[menageriemom]

Well, I have another baby to take care of. The pigeons at the transportation center have been busy and today one of my supervisors told me there was a baby on the ground and did I want to get it? I sighed and grabbed a box and went out to see what it looked like.

Well-feathered, pretty healthy looking, not a clue how old but obviously not ready to be on it's own. So now he is safely ensconced in a large cage in the garage, covered up with a heating pad on low under the cage. Fed until crop was full--he ate well, seemed to like the hand-feeding formula. One eye looks a little pink around it but I don't think it is damaged--keeping an eye on it, however.

I can't help but like pigeons--got a soft spot for them. Hopefully he will do well!

 

[Charis]

Thanks for letting us know. Did you check the inside of his mouth for any yellow deposits?

 

[menageriemom]

Well, I thought I posted a reply last night but I guess it didn't go through. There is no yellow stuff in his mouth. He has some swelling on the side of his face between his eye and his nostril--possibly an injury suffered when he fell off the roof of the transit center. Doesn't seem to be bothering him at all--he is eating well and seems healthy enough. Not sure how old he is--pretty well feathered out, some yellow downy stuff on the ends of some of his feathers/head. Very dark slate gray at this time. I am concerned that the eye itself may be damaged--or it could just be because of the swelling around it...

 

[Skyeking]

If you suspect blunt trauma, don't put the heating pad near the area that is swollen. The eye may or may not be damaged.

You can put a drop of (Sovereign Silver colloidal silver) in the eye, if it is infected.

For trauma you can give the little one some arnica montana . You can get these homeopathics at any health food store. The arnica helps to clean up the blood and to help with swelling and bruising.

PM me if you would like more info..

 

[menageriemom]

Well, Rain is doing well. The swelling has gone down and the eye looks normal. My next question is age and when/how do I wean him?

This pigeon is well-feathered. He is not a tiny baby but he hasn't a clue about how to feed himself. It has been awhile since I weaned a large bird. Do I make his formula and guide his beak to it and try to get him to eat it on his own? I tried it once but he just climbed over the bowl and went after my hands hoping for the syringe!

And when he is in the process of weaning, what do you recommend I feed him? He isn't going to just instinctively recognize seed as food since it isn't what he is used to eating. And I don't have another bird to help him. *sigh* Poor little orphan...

And here's a crazy thing. My teenage daughters have been home this week for Easter vacation so I asked my older daughter to feed Rain while I was at work. Well, she tried, but when she reached in to take his beak to guide the syringe in he backed away from her and ran to the back of the cage! He was hungry but he refused to eat! Weird.

 

[Charis]

He sounds like a very adorable little character.
Try this...put a towel on your lap and a deep dish of seed and Rain. Make sure he's hungry. Play with the seed with your fingers...open his beak and put some of the seed in his mouth. Eventually, he will catch on.
It's always easier to get them to drink. To get him to do that, start with a bowl with 2-3 inches of water and from the back of his head, push his head gently forward so the beak goes into the water a bit. Hopefully he will drink. Once they catch on, they really enjoy drinking water and it's cute to watch

 

[menageriemom]

Ok--that sounds like it may work. Thanks. I will give it a try!

 

[Snowy_pied_chic]

helpful website

this is a helpful website:

http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/

it has tips on handfeeding, raising, etc.

Good luck!