[Escalina]

I've always grown up being told pigeons were 'rats with wings' and filthy, disgusting birds. So I was edgy about it when I found one.

I was walking into a book store with my boyfriend when he pointed out a bird on the sidewalk. I looked down and he was about two inches away from my shoe, fluffed up and just sitting there about 20 feet from the main door. I went to pick him up and he chirped; not 'coo'ed like I would have expected a pigeon to do. But he chirps like a chick. But he let me pick him up so I went ahead and decided to take him home simply because there was a LOT of stray cats in that area.

I had planned on calling a Wildlife Rescue facility around here but the bird seems alright. She doesn't seem in pain and reacts just fine to her surroundings and everything. (When I put my face near her cage she puffs up and lifts one wing, trying to look big and bad for me, and will even snap one of her wings towards my face if I get too close or stay too long.)

I stopped by PetsMart and bought myself an 80.00 cage with bedding, seed, water dishes and such, and I even bought something I found called Bath Time. The directions said to put her near a well vented area, spray it on, and it would get down into her feathers and clean her up, and to do it daily. I did this when I got her home since I was raised being told they were very dirty birds.

Last night she just sat in the cage. She would not talk, would not move, just kinda laid a little sideways in front of the water dish all fluffed up.

I posted this on Yahoo! Answers to see if I could find some help and this was posted:
I wouldn't let him go if I were you, he could get attacked by a cat or something else.
Try this link
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/index.php
joined it 2 years ago, has a lotta info.

And this:
Assuming this is a pigeon, please join our discussion board at http://www.pigeons.biz/forums. We have many members who are experienced and knowledgeable pigeon rescuers/rehabbers and fanciers. This bird definitely should not just be put back outside. It is either a youngster that is not yet old enough to be flying well and possibly not old enough to be self feeding or drinking. It could also be an injured or ill adult. The risk of you catching a disease from a pigeon are minimal. In what general area are you located? We may have someone in your area that could assist the pigeon.
Terry


And here I am. Today she is doing much better but I am still worried a little. The seed I had gotten was with the cage but it is in a bar; all stuck together like. There is a small hole missing out of one end and her water dish is starting to go away. The boyfriend said today he could hear her and she was flapping her wings about, trying to fly. She does not have any of those pretty colors that you see on their fathers that move with the light yet, but is starting to get them. And she doesn't have tail feathers, but is starting to get them.

Is she ill? Is she just a baby? Should I just let her go since she doesn't seem to be in pain and is bored in her cage? I grew up with birds but can you give a pigeon the same toys as a normal bird, like a parakeet? I was always told they were gross birds and to step on them if I found them on the ground. But I can't do that to her...

Maybe I will try and post pictures of her soon to see if that will help, I need to get my camera working.

 

[Pidgey]

Yeah, she's pretty young. They can eat seeds at that age but don't know what they are yet. So, you usually have to teach them by pecking with your fingers. When they get really hungry, it's easier to do of course. The site's supposed to go down for maintenance any time now so I'm hurrying on this answer.

Pidgey

 

[Pidgey]

It would be best if you got some dove mix seeds and then teach her to eat that by doing the pecking thing. It often takes them a few days (two or three) to get used to you and start accepting you as a parent. It always works, though. She's going to have to learn how to drink water, too.

Pidgey

 

[TAWhatley]

Hi Escalina! I'm sure glad you joined us here on Pigeon-Talk. I'm the Terry that posted to you on Yahoo.

Pictures of the bird would be very helpful, but it sounds like you have a youngster that just needs a bit of help to finish growing up.

The seeds need to be loose and not the solid bar type of thing that came with the cage. The bars work ok for hookbills like parakeets but are difficult for pigeons to deal with. If you can get a small bag of wild bird seed mix or pigeon/dove mix and offer those to the pigeon that would be great. As Pidgey posted, you may have to show the bird how to drink also by gently dipping the beak in the water.

I think you will find that pigeons are very clean birds and also quite personable birds. Enjoy your time helping this little one grow up!

Please keep us posted, and thank you so much for assisting this pigeon.

Terry

 

[Dezirrae]

Hi Escalina! Welcome to Pigeon Talk Though I wasn't one of the people that responded to you on Yahoo I did see the Q&A there (just last night though).

LOL -- Terry beat me to it I'm just a little more "wordy" LOL.

In the meantime though, hopefully you've had a chance to pick up some of the dove seed -- If you have a Petco or Petsmart near you they usually carry it. Brand name is Kaytee and it's called Dove Supreme mix.

Do keep the water fresh, although you may need to teach it to drink. Depending on the pigeon's age you can may be able to guide his/her beak gently into the water or dripping water from your finger onto the side of the beak. Pigeons drink by using their beaks like a straw - so ideally the cup should be a little deep. If you do try guiding the beak into water be careful not to go too far - stop before you get to the nose holes

Otherwise, keep the bird warm and away from any cold drafts. Pictures would be VERY helpful!

Personally, I think the reactions s/he is having with the wing lifting and wing slapping are good signs -- I believe it is defensive posturing and I would think a very ill pigeon may not do that. But I'm sure other's can/will offer better guidance as far as illness.

Thank you so much for taking this piji in and giving it a chance

 

[for_the_birds]

Thank you so much for taking this piji in and giving it a chance

I second that! Oh and I grew up hearing that pigeons were "rats with wings" too, in fact, people STILL tell me that when I say I'm a pigeon enthusiast. The anti-pigeon propoganda is nonsense

 

[Escalina]

Thank you!

This little one seems to be doing great. Oh, I was so worried about her at first since she couldn't even sit up straight, but I guess that's one of her traits.

Last night me and the boyfriend put the cats up (the cats give her such a hard time, so I put her up high and she seems to enjoy that) and they are starting to get less and less annoying. But anywho, we put the two cats up and the puppy in the bathroom and took her out, holding her in our hands. She was kinda defensive at first - which I'm glad she's reacting, in general - so I just left my hand there for awhile and she eventually took her out. Once in our hand she's as happy as could be. She got her bath and her change of water I do every morning and night.

But on the bottom of her cage is a bedding. Should I take this out and just put seed down there? I dont know if it will confuse her if I leave the bedding in there and I don't want her to overfeed herself.

On the feeding, I haven't seen her do much on her own, but Ive still just got that bar, so I'll change that. But she seems like she isn't dehydrated and she has a lot of her feathers, so I think she's old enough to do that on her own.

I'll go get some camera paper for my digital camera and scan some pictures up for you guys. (My scanner and camera hate this Windows Vista and are being a pain.)

Im glad she's going to turn out alright - I was scared since the last bird I brought home hurt died before the next mornin'. :/

Now that I hear her flapping in the background, do you guys think I should clip her so she can't get out? xD If I get her too used to us like a normal bird, I don't know how well she'll do on her own.

Kat

 

[Lovebirds]

This little one seems to be doing great. Oh, I was so worried about her at first since she couldn't even sit up straight, but I guess that's one of her traits.

Last night me and the boyfriend put the cats up (the cats give her such a hard time, so I put her up high and she seems to enjoy that) and they are starting to get less and less annoying. But anywho, we put the two cats up and the puppy in the bathroom and took her out, holding her in our hands. She was kinda defensive at first - which I'm glad she's reacting, in general - so I just left my hand there for awhile and she eventually took her out. Once in our hand she's as happy as could be. She got her bath and her change of water I do every morning and night.

But on the bottom of her cage is a bedding. Should I take this out and just put seed down there? I dont know if it will confuse her if I leave the bedding in there and I don't want her to overfeed herself.

On the feeding, I haven't seen her do much on her own, but Ive still just got that bar, so I'll change that. But she seems like she isn't dehydrated and she has a lot of her feathers, so I think she's old enough to do that on her own.

I'll go get some camera paper for my digital camera and scan some pictures up for you guys. (My scanner and camera hate this Windows Vista and are being a pain.)

Im glad she's going to turn out alright - I was scared since the last bird I brought home hurt died before the next mornin'. :/

Now that I hear her flapping in the background, do you guys think I should clip her so she can't get out? xD If I get her too used to us like a normal bird, I don't know how well she'll do on her own.

Kat

Kat, welcome to PT. I've just seen this thread and read it really quick. You REALLY need to get this bird some seeds. If the "bar" thing you're talking about is what I think it is (I have a cockateil that loves those) then this bird is NOT getting anything to eat. Don't know how long you've had the bird (I told you I read the thread quick), but it NEEDS to eat.

 

[Reti]

You can hand feed him some frozen and thawed corn or peas. Just give him something to eat, he needs it.


Reti

 

[Dezirrae]

Hi Kat I think the Renee and Reti have covered the importance of getting your little patient something to eat. If all else fails (not finding Dove seed, and don't have anything but the bar), take a knife and scrape the bar so the seeds aren't "glued" together. Pigeons can't peck, and therefore can't eat, the seeds solid in a bar.

I would recommend keeping the bedding - it will help maintain warmth. I don't know what kind of bedding you're using, but if you can lay a white towel or white paper towel on top of the bedding you can keep an eye on the frequency and color/consistency of his/her poops. This is an extremely useful means to diagnosis illness.

S/he may know how to drink, but may not "recognize" water in a cup - so you may still need to guide her beak to the water. Make sure you actually see him/her drink.

And please, please do NOT clip him/her -- pigeons aren't meant to be clipped (I know parrots get clipped often) -- you take the risk of accidently "clipping" a vein and the pigeon could wind up bleeding. Then you've got a more serious problem.

Is the pigeon in a cage where the cats & puppy can't get to it? If that's not the case, I would suggest keeping the pigeon in the bathroom rather than the cats and puppy

Let us know what kind of food you wind up getting and whether or not you've actually seen him/her drink some water. Also, give us an idea of the size/type of cage she's in.

Good luck!! Dez

 

[Escalina]

Alright

What I went and did today is I posted here and then and went and broke off the seeds on the bar into small, small pieces for her. I put my fingersd in her water and put it to her beak but she wouldn't drink. I dipped the end of her beak in the water and she detested this, and wouldn't drink. So I dipped two fingers in her water and put them at the sides of her beak, lightly pinching, and she opened up. I set her back down by her water after doing this a few times.

Then I put her in her cage in the bathroom and went and bought Kaytee brand Dove Mix bird food, like I was told, and Im about to go change her bedding and water and then put some of the mix in the dish (yes, my dishes are deep enough for her) and put some on the bottom.

And personally, no, I have not seen her eat or drink. But until I do I will make sure to go hand feed her water and peck at the food as suggested about every hour to an hour and a half. I work mornings and my boyfriend nights, so he can do this during the day. And this on top of her bath sprays, of course.

I went and got her out today, too, and she doesn't seem to fight with me. She will chirp and squirm, and even flap her wings, but I can pick her up and handle her a bit. I had put her on my shoulder (though she prefers my arm, apparently) and she likes my cupped hands.



This any better? I'm trying. And the cage is about 17 inches high and 13 inches wide, at 15 inches long. I plan to get her a much bigger one once my cats calm down. I found on almost twice as tall and wide for about 20.00 more then I spent. But now that I have a ruler out she is about 5 inches tall (she is all crouched down, the ruler offends her apparently) so about half a foot tall and 7 inches long from butt to her breast. Her breast is fluffed out though. I'm going to search the internet and see if I can find a picture since I cant get the scanner working.

 

[TAWhatley]

Thanks for the update, Escalina! You're doing well with the young pigeon .. keep up the good work. We do have to be very sure, however, that the little one is eating and drinking enough. Pictures would really help us to know how old (or not) the bird is.

Please keep us posted .. looking forward to your next update!

Terry

 

[maryjane]

Thanks for taking her in and getting her a cage even, you've undoubtedly saved her life. It would be easy to feed her some peas, just by doing what you did with the water (putting your wet fingers on either side of her beak and she opens it). The parents feed them by putting their beak around the baby's beak, so she thinks your fingers are a beak feeding her.

Pigeons unfortunately do have a bad rep, but as you are surely seeing already, they are just as special as a parrot or other companion bird (I know, I have some of those too ). When they are older, they very much enjoy toys. I have one right now who is carrying around a plastic whistle on a keychain. My first pigeon loves koosh balls and will attack and "kill" them when playing. A lot of them like bells to ring, stuffed toys to sleep with and "attack", tennis balls, and other toys. They usually don't get into them so young but as teens they have a lot of fun.

 

[Escalina]

Food and Water

I cleaned her cage good last night and didn't notice any feces (is that what you'd call a pigeons? ) But today when I drug her out it was the last thing I looked for. Sure enough, white and forest green, it was all over again. I took her out this morning, opened my back door, and set her near it and gave her her 'bath' again and she was chirping and talking to me.

If someone can please tell if those estimates are even close to a teen pigeon or something I'd love it. I'm pretty sure she's not a baby-baby but she doesn't coo yet so still.. I'm not sure. But I hate seeing her in that cage day after day just sitting there. No one to talk to, nothing to do, no where else to go. I almost cried last night thinking about how bad that'd feel. o.o

But anywho, when I took her out today, I set her in the sunshine, and she was nervous since my cat instantly wanted to see what she was doing now, but she started eating! I have finally seen it myself. And her water dish? I fill it close to the brim so I can see if a significant amount is gone or not, and about a quarter of an inch is. Either evaporation is much quicker then I thought or she drinks too.

Before I put her up I will again do the pecking motion with the seeds just to try and coach her a little bit more. If I see her eating by herself again after that, I'm going to stop and just keep watching her to see if she can do this all on her own now.

But I seriously need to look into getting another pigeon (my boyfriend would throw a fit, I already have him, me, two cats, a large fish tank, hermit crabs, the bird, and a puppy all in a little efficency room apartment) or getting her toys. Hopefully with my next paycheck I can get her a large cage and get her bars I think she can sit on? I dont think she likes these little sticks because she can't keep her balance on them. What if I keep the ones out of this cage and sit them side by side, could she hold on then? And then I plan to get her toys with mirrors and such? Help on something like that would be great. I work in fast food and have court bills Im going through right now so I dont have much to spend. I think her 80.00 cage put me in a spot with my electricity bill already..

 

[Escalina]

Oh!

I was looking at a link I got off of one of your guy's post and I found this picture:

http://picasaweb.google.com/awrats3333/Jan2808/photo#5160815853987365378

See the bird in the center? Her colors are a LOT like that. Her feathers that change in the light, on her chest, are definitely starting to show now, too. The only thing different is her beak is.. strange. It's wide and bumpy. Was it injured at one time? I'll keep looking and maybe post again before I leave the apartment today. And the circle around the eye is not on her. Maybe it's an adult marking but she has the same darker grey on her head.

 

[Reti]

Sounds like you have a very young pigeon. When they are younger they have a bumpy beak and no ceres (the white around the eye). You'rs could be around three weeks old. That is when some of them start eating and drinking.
Can you describe the bums on the beak a little more? Are they symmetrical, on both sides?
You don't need to spend a lot of money to make a pigeon happy. They don't play much with toys. He might enjoy a beany baby and a bell ball (the ones designed for cats). Most don't care for mirrors, especially at that age. I buy mirrors for mine from the dollar store. As for perches, bricks work fine and they cost only a few cents.

Reti

 

[Matt D.]

Sounds like you have a squaker so the equivelant of an eight year old.

 

[Maggie-NC]

Hi Escalina and thank you for caring enough to rescue this little pigeon.

You mentioned having cats and a dog. To be sure your pigeon is getting enough to eat, if you feed your cats/dog pellets, try soaking some of those in warm water until they are soft but not mushy. Break them into halves or quarters and gently open the pigeon's beak and put in a piece of the soaked pellet towards the back of her mouth, let her swallow that piece and continue like that until she has eaten 8-10 pieces of the pellets. I would do that several times a day, a few hours apart just to be sure she is getting some nourishment. The water in the pellets will also give her water.

 

[Maggie-NC]

Meant to add one other thing - you really don't need to give it a bath every day. Once a week will be fine.

 

[Escalina]

No luck

No luck on finding anything that looked like her beak. I'll try my camera and stuff again.