# Newbie... looking for advice Thx :)



## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

Hello Everyone... Today my husband came to me and said, "There is a bird outside and I think it needs your help" so off I went. It was a Pigeon in my driveway kinda walking funny. As I approached it, it didn't fly away or act scared. As I walked closer, I could see something on its right foot digits. Three of the four digits had this cluster of something covering its nails. I decided to take the chance of picking it up and it let me without a fight. 

When I got inside to take a closer look, it was like a build-up of feces or something like that crusted around its nails. They were as hard as a rock! This Pigeon allowed me to soak its foot in warm water for at least a 1/2 hour before I could finally see what ever this was start to loosen a little. As I was cupping the water in my hands trying to loosen this stuff, the Pigeon was trying to drink from my hand. I then got a ceramic bowl, filled it with fresh water for this poor little thing. My husband went to the store and bought some pigeon food. It ate and drank and then closed its eyes and rested for awhile. It was perfectly content perching on a stack of books in my living room. As I watched this pigeon, my heart filled with happiness, I truly believed I saved this pigeons life. 

I would really appreciate any advise on what I should do next. Is there any Pigeon sanctuary's located in central NY? The pigeon can fly because my husband first saw it on our roof. It eats/drinks acts healthy. There's no band to indicate it belongs to someone/club specifically. I would love to keep it but I have a small zoo of my own to care for everyday. I really don't want to place a found ad in the newspaper to find its owner because I feel this pigeon was possibly living in poor conditions. 
I'm so grateful there is resources like this site to help someone like me. Thank you in advance for your help!


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

he found you, you should keep him.. whats one more tiny mouth to feed  he don't eat much


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

I know I should keep him! "What's one more"... My husband hears those words quit often from me!  Won't he be lonely all by himself? Do Pigeons need companions to be happy and healthy?


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

he could bond with you.. but that is up to you if you want to find him a "friend" first need to know if it's a he or she. then go from there, and you can always get "false eggs" if need be so no young to worry about. hope it all works out, so far i think he / she is happy now that you took him/her in  get a few pic's to post would love to see him/her


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

How do I tell if its a he or she? It would break my heart if the Pigeon is unhappy living with me and misses its owner. Do they normally bond with their owners where that could happen? I just don't know what to think about its living conditions of where it came from. I will post pics to show you what I was trying to describe that was coated around its nails. What?? False eggs? Your scaring me!! lol


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Mandyvk,



Please post some good close up in focus images of his freshest poops...and, a few views of him-himself, taken from his Eye level.


Behavior such as you describe would be consistent with a sick or injured Pigeon, and, images may help show some clues or hints to evaluate.


Phil
Las Vegas


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

I would feel awful if this pigeon is sick or injured. Did you see the pics I posted of what was on it's foot? I will post pics of it's poop tomorrow morning and closer pics of him/her. Thank you for your concern.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

well i can tell you this from looking at pic's he is a young bird maybe 4 - 6 weeks old maybe a bit older & a " wild " pigeon, i don't think he belonged to any one per say..that is poo on his nails, question does he ever open the right eye. he does look a little sickly to me did you wet his feather or was he like that when you got him..that could be one reason he couldn't fly. posta thread on "found a sick or injured pigeon" and they will give you better info then i can..as far as finding out if he is a she, he/ she is too young for me to tell by these pics..good luck


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Hi mandy & welcome 2 PT
yep hes a young feral bird, from the pics thats def poop on his feet, probably been from a build up from standing around wherever the nest was.
Ive had 2 like that recently, just left the nest, not 100% up on flight, but either the parents have left him to fend on his own, or hes got too far away to get back without proper flying, and is thirsty & hungry.
He should be able to peck & eat seeds by now, but scatter a few around him & peck at them with your finger, he will eventually get inquisative.
meanwhile, you can hand feed him some defrosted warm peas & corn. Just open his beak & pop them in one at a time towards the back of the beak and he should swallow them on his own. (dont force them down his throat)
If you add a pinch of salt & a little sugar to a small "ramekin" style dish of water, and gently guide his beak into it (just the tip) he'll eventually realise to drink & this will help re-hydrate him.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hi and welcome to P.T. 
As Phil says, your little guy could be sick. He is young, and could have somehow gotten lost without yet knowing how to find food and water. So he could be dehydrated and starving, but he doesn't look well in those pics. He may have been hurt by a cat, in which case he would need antibiotics to prevent infection. Or the trauma of being lost and hungry may have triggered a canker attack. He may very well need treatment. Do you know of an avian vet in your area?

If he is sick, which is likely, you can certainly help him to make a full recovery. First would be in trying to figure out what is wrong, and then giving the appropriate meds.
Thank you for caring about this young one. Right now, you are all the help he has.

And just to add, he should be dehydrated before giving him any food. A warm cup of water to which you have added a pinch of salt and sugar (as Quazar has already mentioned.) I would give him this for several hours before feeding him. And if he is sick, then he will need supplemental heat, even if it is warm where you are. A sick bird cannot keep himself warm. That is most likely why he is fluffed up like he is in the pictures. He's trying to keep himself warm. If you have a heating pad that stays on, rather than one that turns off every couple of hours, you can put it in a box or cage, cover it with a towel, and place him on it. This will give him the warm he needs. Leave a place where he can get off of it if he wants. You can also partly cover the cage or box with another towel to keep the heat in.

After he is re-hydrated, then you can see if he will eat seeds, although he may not even know how to do that yet. The frozen peas and corn, defrosted under warm running water and warmed that way is a good way to feed him. Just hold him on your lap, and against your body. Open his beak and place a warmed pea or corn to the back of his throat. Let him close his mouth and swallow. You can feed him about 30 of these, and then wait for his crop to empty, and feed him again. Always make sure that the crop empties between feedings. The crop is like a little balloon on the front of him, under his throat that fills with the food when fed. Feed him til it feels soft and squishy like a little pillow. Not packed and hard. You will need to do this maybe 3 or 4 times a day until he is eating on his own.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I just reread your post, and I see that he does know how to eat. Sorry. I forgot you had said that.


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

Thanks everyone for replying! I just took some more pics and posted them. So please check them out. The pics I posted yesterday was after I just finished washing his/her foot. So maybe the poor thing didn't look very good but he/she was wet. I will most certainly take all your expert advice and concern on what I should do next, if some sort of treatment/meds is required I will do my best to following through with whatever is suggested. 
Its just so strange to me that this pigeon seems so content in its cage and doesn't mind being held and petted. Then again, I have never had a Pigeon before so maybe thats how wild pigeons act. Thanks again!!


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

I forgot to ask... Should I leave the cage door open and see if he/she would like to leave and pursue living in the wild? I want whatever is best for it! If I need to keep him/her a little longer until its older I will do that, until he/she is ready to survive on its own.


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

he looks alot better, thanks for the update pic's he / she is not ready to be let loose, he still doesn't have all his feathers under his wings, are you keeping him inside or outside? i asked because you said you want to leave door open on cage.. i wouldn't he's not ready..keep him inside so you can keep an eye on him, how is he / she eating & drinking? you are doing a great from what i can see so far.. and as far as him being so calm, i think he knows you are helping him


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

Glad to hear he looks okay. I have him outside on my covered back porch. I have three sides of the cage covered with a towel. I brought him in last night. I thought I would keep him outside during day and inside at night. If you suggest that I should keep him inside all the time that's what I will do. When he's outside I do go and check on him frequently, change his water and talk to him. Last night I slept on the couch so I could be near his cage to check on him during the night. 
So he's really that young? 4-6 weeks old. Wow! I'm an awe! I thought he was an adult! Again, thank goodness for this site!! 
I would only open the door to his cage if he was ready. I will wait until I get two thumbs up before I do that. 
Thanks so much for your help!!


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

thats fine with what you are doing. he needs to fresh air, does he get any sun? they need sun for vitamin D. i like that you slept by him last night that was nice. now a question, being he is this young, he is looking to you as mom now, so if you want to release him try not to get him or you to attatched, don't handle him alot because if you do let him go he will go up to any person and not be afraid..now if you deside to keep him handle him as much as you can so he gets a bond with.. pigeons make great pets and al very smart birds.. also he may like to take a little bath him self soon, if you can put in the tub or sink or a pan of some sort about 4" dep 12: wide with a little water say 1" or so he'd have a ball.. they love baths .. take care and keep posting pic's...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Mandyvk said:


> I forgot to ask... Should I leave the cage door open and see if he/she would like to leave and pursue living in the wild? I want whatever is best for it! If I need to keep him/her a little longer until its older I will do that, until he/she is ready to survive on its own.




Be careful if leaving him outside alone in a cage, as the spacing between the cage bars do allow for a hawk or other predator to reach in. Members have had birds killed that way. They have been grabbed and pulled partway through the bars of the cage and killed. Unless it is covered in hardware cloth, then it isn't safe if left alone, and definitely NEVER at night as there are even more predators out there. Rats will kill him to, and mice will be attracted to any seed in his cage, and they can make him very sick. For now I'd keep him inside unless you can be there.

If you were to leave the door open and allow for him to escape, then he wouldn't survive. He doesn't know how to find food and water on his own, and doesn't know how to avoid predators. That's how your husband was able to pick him up so easily. Don't know if he is sick, but he was probably dehydrated and starved. He's no older now. He's no where ready to be released, so you don't want him getting away from you.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Mandyvk,



I would guess from the images that he may have a minor Yeast infection in his GI...or, that is what I would be treating for, if he were here.

And, go from there...


Definitely a youngster, probably was having a hard time finding adequate forrage there for a while, and, may have eaten some bad foods of some sort.

Might clear up alright on it's own...just have to wait and see.

ACV-Water would be good...


Good luck!


Phil
Lv


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

This morning when I went to change his food and water, he actually tried to fly out of the cage. I have not seen that behavior. He has always been very content. So how many weeks old should a pigeon be when you release them? He does know how to fly, because initially he was on our roof. I thought I should release him where other pigeons live when that times comes. Any thoughts/advice about that? Thanks!!


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

i would still wait. he has no feather under his wings, but yes around other pigeons is a great idea.. he will most likely join thier flock


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

Oh good, that's what I want for him is to join a flock. Since he's a feral pigeon, that's where he belongs. I will miss him! 
He had to come from somewhere in the vicinity of where I live. I wish I knew where. 

How many more weeks do you think before his under feathers come in?


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

Hello...I thought I would post an update. For the last 3 weeks "Carter" has been outside 24/7 using a "soft release" process. He has been flying around & around house, landing on our roof, on light fixtures and he always comes back within a few minutes. When he's gone, I can always see where he is. His cage door is open, and he has fresh food and water everyday. He doesn't care to go into his cage anymore, just to eat and drink. 
This past Sunday around 8:00pm he flew up on our roof and then flew away. This time he did not come right back. I was so worried because it was getting dark. The next morning around 7:30am, he was back. He looked like he had a sleepless night. Kinda the same look when I initially found him. Since then, he has not flown away from our house, not even on the roof. He acts healthy, eat and drinks. He hangs out on the top of his cage, and light fixtures. Today I saw him bathing himself in a container of water I put out for him. He was having a blast!! 
So, I'm not sure what happened during the 12 hours he was away but he's back and does not seem to want to leave. Not sure what to do next? Any suggestions? 
Thanks for any feedback. I will post recent pics in my album.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He should have been released into a flock. Not just let out at your place if there are no other pigeons around. He is a sitting duck for a hawk or something to grab him. Also, a pigeon alone doesn't stand much of a chance. They really need to be part of a flock.


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

I have been unsuccessful finding a flock to release him in. None of my neighbors have seen any. I was really hoping I could find where he originally came from. I have also asked folks with farms and they said, if pigeons show up and they are considered a pest/nuisance and I didn't even let them finish their sentence because I knew where it was doing.  
I will continue to look. Trying to find a wildlife rehab person in my area is almost impossible but I will keep trying, maybe they can help. Thanks Jay3 for your response.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I hope you can find some help. He really isn't safe flying alone out there.


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## Mandyvk (Jul 3, 2011)

He is safe... he has not left my back porch since his overnight excursion a week ago. He likes to roost on his cage and my light fixtures. Tonight I got him to go into his cage and I closed the door. So I will just wait until I hear back from a wildlife rehab person.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Let us know how it goes.


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