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#1
26th October 2009, 08:14 PM
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I need help with sick pigeon, possibly canker?Hello everyone,
I need some help with a pigeon. I found him/her in april with an injured wing and brought her home. She is missing several primary feathers and I have been waiting for them to grow and some did but fell off again. The last 2 months there has been no sign of the feathers growing back. I have been feeding her seeds of many kinds and she eats very well. She is feral and slaps me when I put my hands inside the cage, there is no way she will allow me to touch her. The times I have had to change her from a cage to another etc. I have had to throw a towel over her in order to grab her. Ok, my problem is that about 5 days ago she lost tons of feathers. She had molted before etc. so I was not concerned. But I have noticed that she is missing those small feathers all around her neck and they don't seem to be growing back. But today is when I noticed that she is "sneezing" - 2 or 3 times this morning, 2 or 3 times tonight. I got worried and started reading posts here to see what ails her. Is it canker? This is the only bird I've had and I don't know what to do. I live in Montreal and I was told that pigeons are wild animals and vets are forbidden to treat them (you are forbidden to house them too, from what I hear). I need some advice. Just a reminder that I cannot hold her so it would be hard to force a pill down her throat (if need be of course, I'll find someone to help). I am posting a couple of pictures so you get a good look at her neck. Thanks! Last edited by BuenDia; 26th October 2009 at 08:20 PM. Reason: add pictures 
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#2
26th October 2009, 08:39 PM
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I would say that she is in heavy molt. These neck spikes on the picture are new feathers.
By the way, no one can tell feral pigeon from pet pigeon so I wouldn't be concerned to take her to the Vet if emergency. She is pet pigeon. This bird does not look sick. If you post picture of her poop, is it problematic, or if there is any other symptoms, maybe there is ground for worries. I would tame her - teach her to eat from my hand. This will make your interactions easier. Secondly, I would treat her for lice and worms, but other than that nothing. Ivermectin drops - 1 drop between shoulders at the base of the neck will do.
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#3
26th October 2009, 08:48 PM
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Hi Plamenh,
I am so grateful for your prompt response, this is a great site, I just joined today. I posted to find a home for her here in Montreal around 2 pm and then just kept on reading... then I realized my birdie, I call her Palomita (Spanish for little bird) was sneezing... looking at some pictures here and comments from people like Jay3 and Lovebirds suggesting that some birds missing feathers around the neck my have canker and I began to panic... then I took the pictures and the problem looked worse to me... like I said, I know nothing about birds and I rescued her because I love all animals and had been hoping her wing would heal and I would one day see her fly away to be with her flock (I found her 2 blocks from my home). So the sneezing is not a major issue? I will certainly get her the Ivermectin for lice and worms tomorrow. Her droppings are also a bit wet but that happen some months ago and then it went back to normal. Arghh, I worry! I have 3 cats too and panic now and then! Any ther suggestions are greatly appreciated, and thanks, I hadn't thought I could say it was my pet pigeon (well, she is now :-) just say I got her from a friend.
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#6
26th October 2009, 10:00 PM
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Ohhhhhhhhh! See how I know nothing about birds? They sneeze!
 And sure, there is a lot of white dust lately, because she has been shaking and flapping her wings and losing feathers. Unfortunately, I don't think she will recover those primary feathers, I suppose there was damage to the bones in the wing. I found her 6 months ago, don't you think she would have them by now? And she did grow 2 or 3 of those feathers, only to lose them again. Is there any hope, do you think? When she lost the feathers I checked them out and there was blood in the vain, by that I understand they were still growing and yet she lost them, this is why I am not hopeful. But you tell me ... Still waiting for her to poo, but today when I cleaned her cage the droppings were not wet, they looked very regular. And she eats all the time, thanks heavens. She loves sunflower seeds. I feed her rice, sesame on the side, too, but I buy her regular bird food.
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#7
26th October 2009, 10:05 PM
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Do you let her bathe? Pigeons love to take baths.
__________________
Charis If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. Seattle 1736-1866  Another Life, Gone To The Birds! DO NO HARM Member, International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council
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#8
26th October 2009, 11:26 PM
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Yes, Charis, I put a bowl with water for her... I haven't actually seen her bathe, though, so I am not sure if she does (although one time I did find some water around indicating she might have splashed in it).. I added borax to help with lice. I wonder if she would enjoy being sprayed with a bottle of water?
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#9
27th October 2009, 03:29 AM
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Quote:
If your cage is big enough, you can use a small cat litter pan with about 4 inches of water in it for bathing. And take it out when she's done.
__________________
Waynette  http://community.webshots.com/user/cindasark "In Solitude there is Strength, In Strength there is Spirit"
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#10
27th October 2009, 05:02 AM
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i would get her in a towel and preen those feathers on her head for her, she won't like it but it will make her more comfortable.
that would be a good time to take a look in her mouth to check for canker you can also add a little organic aloe juice to a mist bottle , it's very soothing to the skin.. is her cage big enough for her to flap her wings without hitting the bars? could she have broken them? if they had blood in them,that's probably what happened
__________________
State and Federally permitted wildlife rehabilitator www.CAWildBirdRescue.org www.wraminc.org/
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#11
27th October 2009, 08:57 AM
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Msfreebird: Yes, I think the bowl is large enough, but like I said, I have never seen her bathe. I will try misting her with a water bottle and organic aloe juice as AltGirl35 suggests.
And AltGirl35, yes, her cage is bi enough for her to flap her wings. This is why I don't understand why she lost the feathers and they had blood in them. But as I said, she was injured when I found her and maybe there was some irreparable damage to the wing and that is why the feathers are not fully replaced, i.e. they fall off?
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#12
27th October 2009, 09:13 AM
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idk, it's hard to say without seeing it. i know my tiels sometimes break blood feathers and they are in a HUGE cage.
i keep the wild bird in screen cages (reptariums), or plastic cat or dog kennels to prevent them from breaking feathers, especially the adults, they don't understand cage bars, and can thrash about and hurt themselves. the only ones i put in regular cages are woodpeckers and the like because they will peck right out of the screen cages. it's a bummer when they break flight feathers, it can delay release for months and months
__________________
State and Federally permitted wildlife rehabilitator www.CAWildBirdRescue.org www.wraminc.org/
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