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

[help with pigeo]

hello again everybody,
first I want to say that squeaky & Mexico are doing fine. We still see them regularly although they don't acknowledge us anymore. They've grown into fine birds and holding their own, keeping a step ahead of the hawks.
Now we have another pigeon that was in our yard and can't fly. we scooped him up and put him in a plastic recycle bin that we keep on our back porch. At first he was very week, would fall over on his face when he walked,and had bright green diahrea, and would hardly eat. we've had him a little over a week now. he has normal poop, eats better, but still can't fly. a few days ago we put him on the grass in the back yard and he spread out his wings and walked around like a little boy pretending to be an airplane. his wings are not injured, (he has no problem wing slapping me every time I put my hand in his box to clean it or change his water.he's also very fond of latching on to the skin on the back of my hand, ouch) I believe he may just be too week he's literally wings and bones. after we had him for a few days we saw this bug, creepy lookin' litttle thing zip in & out of his feathers, I've never seen more than one, so being a feral bird I figured they are normal. HOWEVER, its been very chilly here in Syracuse NY(32 this morning), yesterday we got some sun, so I brought pigy's box out in the back yard and was sitting next to it. after about ten minutes in the sun, suddlenly about four of five of these things come crawling out of his feathers. I freaked out, i put his box back on the backporch and flew to the pet store. all I could find was bird mite spray. so I took him out of the box and sprayed him and wrapped him up in paper towels for a few minutes then put him back in the box. I doubt its going to kill them.
Is there anything I can put on him that will kill these things and not kill the bird? What are they? do you think this is why he can't fly, because they are sucking the life out of him. he has made definate improvements since we've had him, when you feel his chest it's just bone no muscle, but he's acting normal and flapping his wings a little. any help would be greatly appreciated, I cannot take him to the vet, no $$$, my dog is overdue for her vet appt. the bugs look like thin flies but they crawl around on him like crabs, I also keep coats & shoes on my porch , what are the chances these things will infest my house. I was thinking of dunking him in warm water up to his neck and try to drown them, and at the same time warm him up a little, he shivers a lot

[spirit wings]

you can use 5% sevin dust, use it again in a few weeks, have you dewormed this bird? he has pigeons louse fly, here is a link and more info on it. http://www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatu...pigeon_fly.htm

[Naunnie]

Good Morning. Most parasites on birds will not bother humans or infest your house/clothing. I think one of the common bug is called a "feather lice". They feed on the feathers and feather dust. They don't really harm the bird, except by causing feather damage. There are other types of bugs that can cause damage though. List what the active ingredient in the spray you bought. If it is a permethrin type, it will kill most types of bugs. Pigeons love to bathe, so maybe letting him splash in some vinegar water may help. Several members use different things in the baths, like mouthwash, for example. Try "search". If you bathe him, make sure to keep him out of drafts.

[Jay3]

Seven dust will get rid of them. Don't leave him alone outside. A hawk or other predator can grab him very quickly. He probably isn't flying because he was starving and is too weak. Have you checked him out well? Look down in his throat with a flashlight, and make sure that there are no spots of anything down there. Can you possibly post a pic of him? Where are you keeping him, and what do you feed him?

[Naunnie]

About his lack of flight; Might be a really young bird and hasn't mastered it yet. Since he was so weak and thin when you rescued him, it might just take some time time to get his strength back. It's good he is acting "little boy airplane" Deworming would be helpful to get his weight back. Do you have a vet that can help? Just taking in a fresh poop sample to test will cut down on the cost. Are you able to let him spend the winter with you? If not maybe someone in your area can. I'm just thinking he may need extra protection from the elements until he is stronger and fatter. I'm sure you know....we love pictures. Good luck and keep us posted. Thanks so much for helping him.

[help with pigeo]

I'll give him a bath tonight, as for the Sevin dust, do I put it directly on him? Won't he ingest it? He also keeps his feathers fluffed out, is this because he's cold? The bin we have him in is about 1 1/2 x 2ft x 1 1/2 ft high food & water on one side, thick layer of leaves on the other, no top since he can't fly and he's in an enclosed porch.also I didn't see any bird wormer at the pet store but I'll try a different store. I need to get him healthy and back w/his flock before the snow flies, which it appears could be any day

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by help with pigeo

I'll give him a bath tonight, as for the Sevin dust, do I put it directly on him? Won't he ingest it? He also keeps his feathers fluffed out, is this because he's cold? The bin we have him in is about 1 1/2 x 2ft x 1 1/2 ft high food & water on one side, thick layer of leaves on the other, no top since he can't fly and he's in an enclosed porch.also I didn't see any bird wormer at the pet store but I'll try a different store. I need to get him healthy and back w/his flock before the snow flies, which it appears could be any day

you just have to be careful with the sevin dust, use 5%. keep it out of his nose and eyes. as far as getting supplies you can get all you need and some at this site which is only one, there is more online under pigeon supply.
http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/catalog/index.html

[Bella]

Just being one pigeon you probably don't want to buy a whole box of wormer. I am close by and can mail you enough to take care of him if you will PM me your address.

[Jaye]

Bright green poops are usually very bad news, so I am pleasantly surprised at his recovery. How is his weight ? is it up approaching normal ? Does his breast feel nice and full, or is the chest/keel bone protruding significantly ?

I am just wondering if, in addition to getting rid of the bugs (which are host-specific, so don't worry about them infesting human stuff) we should be looking at some more medicating of some sort....

[Jay3]

Can't bright green poops mean that the bird is starving?

[Charis]

Originally Posted by Jaye

Bright green poops are usually very bad news, so I am pleasantly surprised at his recovery. How is his weight ? is it up approaching normal ? Does his breast feel nice and full, or is the chest/keel bone protruding significantly ?

I am just wondering if, in addition to getting rid of the bugs (which are host-specific, so don't worry about them infesting human stuff) we should be looking at some more medicating of some sort....

I agree.
If the bird shivers, you need to keep her inside and on a heating pad set no higher than low. Worming is a good idea and so is treating for coccidia and canker.
I also agree that a picture of the bird would be very helpful.

[help with pigeo]

He was definately starving, feathers & bones. I bought the sevin dust, a total disaster, he flapped all over dust flying I don't think any of if stayed on him I didn't knowif I was supposed to just leave it on him or what. So after about an hour I gave him a bathwhich he also hated and fought with all his might. No bugs appeared during the bath. I wrapped him up in a towel for a few minutes thenput him back in his box with fresh food water and leaves. I used a blow dryer to dry him off which he loved the warm, and sure enough as his body warmed up, creepy flies started emerging.
When he was wet I could see the severity of his condition, not only is his breast bone prutruding.In one spot The skin is worn off and the bone is exposed. His chest seems empty, i can't believe he's even alive.I don't know what to do for this poor guy, my time and resources are very limited

[Bella]

Originally Posted by Charis

I agree.
If the bird shivers, you need to keep her inside and on a heating pad set no higher than low. Worming is a good idea and so is treating for coccidia and canker.
I also agree that a picture of the bird would be very helpful.

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.

[spirit wings]

that is great bella, he needs to get the flys off, try putting the dust in a bag big enough for him and put him in it with his head out of the bag and massage the bag, let him sit in there for a few mins, you might want to take his water and feed out of the box or what ever you have him in when you put him back in to let the dust settle, then replace the water and feed. you can dip his beak in the water up to the cere, to show him where the water is. is he eating on his own?

[help with pigeo]

He is eating on his own, we've had him about ten days now. Only the last few days has he really started eating more normally. I probably should have given him some sort of suppliment but I really thought he just needed ages days of safety & food and he'd be off. I don't have a heating pad but I just put a folded up electric blanket underneath the bin we have him in. Hopefully that will warm him up a bit. I'll post a photo in the morning, no computor in the house just my phone, but I can do it when I get to the shop
I'll try the bag thing for the dust tomorrow when we get home work