Feeding a blind pigeon

[Monica]

Five days ago I found a pigeon on the sidewalk near where I work. There was a young bird (3-4 weeks old) sitting on the concrete. His eyes were dripping blood. There was a small dollop of blood near him. My suspicion is that he somehow smashed the front of his skull just above the eyes, but that's just a guess. He does look a little flat on the top of his head.

I've been taking care of him. I thought he would probably pass away in a few hours, but he was alive the next day, walking about but clearly blind, his eyes covered with dried blood. I thought about using something to loosen up the clots, but I was afraid. To be honest I wasn't sure if there were still eyeball underneath all that blood.

Now one eye is partially open. He keeps it closed most of the time. I don't think he sees through it at all. The other eye is still scabbed over. I ordered some ointment from Jedds to ward off infection, and I hope it's helping. I don't think his eyes are infected at all.

He walks about his little box. He seems, if not alert, certainly responsive. His sense of balance is fine.

Here's the problem . . . getting him to eat. I haven't been able to coax him to eat on his own using any of the techniques mentioned on this site. I wonder if not being able to see is making him resistant to eating? I wonder if a knock on his head changed his eating response? I've resorted to holding him using the burrito technique and making him eat baby bird formula a drop or two at a time. I think I'm getting better at doing this and I am slowing his weight loss. Today he is down to 230g from 240g when I weighed him two days ago. I know he was heavier when I first got him. When I first found him he was a bleeding mess, but he felt normal weight.

I think I will eventually get good enough at feeding him so that I can keep him from wasting away. I've also forced seeds into the side of his beak, but that's so slow, and I worry about him not getting enough fluid, so I like using the formula. I keep his box's floor almost covered with bird seed in the hope if he pecks anywhere he might get a seed. I have a small bowl that I keep filled with seed in one corner, and a watering dish in the other corner. I think he does occasionally drink on his own.

Any suggestions as to how I can help him any more? I really want to get him eating on his own.

Thank you,
Monica