Not an Emergency but cause for concern...

[peter683]

The white Pigeon showed up again today and he has traces of blood on the right hand side of his head. We think it is from scratching.. Is tehre anythign to be worried about as I am going to monitor it over the next couple of days when he visits us..?

[spirit wings]

can you catch him to look him over? is this a feral pigeon?

[peter683]

He is tame but not that tame... Gets very skittish if you try to touch him and I wouldnt want to spook him so he leaves for good..

[Naunnie]

If you can, try to see if he has a band on. If he does, it will best to try and catch him. Since he under some kind of stress, please put out some seeds ( wildbird/ground feeder type) and water for him. This might make it easier to monitor him and get a better idea of his condition. Appreciate your concern for a feathered friend.

[spirit wings]

you may beable to catch him in the dark if you know where he roosts at night, he really should be caught and kept safe and be looked at, he could have an injury.

[plamenh]

Wounds can heal by themselves or become infected it is 50/50 chance. Best will be to lure bird in closed area like garage shade etc. Then catch it when dark (you don’t want to stress additionally) Take a good look on the wound and treat as you will treat human injury – various wounds are treated various ways. Saline solution flushing and antibiotic ointment usually is enough. Keep him for some time to make sure if it heals and that should be enough.

[peter683]

Yes he is banded and I cant find the owner.. pretty much given up on that. We feed him and give hi mwater everyday that he shows up. I will monitor him over the weekend and see if it gets worse..

[Naunnie]

Hey Peter. I didn't realize we were talking about the same white bird as before with the band and the owner won't claim. I remember you can't bring him inside. I had to refresh my memory! How is he looking today?

[spirit wings]

well if he gets sick from his injury he is going to have to go inside someplace, so that really needs to be figured out to beable to help the bird.

[peter683]

He arrived this morning about 1030.. Real watery green slimey poops but this clears up right away once he has something to eat. I was able to lift up the drywall piece that he is sitting on with him on it and see the side of his head. It is much cleaner today and hasnt bled anymore. I think he must have scratched his head too hard and caused it to bleed a little. I will try and attach some pictures taken this afternoon.

First picture.. guardian of the seed....


Second picture.. Posing for the camera...


And lastly.. go away now time for my nap!

[Naunnie]

Hey Peter, I'm so glad he came back today. I'm sure someone else can confirm but I think the green, watery poo's are from being real hungry. Really makes you wonder where he goes off to. At least he knows he can eat and rest with you. Have you seen him doing a lot of scratching? He probably does have some parasites. It is possible to give him a dewormer in his water. Just a thought. Keep us posted okay. The pictures are wonderful. He is a beautiful bird isn't he!!

[peter683]

Thanks Naunnie. Yes sometimes he comes and his poops are normal and he has food in his crop. Other times he comes and is really hungry. We try and follow him when he leaves but he is gone quickly and never takes the same way each day...