Pigeon can't fly, sick? BUGS!! help!

[Charis]

Have you brought him inside?

[Charis]

Originally Posted by Bella

I will send along a care package with wormer + coccidiostat and a couple tabs of spartrix.
I will leave it up to you experts with more experience to advise on which to treat the bird with first.

I'll send some pigeon builder and probios too...see if we can get birdie back on his feet.

That's wonderful, Bella.

[help with pigeo]

He's in the kitchen in his bin on the counter where my dog can't eat him, I don't think it's much warmer inside, we don't have our heat on yet. The elec blanket is helping. I have it on high because it has to go through the plastic of the bin plus newspaper and a layer of leaves , he's quite the fiesty little bugger, for the shape he's in . The way he slaps me and bites me you'd think he was perfectly healthy

[Naunnie]

Sounds like you have done enough for the "bugs" for a few days. Let him rest up while you wait on Bella's care package. Monitor his food and water intake. Keep him not only warm, but out of any drafts. If you are providing an extra heat source (electric blanket ), make sure he can move away from the added warmth if he chooses to. Feeding: thawed/warmed, peas and corn are easy to digest. Yogurt is a readily available probiotic until you can obtain some other. Garlic water is also helpful to help boost his immune system. There is so much information here. I always refer to the "search" or "resource" links available on this forum. Hang in there!!! Again, thanks for helping him. It is obvious you really care and PT members are always here to help.

[Jay3]

If the bugs are still there, I'd dust him again. The way I do it is with a powder puff, or you could use cotton balls. Do under the wings and tail, and tummy and back. But don't get it near his head or face. Leave it on. Don't wash it off. If you can get someone to hold him while you dust him that would be good. If not, hold him on a towel on your lap. Holding him against your body will give you more control of him.

[Jaye]

It really is amazing that he is hanging in there. He might indeed have internal parasites (worms) which may be why he isn't gaining weight. Could also be the external bugs are compromising him.

I agree you should have another go at dusting him again. BUT...hold off until tom'w afternoon, the earliest..let the guy rest a bit.

Make sure he keeps eating. Give him that wormer ASAP. Also thinking that you may have to be more aggressive in feeding him.

I think you should try some veggie-popping in addition to the feedings you are giving him:

As Naunie suggested, buy some frozen mixed veggies (peas, corn, diced carrots) and submerge them in hot water (hot tap is OK...just not boiling). Let the veggies thaw in the water for like 30 seconds, so they can warm up a bit. Get a toothpick and put a veggie on the end of it, open his beak and put the veggie into the back of his mouth. Pull the toothpick out, leaving the veggie there...and he should swallow it down. Do this w/ about 5-10 pcs. of veggie for a feeding. Give him 2-3 of these feedings a day (again, assuming he's eating some on his own, additionally). Corn kernels are the smallest and easiest to feed. For the carrots and peas, sometimes you have to halve the piece so it'll fit easily in his mouth.

If for any reason he doesn't swallow a veggie, pull it out of his mouth before it blocks his windpipe. But 90% of the time, they will just gulp 'em right down...If for any reason he seems to be getting very distressed, just stop. It helps wrapping him in a towel, head exposed, when doing this...becayse he will likely fight you a bit..

You are doing great, keep it up.

[help with pigeo]

well he made it through another night, he LUUUUUUVS the elec. blanket, even when he started to eat this morning he laid down on his belly to feel the warmth, the first comfortable night he's had in days, what an idiot I am, for not doing that sooner, I thought he was shaking because he was scared. I'll do the dusting again tonight. so you just leave it on, and he won't ingest it when he's preening his feathers?
I'm feeding him regular all purpose wild bird seed and sunflower seeds,thats what I put in the feeders in my yard,he's fussy, he flicks through the food with his beak, throwing it everywhere. you'd think in his condition he'd just eat. he has a very strong will, he charges us like a pigeon pitbull when ever my husband or I put our hand in his box. He hates us, like a good feral should I guess.
thanks so much to everybody for all your help.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by Naunnie

Sounds like you have done enough for the "bugs" for a few days. Let him rest up while you wait on Bella's care package. Monitor his food and water intake. Keep him not only warm, but out of any drafts. If you are providing an extra heat source (electric blanket ), make sure he can move away from the added warmth if he chooses to. Feeding: thawed/warmed, peas and corn are easy to digest. Yogurt is a readily available probiotic until you can obtain some other. Garlic water is also helpful to help boost his immune system. There is so much information here. I always refer to the "search" or "resource" links available on this forum. Hang in there!!! Again, thanks for helping him. It is obvious you really care and PT members are always here to help.

The pigoen flys are making him weak and need to be removed ASAP.

[altgirl35]

how i hate those pigeon flies!! they are so icky and fast! they do weaken a bird and he could possibly anemic on top of it all
glad he's feeling better, you might want to hit the pet or feed store for some pigeon and dove food, he needs grit also.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by help with pigeo

well he made it through another night, he LUUUUUUVS the elec. blanket, even when he started to eat this morning he laid down on his belly to feel the warmth, the first comfortable night he's had in days, what an idiot I am, for not doing that sooner, I thought he was shaking because he was scared. I'll do the dusting again tonight. so you just leave it on, and he won't ingest it when he's preening his feathers?
I'm feeding him regular all purpose wild bird seed and sunflower seeds,thats what I put in the feeders in my yard,he's fussy, he flicks through the food with his beak, throwing it everywhere. you'd think in his condition he'd just eat. he has a very strong will, he charges us like a pigeon pitbull when ever my husband or I put our hand in his box. He hates us, like a good feral should I guess.
thanks so much to everybody for all your help.

Ya know, you could add a few things to the wild mix that would make it more what he needs. Split peas, safflower seeds, brown rice, lentils, and pop corn (not popped). It would be much closer to what he should have. Most of these things are very inexpensive to buy, except the safflower, which most pigeons love, and it is high in fat, so would put some much needed calories in his diet.

[Bella]

Package is in the mail with grit, oyster shell, pro bios, pigeon builder, wormer, and spartrix. I sent it priority so it should arrive tomorrow or possibly the day after.
Good to hear he is still hanging in there. Sounds like a fighter! Pigeon flies...makes me want to go dust my birds just thinking about them..

[help with pigeo]

Those flies really Are creepy, I'm don't mind spiders, snakes, bees, but these things make my skin crawl. I start to itch everytime I see one. As far as the split peas, lentels, and brown rice I have all in my cupboard, he'll get some as soon as I get home. Thanks so much again Bella for the care package. I'm going to try the bag trick for the dust, we'll see how it goes.

[Trees Gray]

Thank you for kindness and care shown to this bird.

If you can find whole peas that would be better, the split ones can cause digestive/fungus issues in the crop, pigeons need their seeds and legumes whole.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

Thank you for kindness and care shown to this bird.

If you can find whole peas that would be better, the split ones can cause digestive/fungus issues in the crop, pigeons need their seeds and legumes whole.

I have never heard of that problem with the split peas. Why would they cause that?
As a matter of fact, split peas come in many of the different pigeon mixes, so I'm sure they're fine.

[help with pigeo]

So far 2 dead creepy flies! First of all when we got home today, pigy had eaten
A more normal amount of food, I cleaned out his cage, which gets more painful every time, he doesn't just peck, he pulls & twists and doesn't let go. I gave him a mix of bird seed split peas brown rice and lentils. He immediately started eating (once he gave me my hand back) not just pecking, a seed here & there. Half hour later was dust time, that was horrible, my husband was chopping wood so I scooped him up in a paper towel and stuffed him in A bread bag with the powder in it, with his head sticking out, a horrible experience for all involved. I only eat organic veggies, so covering a bird with toxic chemicals is not something I enjoy. I've been checking on him every few minutes, convinced I've poisened him. I just saw him pluck two flies in a row out of his feathers.