[Aqua]

Hello,

I'm very stressed out, I just rescued this pigeon from a really crappy pet store about 5 days ago. His leg is messed up, almost like it was broken or sprain before and he has a difficult time walking, even standing and balancing sometimes. The knee joint on his bad leg is bigger than the other too...

Ever since I got him, he's been eating less and less... He's very very skinny now- so much you can tell by looking at him.

I sorted through pieces of food to see which he liked best- noticed he liked safflower and some other particular pieces and I went and bought him those specific foods along with the basic dove/wild bird mix. Got him Oyster Shells and herbal grit too...

He's been doing strange things like opening his mouth and shaking his head. He also has lice or mites.. I got rid of a lot of them using 8-in-1 Mite & Lice Ultra Care...

Anyway, in the video, all of his 'odd' behavior is documented- he likes to nibble on blankets, clothes (cloth in general), hands (skin in general), and he shakes his head a lot and opens his mouth. He's barely eating now- he ate more when I first got him, but it's less and less everyday...

Here's a video I recorded today that shows all of the behavior I talked about... Towards the end is the most important- the 'mouth opening' thing...

If anyone has ANY ideas, please please PLEASE let me know... I'm so stressed and worried...

Thanks so much!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5wfW-wVFlU

 

[Lovebirds]

I watched the video and I've seen my birds do that mouth opening thing, but it was usually because they had a feather stuck in their mouth or throat. Can you get a video of the bird trying to walk around? It was quick at the end and hard to tell anything.
What was the bird doing in a pet store to begin with? It's a feral pigeon, right?
Have you wormed the bird?
Just sitting in the blanket looking around, it looks pretty normal, but I find it odd that the bird is so calm. If it's loosing weight, there's SOMETHING going on for sure.

 

[Aqua]

No, he's some kind of fancy pigeon... That's exactly what I thought when I saw him... "What's a pigeon doing at a pet store?!" They said he was 'fancy'- he has feathers on his legs and feet...

I think his injury was from walking around on the bars at the bottom of the cage- his little legs kept falling through... That's why I had to save him from that awful place...

No, I haven't had him wormed- I don't know much about pigeons, but I've been doing research...

Can worms cause a weak appetite? And what should I de-worm him with?

Also, it seems that the mouth thing is somehow related to the mites... He seems to bite at himself, or groom or something- and then he does it... Multiple times...

I'll get a video of him walking now and post it ASAP.


Thanks for your assistance!

 

[Lovebirds]

Well, first of all, do you mind tellling us where you are? We might have a member close by that can help out with some meds and stuff. Otherwise, you'll probably have to order the worm medicine and of course it's Friday.......EVERYTHING bad happens on the week end or the middle of the night.

 

[Aqua]

Omg, I KNOW exactly what you mean... Weekends and holidays- and the worst- extended holiday WEEKENDS... Why is that?!?!


Anyway, I'm in Los Angeles... (West Hollywood specifically)

I'll get the video in a few, he just got up and wanted to go to his cage to eat, he's pecking a few pieces at the moment, but he's definitely not "eating"... His chest bones are so prominent... It's breaking my heart seeing him like this... His mood seems fine, but he's a bird, and they don't exactly have a wide range of expressions and obvious emotion...

He's very friendly and loves human contact, and loves sitting on soft, cushy surfaces...

 

[Aqua]

Here's a couple of pictures of his poop just now...

I used PS to lighten it up a bit so you can see more 'detail'...





(Click the pic for bigger images- although you probably already knew that! )

 

[Lovebirds]

Omg, I KNOW exactly what you mean... Weekends and holidays- and the worst- extended holiday WEEKENDS... Why is that?!?!


Anyway, I'm in Los Angeles... (West Hollywood specifically)

I'll get the video in a few, he just got up and wanted to go to his cage to eat, he's pecking a few pieces at the moment, but he's definitely not "eating"... His chest bones are so prominent... It's breaking my heart seeing him like this... His mood seems fine, but he's a bird, and they don't exactly have a wide range of expressions and obvious emotion...

He's very friendly and loves human contact, and loves sitting on soft, cushy surfaces...

OK. We do have members close to you and probably in Los Angeles.....I've just got to remember who they are............hold on...............

 

[Lovebirds]

Well, his poops don't look half bad.........that's good.

 

[spirit wings]

Im so glad you got this birdie out of there, try to find a avian vet and make an appointment and tell them he is sick, they might get you in earlier, have an exam and tell em whats going on...in the mean time sounds like you are doing all you can for him, if you can carefully open his beak and look down the throat and report what you see and someone can try to guide you from there, if it seems clear, perhapes you can pop him some seen down in the back of his throat to get something in him, dip his beak in some water mixed with organic apple cider vinager ( 4 tablespoons to a gallon of water) try bottled not city water. some others I hope will have some more ideas to keep him going till you get to the vet, keep checking back.... yeah just saw the poops, they look good so that is a good sign.....

 

[Aqua]

Good to hear, Lovebirds... I hoped it was OK- I figured anything 'runny or yellow' would be more along the lines of 'bad'... I really appreciate your help, seriously...

Thanks to you too Spirit Wings, I'm going to take him to the vet for sure... Hopefully monday I can get in... I wanted to look in his mouth, but I don't know how to go about doing that- it's easier with a cat or dog, but birds are so small and delicate... I'll try but I'll probably have to wait for my bf to get home from work to help. What's 'seen'? Or did you mean seed? I'm sorry, I don't know if it's some kind of bird/pigeon term I don't know about! I'll do the apple cider vinegar thing too- what's it for, by the way?

Also, I thought about getting him some colloidal silver- it's worked wonders with my cat, and a growth that my ex-bf's dog had on his leg... Even my sis's strep throat!

It's the only thing I can think of doing at this *very moment* that might help...


****I should add, this isn't a "CRITICAL* situation at this exact moment, but he's so thin, and barely eating, you know how birds can go from 'OK' to 'NOT OK" super fast... I've rescued feral pigeons off the streets, and immediately took them to a rescue in South Bay, I've had rescued sparrows die within hours before I could even get them to the rescue place... **** Plus, I love animals (all creatures- even bugs- currently rehabilitating a snail that had a crushed shell) sooooo much, I get very stressed and emotional...

 

[Charis]

Does his leg feel hot as it would if it were infected?
It's important that you get food into him. One easy way is to hand feed defrosted corn and peas. Open his mouth and pop them at the back Of the throat and the bird will swallow. You will want the crop to fill up to about the size of a walnut so you would be feeding 25-3o kernels per feeding. Also hold up water so the bird can drink. It could very well be that this bird has had trouble getting to the food because of the injured leg.
You can get a spray treatment for mites at the pet store. Be very careful not to get it in the bird's eyes when you spray. To treat the head, spray on a cloth and wipe it on the bird's head and neck.
They can be very itchy with a worn infestation too and also be very skinny as a result. It seems like the sore leg may be this bird's underling issue.

 

[Reti]

Definatetly try the colloidal silver, a drop or two daily for her is enough. It has worked great for many of my birds too.
S/he doesn't look like a fancy pigeon, but s/he sure is a darling. Very sweet bird. Good thing too she is alert and lively, interested in her surroundings and giving you kisses, how cute.
Can you give him some extra seeds by hand feeding her? It takes a lot of time to do this but since she is so tame she won't mind.

Reti

 

[spirit wings]

the apple cidar vinager(organic) is for good probiotics and health, you will want to give that in his water a few times a week, for good digestive health, this is a wonderful post by Treesa to read.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=74793&postcount=2

 

[Aqua]

Charis, (Thanks for your help!)
No, his leg isn't hot... Doesn't seem infected- no broken skin either... It's like a knot- like it broke or sprain before... He hobbles around on it, but can stand- although doesn't seem to like to for very long- flaps his wings for leverage... And yeah, I did the super-duper 'careful' mite treatment- used a qtip for his head/neck. Does worm treatment for pigeons only come from the vet? I know with cats and dogs, you don't want to get the over-the-counter garbage, but again, I don't know how it works with birds and things like that...
I'm getting the video ready know- him walking/standing...

Reti,
Thank you as well! Yeah, I feed him by hand, I sit all day with him, watching and monitoring every action, every move- I'm so concerned about him... He's on the couch most of the time, and when he has to poop, he stands up and flaps his wings, then he climbs into my hands, and I put him in his little box with newspaper, then he poops, and climbs right back to my hands and sits on his little blanket, or my lap. I have food in front of him constantly, and will try every little thing I can think of to tempt him into eating. He does peck some pieces, but not much at all. And his crop is empty- I mean, I wouldn't even know it was there by feeling...

I'm gonna do the CS for sure... Gonna get in about an hour or so...


I posted a pic, you can see his feathery legs and feet...

PS...
He's also sneezed a few times since I got him... Maybe 3-4 times a day... He just did it 3 times within a span of 30 seconds as I was typing...


************

ALSO,

He drinks his water, no problems there... I bring it to him and offer it every 30 minutes or so... Oh, and it's bottled Distilled water... I don't give nasty tap to him or my cat.

 

[kippermom]

I am im Simi Valley...not too far from West LA.... You can PM me here if things go "south" over the weekend and before you can get to a vet. I do not want to horn in as it all seems under control, and am not certain I could do much more than you are already doing...but I am home this weekend if the need arises and I have hand fed, medicated and rehabbed many pigeons. Good luck and thanks for your kindness to this bird.

p.s. make sure he is hydrated. If he is not drinking , hold a shot glass under his beak and dip his beak into it. And maybe use "emergency hydration fluid"...bit of salt, bit of sugar in the glass... if you cannot get any solid food down him, you can try Kaytee or some other baby bird formula from the pet store in the short term (narrow spoon or dropper)...he needs nourishment and water no matter what else is wrong with him and if his keel (chest bone) is sticking out, he has not eaten in quite awhile.

 

[Lovebirds]

OH, I see the feathers now. Pretty bird. Couldn't see all that detail in the other video.
I don't guess it has a band on at all. Not that we'd want to trace it I don't think. Just thought it might give a clue as to the breed. I'm thinking some sort of Flying Flight.......however they don't have feathered legs/feet......maybe a mix....maybe that's how it ended up at the pet shop.
It's very possible that the bird broke it's leg at some time and it didn't heal properly. What a shame.

 

[Aqua]

I am im Simi Valley...not too far from West LA.... You can PM me here if things go "south" over the weekend and before you can get to a vet. I do not want to horn in as it all seems under control, and am not certain I could do much more than you are already doing...but I am home this weekend if the need arises and I have hand fed, medicated and rehabbed many pigeons. Good luck and thanks for your kindness to this bird.

p.s. make sure he is hydrated. If he is not drinking , hold a shot glass under his beak and dip his beak into it. And maybe use "emergency hydration fluid"...bit of salt, bit of sugar in the glass... if you cannot get any solid food down him, you can try Kaytee or some other baby bird formula from the pet store in the short term (narrow spoon or dropper)...he needs nourishment and water no matter what else is wrong with him and if his keel (chest bone) is sticking out, he has not eaten in quite awhile.

Thank you soooooooo much for your kind words and your offer to help...
He is drinking water (distilled bottled) but yes, his crop is empty. I tried baby bird formula last night, he stuck his beak in it, thinking it was water when he saw the bowl I guess, then he shook it off like 'eww'... And yes, he 'keel' is very very prominent...

I can't even function normally, it's hard to be happy at all when I know he's 'less than perfect', and even hungry...

How hard is it to 'force' feed them with a dropper? Do they tend to 'give in' or do they resist?

 

[Charis]

Please read my post # 11. It's sp easy to feed that way.

 

[Aqua]

Awesome Charis, yeah, I'm gonna do that, thank you... I have to wait for assistance, about an hour...

And you're right Love Birds... It is a shame. People who abuse and neglect animals should be deleted from the universe.

I'm uploading the video- him standing... It will be up in a few minutes...

 

[Aqua]

Oh, here's the video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR1CbxwMohA