medication question

[Reti]

The cleaning part, well, with pigeons it can get pretty messy.
One option would be to purchase a bird diaper like Mr. Squeaks has. Though some birds don't seem to like them. Pio might get used to it since he is younger.
To clean surfaces I use Basic G and Basic H. It cleanses and disinfects surfaces and they are not toxic to the birds, they also clean walls and firniture very well. Vinegar is great to clean their water bowls and cages.
You can put out towels or better, fleece throws where they are spending most of their time.

Reti

[sabina]

I'll definitely consider the bird diaper--Pio has lots of attitude though, I'm sure he'd HATE it. For now, I think we'll just try to cover the surfaces where they hang out.

Basic G and H, are those "green" cleaning products? I had been thinking we should go to the natural store in the neighborhood to get some less toxic cleaning products since these birds are always pecking around.

The quarantine issue--the main problem is having 1 room. The kitchen, living room and bedroom areas are all connected, no doors. We do have a small "closet room" which has a door, but the door doesn't close entirely. Plus that's where the cat litter is, so we couldn't close it anyway. Sir Duchess' cat carrier is in the closet room, and he perches in there most of the time, but sometimes he flies out. Then there is the bathroom (which does have a door!).

So it seems like it's really not safe for us to have more than 1 bird here (if one is sick that is). That being for future reference. For now, hopefully this anxiety will be relieved when Sir Duchess gets checked out by the vet in the next couple days.

Sabina

[Maggie-NC]

Sabina, you don't necessarily have to keep them in separate rooms, just have their cages in separate areas - say, one on one side of the room and one on the other side. Don't let them out at the same time.

About cleaning - it is very hard no matter what size house you have. We basically use 3 rooms, kitchen, dining room and laundry room and have on occasion used the family room and living room. With an open area like you have I know it is hard. We primarily use the kitchen which is fairly large but we use a lot of newspaper to cover everything when we let the birds out to fly. Our friends are kind enough to save their paper and that really helps. We use a Wal-mart brand of cleaner, Great Value, with clorox, to clean all surface areas. We go through so much that the house brand saves us money.

[pdpbison]

Hi Sabina,


If your Pigeon is pecking and eating on his own...and getting excercise now(which will benifit him a great deal in every way)...and starting to gain weight now...then I see no need to be doing "Seed-Pops" for getting more food into him.

Just keep up what you have been doing...the Garlic and theACV-Water and Oiled Seeds and he should do fine...

Get another fecal regarding the 'Worm' matter in a week or ten days or something...

Otherwise, just let him eat, fly, and poop where he wants...

Quarenteen-wise...you can just quarenteen the new arrive one...in-a-cage...and let Pio fly around for now...works out the same as if you quarenteened both of them really...but he needs the excercise now, so...let him have it...!

Bestwishes!

Phil
Las Vegas

[sabina]

Quick question--we're going to order some meds to have around. Any place you recommend as better to order from? Cheaper? I looked at jedd's and foy's websites so far.
Sabina

[Trees Gray]

I don't know if it was the garlic/getting rid of the worms, or the fact that he started flying a lot more in the past few days and gained muscle mass. Maybe a combination of the two.

I'm glad the garlic is working well for the birds. I use garlic everyday on rehab birds and twice a week for just prevention, those gelcaps are so wonderful. My rehabber friend has used them for many many years, and she swears they do get rid of worms and all kinds of parasites.

I have used the Basic G as germicide for many years (to spray in the coop), it has a nice smell and is a wonderful viruside, germicide and anti-bacterial, and more. It is not toxic. We just make sure the spray is dry before allowing the birds back inside.

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by sabina

Quick question--we're going to order some meds to have around. Any place you recommend as better to order from? Cheaper? I looked at jedd's and foy's websites so far.
Sabina

I like Global pigeon supplies, because they have the basics and are close to me, so the shipping is cheaper, and I get the order the next day. So I buy the heavy stuff like floor dressing and pick cake there and multi-vitamin minerals.

I also like Siegels as they carry other products that I like. They have some different types of feeders and waterers now, that are wonderful that Globals doesn't have.

I LOVE Jedds, but only order from them once in a while, like their organic prevention products. I don't buy often from them because shipping costs more, as they are in Calif. I am in florida.

Find the one closest to you, check out their catalogs and see what you like there, then check the other supply houses out and see what they have.

I really enjoy looking thru their catalogs, almost as good as my Lands' End catalog.

[TAWhatley]

New England Pigeon Supply is close to you, Sabina: http://www.nepigeonsupplies.com/

Terry

[mr squeaks]

Sabina, I hear you about space constraints! Here is the info on Flight Suits (a.k.a. pij diapers):

web address: www.flightquarter.com

toll free phone: 888-412-7667

I bought Squeaks' suit from a bird store down the street and had to take a few back before I found the right size! The one recommended for pigeons was too small and I ended up going about FIVE sizes BIGGER! BUT, Squeaks is a racing homing (retired) pigeon and has a broad chest.

It's important to get the right size. Squeaks doesn't always like wearing his, but they sure come in handy when I don't want poops when he's out and I have guests! The suit works great too, is made of nylon, washes and dries very quickly!

Hope this helps. These "diapers" can ALSO save in cleaning up a lot of poops!

The company is very friendly and will be glad to help you decide on a size and I believe they also have a return policy, which is very important.

Hope this helps...

[sabina]

Thanks Mr Squeaks for that info. Right now, we're just doing the newspaper, that's working ok. But still lots of poop clean-up all over the place, so we should look into the diaper thing.

OK so here's the update. Sir Duchess went to the vet on Tuesday and was given a relatively clean bill of health. The vet said he had a trace of coccidiosis and roundworm but that it seemed the garlic capsules would be good enough for that, given how well they worked for Pio.

Aias also brought a poop sample from Pio, who had just been at the vet a few days earlier. At the last visit (last Sat), he was pronounced clear of roundworm and coccidiosis, but put back on Nystatin for a couple yeast buds. Well this time (Tue), apparently the coccidiosis was back with a vengeance, and no yeast. So now he's off the Nystatin and back on the Albon for 5 days (which makes today his last day).

We've been giving daily garlic capsules to both. We'll start the Benebac for Pio again after his last dose of Albon (we don't have that much left, and the instructions say to give it after the antibiotics).

We've decided to send Sir Duchess to someone from the Forum (Hooked) who has a pet roller. So we'll be trying to figure that out in the next couple days. I'll be glad to see him off to a more permanent loving home. It still makes me nervous, the two pigeons together. Sir Duchess is a bit of a bully. No overtly aggressive behavior but he kind of crowds and scares Pio sometimes. Right now Pio is quivering in the window while Duchess is pecking at some seeds a few inches away (they have separate seed bowls, but Aias puts out seeds in the windowsills for the pigeons to eat as well). Both vets that we see gave a green light to the birds being out together. But...well..I guess I'm just not so partial to Sir Duchess. I admit it. Aias wanted to keep him and I said no.

So there you are. That is the update.

Thanks Treesa and Terry for the pigeon supply info. Last weekend, I became a bit overwhelmed by all the options--i just got lost in looking at the websites and forgot about actually ordering. But now we'll just pick the place closest and order some stuff.

Sabina

[mr squeaks]

Can certainly understand your feeling of being "overwhelmed!"

However, once Sir Duchess has his/her own home, things should settle down quite well for you, Aias and Pio. Interacting with a pigeon is such a TRIP! Such LOOKS, such PERSONALITIES! IF Pio is female, such EGGS! LOL

We'll be here for updates!

Squeaks sends a HIGH WING FIVE!