one for the pigeon, so leave it alone with a deep bowl of seed and spy on it first to see how well it is eating. The poops are always a good indicator of whether a pigeon is actually taking food in and how much he is eating.

Cynthia

[AZWhitefeather]

Hi FeatherBrain,

Please do convince your folks that by releasing your little patient will only put him in harm's way as he can't eat properly & is most likely flight impaired. This combination creates a 'ground bound' situation for him without any security.

As long as he is safely secured, his seed is offered to him in a 'deep' dish, he is drinking & 'pooping' well, his cage is cleaned daily he should do okay.

You are doing a wonderful job of caring for this sweet pij. Many thanks.
Please keep us updated.
Cindy

[Feefo]

Hi Featherbrain,

Just to add to what Cindy said, if pigeons with PMV are not taken in and given food and shelter they don't last long. If they don't fall prey to predators becaiuse of their inability to fly they die of starvation.

With the food and shelter most recover within 8 weeks.

Cynthia

[FeatherBrain]

Thankyou for the all the help..(Cyro, the beak opening thing was very useful..cz I wanted to give the bird meds)
Unfortunatly..things didnt work out as I planned...I went to check on the Pijj. She was near the door n pacing (she wnted to get out.) I opened the door..she got out and started walking. I had just clipped my parrot so I decided to clip her too. I didnt hurry about catching her (I had no idea she would fly
She just came in the lawn and strted preening...I felt bad catching her just then so I let her be...She stayed there an hour and then suddenly took flight. I felt so bad, I realise its my fault I shd hav clipped her right away. But I am really surprised at her flight. She had been with me two days...had become so tame she herself wud jump onto our hand n lap.
I hope she finds someone else to take care of her...I feel guilty n unsure about her fate.
Sunday was an overall eventful day...My baby parrot ernie (with the leg handicap) also managed to fly away...but he was hanging onto the neighbors tree wid his beak..The blessed cook nextdoor climbed the tree...caught my parrot and returned it. I now have ernie clipped as well (b4 i didnt cz of his handicap)...
!! I cant imagine a life without my pets.!!

[AZWhitefeather]

FeatherBrain,

I'm a bit confused at your post & at a loss as to WHY you opened the cage door when the pigeon was so close to it. Was the cage outside?

"I had just clipped my parrot so I decided to clip her too. I didnt hurry about catching her. I felt bad catching her just then so I let her be...She stayed there an hour and then suddenly took flight."

After all that had been discussed about the dangers this pigeon will face if released & you didn't make any attempt to return him to his cage??


"I hope she finds someone else to take care of her...I feel guilty n unsure about her fate."

As far as someone else caring for him, we can only hope. However, his fate is almost a given & there is a good chance he will meet it before meeting another to care for him.


"My baby parrot ernie (with the leg handicap) also managed to fly away...but he was hanging onto the neighbors tree wid his beak..The blessed cook nextdoor climbed the tree...caught my parrot and returned it. I now have ernie clipped as well (b4 i didnt cz of his handicap)..."

This is where I'm confused. The beginning of your post you said you had just clipped your parrot's wings & decided to clip the pigeon's wings also. Now you say, after your parrot was rescued from flying away, you now have Ernie's wings clipped.
Am I missing something here?

Cindy

[FeatherBrain]

Sorry for the VERy long delay in my reply and update. But my internet connection was finished. Also I was grounded for some reason so I couldnt use the internet. Here is the post that I typed after reading the post :

I am sorry, I must have been confusing when writing...cz I was in a hurry. Here goes the incident:
I have TWO parrots. One (Elmo) I had clipped b4 the pijjy flew...the other (Ernie)I didnt, because he has a problem in his legs and cant walk. (long story- even vet cant figure out his prob.)..so I decided not to clip him...because I figured he must need his wings to move about. So the unclipped one flew to the tree. (I sit with them in the lawn.) Now...I have proceeded to clip Ernie too...cz his accident n other such incidents are a result of his attempts to fly... (Tree incident I admit was my irresponsibilty n carelessness) The clipped parrot was there on the ground while it all happened. I hope I cleared your confusion.
As to why I opened the door when she was near the cage… well now I feel like an idiot doing that. Like I said I didn’t think she wud fly away….She seemed restless to get out….So I let her come out onto the lawn and stay there. I planned to put her back in when she had a little fresh air. (Also I expected her to stick around since she was with me two days.) I guess I underestimated the Pigeon. And before anyone scolds me…YES. I REALISE I WAS STUPID TO LET THE BIRD OUT .
I saw a similar looking pigeon on the next door rooftop, which flew away after a few minutes. I have seen rooftop aviaries a few blocks away from mine. Maybe these pigeons belong there. (Just a thought…I hope the owner isn’t releasing sick birds to protect his own flock? Thinking it might be a “humane” way of ridding sick birds?) because seeing one pigeon after the other, of the same type, two days straight, isn’t very usual. Or maybe it is just a coincidence.
I did check out the sites concerning PMV…and it says sick birds should NOT be realeased …because they may infect other birds, and die themselves. That makes me feel worse.
However I am afraid there isn’t much I can do now , except pray n hope.

“After all that had been discussed about the dangers this pigeon will face if released & you didn't make any attempt to return him to his cage??”
- I didn’t think it would face any danger in the lawn…and since I didn’t expect it to fly (sounds silly now, cz we cant expect a “bird” not to fly) I let it out.

My letting it out was just my own way of trying to make things better for it. Unfortunatly it wasn’t the right way. Well I hope u forgive me for my blunder. Because I certainly feel bad about it now.

My internet connection failed before I could post the reply…so it might not reach u soon enough. I am typing on Microsoft word now. Sorry for the delay.

Also...I am again facing the same problem I faced earlier...I cannot see all the replies to this post...therefore sorry if i am not uptodate.