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Injured leg and wing?

406 views 14 replies 3 participants last post by  Marina B 
#1 ·
I live in Las Vegas, an hour ago we found a pigeon in our yard that seemed injured. It managed to get under our car and left 2 droppings (how we found it). It was laying nearly on its side, and when I approached it was pushing itself away with one leg and its beak scraping the ground to move.

I don't know what could have happened to the poor thing, but i laid it in an old suitcase in our covered carport with lots of towels, where it pooped again on its own leg. It made no vocalizations the entire time, but once i laid it on the towels it seemed to calm down. We gave it some water, but it hasn't drank yet as of typing this.
It's begun just laying with its eyes shut (still breathing) and there's no blood visible anywhere on its body. Animal control in my area said pigeons are classified as pests so there's no help coming from them...

Am I just giving it a comfortable place to pass away? Or is there anything better i can do to help?
 
#2 ·
Please post a photo of the bird and of the bird's droppings too.

It would be very good to help the bird to drink, especially water with electrolytes added -- a 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice per cup of water is a good source of electrolytes. Pigeons use their beaks like straws to sip water, so try holding a dish of water with just the tip of the beak in the water so as not to cover the nostrils / nares in the upper beak. Then he may drink on his own.

Is there any sign of a wound, or bleeding? If not then the partial paralysis may be due to illness or malnutrition. Try hand-feeding him some crumbled hard-boiled egg yolk at room temperature. If his condition improves quickly, then the cause was likely malnutrition. If not, then he may have an illness that causes temporary paralysis. Birds can survive the illness provided they have a bit of help eating and drinking. Don't leave a deep dish of water near the bird or he may drown.

 
#3 ·
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Here they are, i tried getting a photo of its foot but didnt want to get too close. It's standing now though and has both eyes open, which I'm hoping means you were right about the paralysis!
I had looked up to make a water mixture of salt and sugar so that is what I've given it.
 
#4 ·
That's great that he is standing! Maybe he had flown into a window or car and was only stunned. The dropping looks ok except that there is very little fecal material (the green/brown part) which likely means that he hasn't been eating much lately and would benefit from some food. Pigeons usually eat about 1.5 to 2 ounces of food per day, usually raw/dry seeds and grains such as oats, peas, lentils, sunflower seed kernels, rice, wheat, and so on. They can also eat chopped veggies or fruit but those are usually only a small part of the diet.
 
#6 ·
Do you have a bag of frozen peas? If so, defrost a few in warm water and handfeed him. Put him on your lap against your body. Gently open his beak and put a pea deep inside over the tongue. He will swallow and then you can give him the next one. Feed him 20 peas, when that gets digested (you will notice a change in the droppings) you can feed 20 more.

Leave a small bowl of seed with him. He will start eating when he feels more secure. He probably got hit by a car.

Is he safe in the carport? Rather bring him inside your home.
 
#7 ·
No peas unfortunately but we do have rice.
And i believe he's safe? My mom won't let me bring him into the house (she has lots of negative stigma about pigeons). I can try moving him to the backyard instead, it's a bit more secure back there.
 
#8 ·
UPDATE: He's now in my backyard where i can see him through the sliding door. He finally drank (while i was watching)! And he's turned himself around a bit to look around better. He seems much more aware now, though I'm worried that he still hasn't uttered a sound because I believe it's a male and I read they tend to be vocal.
 
#9 ·
He will be silent, probably still in pain. Most important now will be getting him to eat. Rice is not very nitritious. Try to get him a wildbirdseed mixture or the following you can get at a supermarket: whole popcorn kernels, dried split peas or dry brown lentils.

Will he be safe tonight? Try to convince your mom he will be better off inside your room and they don't spread any diseases. He is grounded, easy prey for a cat or other predator.
 
#10 ·
He was able to get out of the suitcase by himself, I'm unable to get to the store right now but i left a handful of rice near his hiding spot for him to eat when he feels safe. Even if not nutritious, i hope at least having something to digest will make a difference until I can get something better.
My mom is steadfast unfortunately... but I can see him clearly from inside and I know that no cats travel the neighborhood until late at night (it's currently nearly 2 in the afternoon here). Hoping that if he is just dazed (which seems plausible since he's been getting more agile over time) he should be okay to leave on his own before nightfall.

Is there any way to ensure he eats besides forcing his beak open? I've never handled any birds before and worry about hurting or scaring him, he seems very young.
 
#14 ·
By morning he has been walking around the backyard while no one is outside, pecking at bugs in the garden rocks. As relieved as I am to see him eating something, i can see his right wing is resting slightly below his tail... i fear it may be sprained or broken.
I've come to terms that I don't have the means to properly care for this pigeon if there is something causing him pain... so I'll be taking him to a shelter nearby that accepts wild birds. I can only hope for the best for him :(

Thank you for all your advice. In the future I hope I can use the experience from this little fellow to do more and do better for the birds in my neighborhood.
 
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