Pigeon being raised in office...

[ccsandy]

Hi, I am new here so first I would like to say hello. I have a general question about a pigeon we rescued around November of 2003. I work for a harbor service that sometimes delivers corn barges to a poultry plant nearby. The corn barges attract many pigeons (the type I am unsure of) and one of our men found a pigeon that had been injured. Actually this pigeon layed on a barge for three days and my men that saw it one day thought it was dead. Three days later he saw the same bird in the same place and realized it was alive. He picked the bird up and placed it in a bucket of corn and brought it back to our office via the tug boat. When placed in the bucket of corn he? began eating like crazy and perked up. We decided if he had that much will to live then he had every right to do so.

He had an injured wing at the time. Not sure if he was shot or what happened to him, so we carried him to the vet who taped it up in hopes that the wing would heal enough that he could at least hold it up but there was too much muscle damage to the wing for him to ever be able to fly again. After doing all we could to his wing it still hung down and he would get his claws(?) hung in it and literally rip the inside of his wing to shreads. We now keep his feathers clipped back as far as possible and this allows him to hold it up higher because it is not as heavy (I am assuming this is why) and he is still learning to balance and walk around without falling over.

He is kept in a cage that I had from our cockatiel that had passed on just a few weeks earlier. Now that we have had him for several months and he has survived wonderfully, I am just curious if there is anything that is necessary for us to do that we are not aware of already. We feed him wild bird food, give him gravel, keep fresh water for him, and let him out of the cage everyday to change the paper and let him walk around the office and get excercise. (We also have a cat and a dog in the office.. not the typical work environment anymore... all of these were rescued as well and seem to get along just fine).

Anyway, I guess I am just looking for some reassurance that we are doing the right thing. And if anything else needs to be done, we would like to know. The vet did not have very much info to give us about the pigeon so I am truly hoping someone here can help.

Thank you so much in advance.

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~Christina

[Reti]

Hi Christina,
that is such an amazing story. You are wonderful people to rescue this little pigeon, and the cat and the dog.
I would certainly love such a work environment.
I think you do everything right for this little guy. He has seeds, water, grit, he gets daily exercise and love and care. He is a little lucky pij.
He will never be releasable, so I hope he has a permanent home with you guys.
Other members might have more advice.
Thank you for caring for the little pigeon and the other rescues.
Reti

[KIPPY]

I agree with everything Reti had to say.
Christina, you and the people you work with are great.
Thank you,
Kim

[TerriB]

Hi Christina,

Glad to know your pigeon has settled in so well. Regarding the wild bird mix, you will want to find a pigeon mix, since it will have the peas and other grain for a more balanced diet.

You should offer a bit of chopped lettuce or other greens. (I plant a pot of greens and leave it available for fresh nibbling. There seems to be a seasonal preference. In early spring, the pansies were eaten down to the stubs. Now it is ignored and romaine lettuce is what they all go after.)

Pigeons really do love to sunbathe, so see if there's any way you can offer this. If not, you would need to add an avian vitamin to his water.

They also enjoy taking a bath or shower (there are individual preferences), usually several times a week. You may have to offer this several times before he relaxes enough to bathe - soggy pigeons are very vulnerable so he would need to feel safe. (Be sure he has a draft free place to dry off.) Enjoy!

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Terri B

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Christina & Welcome to pigeons.com,

The four elements to a happy ending:
You, your coworkers, a bucket of corn & a tug boat! How great is that!!
Many thanks.

What a wonderfully touching story. Pigeons have, as you have witnessed, an incredible will to live. They are wondrous beings.

Have you named this sweet pij? How about 'Tug boat' Annie. lol.

Please give all your rescued babies a pat from us.

Cindy

[turkey]

Wonderful story!

I can only repeat what others have said. He would enjoy a pan of warm water to bath in. I'd recommend once a week and then you'll learn if he wants it more often or less.

Vitamins are important for indoor birds especially if they can't lay in the sun. It sounds like you are using a store bought grit/gravel. If you can get to a feed store they will probably have pigeon grit, which is different and better for him.

A pigeon mix would be healthier for him then a wild bird mix. If you can't get to a feed store to buy a pigeon mix then Kaytee sells a Dove mix. You should be able to get that at Pet Smart.

Safflower is usually a favorite treat. It looks like a pure white small sunflower seed.

*Check your private e-mail*

Julie

[maryco]

WOW! What an amazing rescue, thank you all for caring!

You've done such a great job with the pigeon already, does he have a name by the way?

I will attach a post below about basic pet/indoor pigeon care..

As the other members already suggested, a bath is a good idea, birds love bathing and it's really fun to watch them.
Since you are in the office you can get a old shower curtain, put it on the floor, fill a clean kitty litter pan with warm/room temp. water and let the bird bathe in it.
My birds live in my room and I have hardwood floor so this protects it from the splashing.

Also pigeons love to eat green things sometimes, Spinach is a fav. over here.

Wash it well and cut it into little pieces and see if you bird will eat it.
You can try lettuce, Shredded carrot and some sprouted lentils.

Try thawed peas and corn from the freezer.

Raw peanuts, safflower and black oil sunflower seeds or sunflower seeds without the shell are loved by many pigeons.


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Pigeons make wonderful pets and are pretty easy to care for, here are some basic things that pigeons need:

1. Fresh water (I usually change it twice a day)

2. A pigeon mix either from a supply store or you can make your own by buying some seeds from a bulk store and mixing them (Pigeons like things like Milo, whole white or green peas, whole corn, millet, safflower, raw peanuts (NOT salted or dry roasted)..etc.

3. Pigeon grit (Not gravel from a pet shop) you can get red cross grit from a feed supply store, it contains crushed oyster shells and is a good source of calcium.
Also you can offer him chopped cuttle bone and crushed egg shells.

4. If your bird is an indoor pet he will need a vitamin and mineral powder that goes in the water since he won't be able to produce any vitamin D3 without direct sunlight, so you can buy a supplement from a pet shop.

Housing:

A nice cage will do, the pigeon should be able to stretch out both wings and still have some room. Pigeons don't really like round perches so you can get a flat perch.
The droppings should be cleaned once a day to keep the cage clean and the pigeon healthy.

You can add ACV (Apple cider vinegar) to the water once a week, this helps keep the bird healthy also.
The dose is 1/4 cup or a little less per gallon of fresh water.


If you have any questions please post them here..

Mary

[Trees Gray]

Hello Christina and welcome to pigeons.com


Everything has been said, so I'll just say, what a great place to work!!! Got any openings?...just kidding

Make sure where the pigeon has his ome is draft free, and predator free!

That's all!

Treesa

[ccsandy]

Thank you all so much for your encouragement. I am going to check around and see if I can find a pigeon mix. We have some feed stores around here, but we always bought the wild bird seed from pet depot. A Petco has opened in our recently so I may check there as well.

Our pigeon's name is 'Bill'. Not really sure why we named him Bill, it is just seemed to be the name that 'stuck'. His home is in front of a huge window and we keep a mirror in the cage for him to look at himself. On sunny days we move his cage outside into the parking lot so he can sit in the sun. I am glad you said this was good because one day I was scared of him overheating... but it was only 70 degrees outside. I guess this is where a bath would have come in handy. Before I scare you, our office does not get much 'outside' traffic and is set up in a way that one of my co-workers sits facing the office parking lot and Bill is sitting right outside the office, on the other side of the window, safe from any cars or anything like that.. and she keeps a VERY close eye on him when he is out there.

I worry about him not having enough room to move around in the traditional type cage he is in now that he is more mobile, so one of our men (the one that brought him back in the corn bucket) is going to have a more 'elongated' cage made for him so that he will have more room to walk when he is not out of the cage.

I am printing out everything that you wrote so I can be sure I do not forget anything. Again, I offer many many thanks to all of you for posting.

BTW, Whiner is our kitty and Buster is our dog. Needless to say, anytime anyone visits our office, they take a double take at our little 'mascots'. Bill gets the most attention by far. I really never knew how beautiful pigeons were until Bill came to us. They definitely are extremely beautiful beings.

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~Christina

[turkey]

When building the new cage, it's better for it to be longer going side to side then up and down.

I've been taught they fly across not up.

Julie

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Christina,
Thanks so much for the wonderful update.
It sounds like Bill is settling in very well.

Unfortunately, there is this 'misconception' about pigeons, until a person becomes 'upclose & personal' with one. Their history is incredible. They truly are a wondrous bird.

A long, rather, than tall 'home' is best. They do love to stand on flat surfaces, so along with a perch (I use natural tree branches), I would recommend placing a brick, as well, in Bill's new home.

I don't recall if this was mentioned, but be sure to place the grit in a separate dish as Bill will eat it as he feels the need for it.
My Jessie eats grit like there's no tomorrow & her mate, Frank, seems to eat very little. But as long as it's available, Bill will be fine.

Please do keep us posted.
Cindy

[ccsandy]

Yes, that is what I meant... a cage that is long, not tall. Bill cannot fly at all. When he is out excercising he does take his good wing and he will 'flap' like there is not tomorrow. I am truly amazed sometimes at how beautiful he really is.

And I hope that someday he will be able to walk along a perch or something, but right now, and I believe I forgot to mention this too, one of his legs (the one on the same side as the damaged wing) is considerably weaker than the other leg. That is one reason I believe he has such a hard time keeping his balance. When he gets out to get his excercise he falls over on his back several times, but now he is able to get back up on his own. And I don't believe the wing has any muscle strength in it at all, because as I said, when he is flapping his good wing the wounded wing does not move at all.

All of this is why we are wanting a long cage for him. So he has more than just a tiny 'square foot' to walk around in when we are not there and he has to be put up. I truly do that someday he will be able to walk on a perch or something such as that, but right now, just to get him more room to move around in would be wonderful. Like I said, the window he is in front of is a large window so he could have a good long cage and have all the view of the outdoors that he wants.

A question though, since they like sunning, as I said, we will put him in his cage outside to allow him to sun. And have also taken him outside and let him walk around outside. But at what point is it too hot and too dangerous for him to be outside in the sun? Are there any guidelines to know something such as that? When to allow him full sun, when to place him in the shade?

I do find it amusing also though that he has come to love his cage. Sometimes when he is out excercising, he acts actually happy to be back in his cage. It is quite amusing. Never a dull moment when you work with a bird, a cat, and a dog... lol

Thanks again!

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~Christina

[Feefo]

Hi Christina,

That is one lucky pij! Once they realise that a cage is theirs and a place where they will be safe and find food they tend to want to go back to it specially at night.

When I took in my first rescue I bought her a fancy tall cage...it was no use at all until I realised that I could lie it on its side to make a long narrow cage Now it is perfect for rescues that have to be quarantined before progressing to the aviary.

Cynthia

[Trees Gray]

Hello Christina,

I'm so delighted with your care and concern over Bill.

I may have missed something here, but does Bill have some kind of predator protection when he is outside?

If you worry about him getting too much sun, you can provide him an area of shade outside, a little enclosure, so he can get out of the sun when he feels like it...and of course provide him water outside.

I use a cat litter box for my pigeons to swim in, wait till you see him bathe, it is so much fun to watch!

It's also entertaining to watch them eat romaine lettuce,kale, or spinach. They throw it around and thrash it about, until it's all eaten! Bill would only need a couple of leaves. Once they try it, they soon like it.

Treesa

[ccsandy]

When Bill is outside, he is in his cage. We just move the whole thing outdoors and the other girl in the office can see him from her desk. Other times when he is walking outside someone actually 'takes' him walking outside. Since he was so wounded, he is not fast enough to get away. He is never left in danger of any other little critters.

That is why I was concerned about him overheating... he is in his cage and cannot exactly 'move' to a cooler spot if he is too hot.

Thanks again for all the help!!!
You guys are wonderful.

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~Christina