[Annabelle monks]

i have no idea what age my pigeon is but i found it in my house (brought in by my cats most likely) it keeps yelping. left it outside for half an hour but no parent came to see it and i havent seen a pigeon nest or even a pigeon in my garden. got it in the house in a box under a heated lamp. its had a few sips of water but i've tried to feed it a liquid combo of biscuit and water which i made to look like a worm. tried to pinch its beak to open it but it doesnt work and it hasn't eaten anything yet. not sure what i should do as i have three cats so don't want to just leave it unattended in the garden.
please help me
thanks

 

[Keith C.]

You need to determine the age of the pigeon you found. What do the feathers look like?
You would only have to hand feed it if it is under 3 weeks old or if it to injured to eat on it's own.
If the cats have bitten it you will need to give it ant-biotics.
Unless the pigeon is very small, it will not need a heat lamp and excess heat could kill it.
This is from my website at:
http://www.freewebs.com/kjcii/handfeeding.htm
"Hand feeding. Occasionally you may have to hand feed a young pigeon to save it. We make a mash by taking wild bird seed, wheat, whole corn, oats and dog food and putting it in a coffee mill. We grind the feed into a flour, add some water and microwave it until it's slightly warm. Make sure the squab feels warm to the touch before feeding it.

Dip it's beak into the mash and it should quickly start gobbling it down.

You may have to dribble a little water at the tip of the beak if the crop feels hard.

"

 

[Keith C.]

The crop should be well filled out, when they are finished eating.

This is also on my website at:
http://www.freewebs.com/kjcii/handfeeding.htm

 

[Annabelle monks]

its got needle feathers. not injured from cats. fits in palm of my hand and is grey/yellowy

 

[Keith C.]

Annabele, it should do fine at room temperature and is probably able to eat at least somewhat on it's own.
I would dip it's beak in water to make sure it drinks. Make sure when you dip it, it has room to pull it's head back out, so it won't drown.
Temporarilly, you can try feeding it wild bird seed, popcorn or rice. Place the feed in with it and leave it alone for a little bit and then check to see if has eaten.
If it's eating on it's own let it. Otherwise you will have to hand feed it.

 

[John_D]

Hi Annabelle

Please look at this link on how to care for a baby pigeon

It could be a baby feral pigeon or wood pigeon, I guess.

On the same site you will also find sections on identifying the kind of pigeon the cat found, and a list of wildlife rescue/rehab facilities that take pigeons (injured or baby). A bird caught by a cat should have antibiotics, even if there's no obvious wound.

Where are you located?

 

[Annabelle monks]

located in cambridge in a little village. it's eaten some weatabix with warm water but not much at all and is flapping around a bit panicky. just got him in a box with tissue paper and some water on a dish and hes sitting there chirping and flapping.
should i keep him over night? i dont want to put him back into the garden because my cats will just get him again
thanks

 

[John_D]

Definitely keep him in. If he is squeaking and flapping, he probably hopes to be fed or, if he has eaten, is reacting as if you were a parent pigeon. We need to figure what he is and how old, to know if he needs to be fed a formula (or substitute) or can have something a little more solid (like thawed corn and peas from a frozen food pack).

Be good if you could do a clear pic or two of him

This is the rescue centres page from site mentioned before

http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/rescuecentres.htm

 

[Annabelle monks]

hope that picture works!

 

[Keith C.]

It appears to be a feral pigeon around 2 to 2 1/2 weeks old.
It will need fed for at least a week or two.

 

[Annabelle monks]

i've put it to sleep in a box (with the lid a tad open for air) with lots of toilet roll to keep it warm and its on a floor in a room with underfloor heating. do you think it will survive? i'm feeling guilty i haven't done enough!

 

[Libis]

i've put it to sleep in a box (with the lid a tad open for air) with lots of toilet roll to keep it warm and its on a floor in a room with underfloor heating. do you think it will survive? i'm feeling guilty i haven't done enough!

Baby still needs more food to survive--and very soon. Babies can die on you quickly without proper feedings. You might try the bottle method with some Kaytee exact or the equivalent parrot baby formula in your area. Cereal isn't going to give the little one enough nutrients.

 

[PigeonQueen]

Hello check out the link that John mentioned. There might be a wildlife centre near you that could help.Good luck Jayne

 

[Jay3]

I'm sorry, but if the bird was brought in by one of your cats, then it was bitten by the cat, and probably clawed as well. How else would the cat have carried him indoors? He could very likely die if antibiotics are not started on him. Just because you don't find the small holes that cat teeth would make, it doesn't mean that they aren't there. Any cat caught animal needs to be put on antibiotic ASAP.Cats carry lots of bacteria in their saliva that will easily cause an infection and kill a bird.

You can feed him by defrosting and warming frozen peas. Hold him on your lap, and next to your body. Open his beak, and put a pea way to the back of his throat. Let him close his mouth and he should swallow it. If he spits it out, then it wasn't far enough back. Feed him enough to fill his crop maybe 2/3 full. It should feel like a soft little pillow. Not sure how many at that size...........maybe 25 to 30 peas. And wait for the crop to empty before feeding again. Probably will have to do this 4 times a day for now. Hold his head, and dip his beak into a small crock of water, but not over his nostrils. Keep showing him, and he will learn how to drink on his own.

But the antibiotics are very important with cat caught birds.

 

[Jay3]

located in cambridge in a little village. it's eaten some weatabix with warm water but not much at all and is flapping around a bit panicky. just got him in a box with tissue paper and some water on a dish and hes sitting there chirping and flapping.
should i keep him over night? i dont want to put him back into the garden because my cats will just get him again
thanks

This bird is a baby. If you put him outside, he is going to die. His parents aren't going to come back to help him. You are going to have to hand feed him till he is ready to eat on his own. And please don't keep him in a dark box. If you have no cage for him, a fish aquarium would work, or at least cover the box with screen for light. He can't stay in the dark. He won't eat or anything in the dark. And you need to be sure that he is away in a room where the cats cannot go.