# Found a pigeon with a broken wing. Need advice



## ascfencer (Apr 14, 2014)

Hello all! I'm in Philadelphia, PA and about two weeks ago, I found an injured female pigeon sitting on the ground, in the rain, pressed up against a wall. I left her there, deciding to check in later because I didn't want to make assumptions about whether or not she was in trouble. 

Five hours later, she hadn't moved so I went up with a box and was able to scoop her up easily. I've taken wildlife to rehab centers before and so it's automatic for me to think of that as an option. 

After getting her home and doing some research, I learned that normal wildlife centers in this area won't take pigeons and I couldn't find any who did. I decided to instead take her to my vet (specializes in exotics and have known him for years), thinking he'd bandage the busted wing and I'd feed her/ rehab myself until such time as she could be released. 

The vet did an x-ray and determined that she'd probably never fly again. If I paid $500 for surgery she MIGHT have a slim chance, but he thought probably not even then. He said the surgery would essentially only lower the risk of infection from the broken wing. He sent me home with antibiotics (Baytril) and an anti-inflammatory. 

So now I have a beautiful pidgi on my hands who's (most likely) only option left is to be someone's pet. My boyfriend and I named her Amelia and we think she's wonderful. She sits on our laps and while she's definitely still skeptical of humans, I can tell that she'll make a fantastic pet once she's settled in. I bought her a large bag of pigeon feed (Sun Seed Vita for Dove and Pigeon) and she eats heartily. 

She seems to be the picture of health, minus the broken wing. She's alert and clear-eyed. We have room on the back porch to make her a tall enclosure with an insulated nest box and enough perches and things. We're both huge animal lovers and he's carpentry certified, so we could definitely handle creating the proper set-up for a pet pigeon. 

Our biggest problem now is that we have roommates who are NOT animal lovers and who don't quite understand why we'd "waste our time and money" so that we can "mess around with wildlife" and "can't you just take that thing to a wildlife center or something?". I didn't plan to keep her when I picked her up, but I've been doing my best to adapt the plan accordingly. Most people around us besides the roommates have also been expressing disapproval at how irresponsible we are to waste our time and money and effort on an icky wild bird and calling me naive for thinking I can "save them all" (I'm a practical, scientific sort of person. Of course I don't think that! I just care about sharing my life with animals and helping out where I can.) 

Point is, all the negativity is wearing me down. If it were just the two of us living alone, I'd keep her in a heartbeat, but because people around us have been so venomous and judgey, I need to at least look into options for finding someone who cares as much as I do about a bird who will probably never fly again. So, Amelia might need someone else to love her if I can't make the people around me understand, and I could use some advice. 

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TL;DR - I have a broken-winged female pigeon who probably won't ever fly again. I want to keep her but possibly I cannot. I'm keeping her in a large plastic bin which I clean every day and have been giving fresh food and water. She'll get a big aviary built for her if we can keep her. The vet seems to think that expensive surgery is ideal, but I'm hoping we could just take her back for antibiotics if anything did become a problem. Finances are tight and $500 all at once is a lot for me. Doable if absolutely necessary, but a lot. 

Am I doing everything right so far?
What are thoughts about the surgery (which is putting a pin in the broken bone)? Couldn't she just have a check-up and use antibiotics as necessary if injury infection is a concern? I know how robust pigeons generally are.
How do I find possible re-homing options in the Philly area, just in case?

Thanks! Hoping to find the best possible options for Amelia. She's really lovely.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Thank you for taking care of her.

I'm sorry you have to deal with such negativity, it is quite common though, but people need to be educated about pigeons, before they make any assumptions. They are the most misunderstood bird on the planet, yet they are part of Creation.

These are marvelous creatures with intelligence and the ability to adapt to living in a human world. They do make wonderful pets.

Can you post a picture of the bird and the wing? 

I would get a second opinion from a avian vet who has actually treated pigeons. 

The wing may never be useful again, but is it hindering her ability to walk?

You can post in our adoption section if you decide to continue to look for a home for her.*


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## ascfencer (Apr 14, 2014)

Thanks for the advice! Sure, I can post a picture of her. As to the concern about the vet, this is actually a vet I trust pretty well. He specializes in exotics and I've taken my corn snake, parakeet, rats, etc to him over the years. When I showed him the pigeon, he was like "cool! pigeons are my favorite birds! I love working with pigeons! We actually just had a pigeon in here the other day." I'm inclined to trust him and he does seem to have experience with pigeons, but perhaps a second opinion is prudent. I just like to keep the expensive vet visits only to what is necessary, so I haven't decided. 

And no, the wing doesn't seem to be hindering her in any way. She was pretty sluggish when I first found and caught her (possibly just psychologically defeated?) but now she's pretty lively and alert and can walk around quite quickly. The wing didn't droop much that I saw, even before it was bandaged. 

Here's a pic. Thanks for the advice about the adoption page. I'm still hoping to keep her, but it wouldn't hurt to know what re-homing options there are.


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## Trish in Dallas (Jun 5, 2012)

Amelia's beautiful and looks content. Please don't let your negative roommates get you down. Maybe she'll win them over. She looks like a charmer! And I think you're tops for saving her life.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*She is a lovely bird! she looks quite happy and content.

So, did the X rays actually confirm the wing is broke? I know that sounds silly, but I want to make sure, as there are actual diseases that can cause one wing to droop down and hang that can be cured. Paratyphoid, quite common disease, has symptoms of one wing drooping where joints might be swollen. I just want to rule that out. What do her poops look like?

*


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## ascfencer (Apr 14, 2014)

Yes, her wing is definitely broken. The x-ray made that clear. Her left humerus is snapped in half and the two snapped ends looked pretty sharp (so probably digging into the muscle pretty harshly?). The x-ray also showed a few bone fragments floating in the muscle nearby. It is unclear whether or not these are still getting a blood supply. 

My other question now is, how long can I realistically keep her in the plastic bin I have her in now? The bin is about 2ft high and not quite 3ft long. She has room to move about, but not a LOT of room obviously. It's the only option we really have until we can build the large enclosure for her and obviously we can't start that project until we know for sure that we're committing to keeping her. I figured that restricting her movement was probably better for her wing at the moment anyway. So she might have to live in the bin for another 3-5 weeks at most. Will she be ok? I've been keeping it very clean, but I don't know how distressing that restricting amount of space might be. *I'm* feeling empathetically distressed and claustrophobic for her. 

One thought I had that I could implement right away to help her move around more would be to train her to jesses, like in falconry. Letting her walk about inside is out of the question because the house is covered in carpet that it would be very difficult to get poop out of and my roommates/ landlord would not be happy with me. I can put her bin in the (cluttered and unfinished so can't have her walking around down there either) basement on nights it gets especially cold, but that's the extent of the inside options. 

Anyway, jesses. We have a nice backyard and I could have her ride around on my shoulder, sit next to me on the outside benches, walk around in the grass so she has the option to move around. I really can't see that working logistically unless there's some sort of jess/ other restraint system though. She's still a bit nervous about all this and I can't chase her around the back yard and risk her getting into the neighbor's yard or something. Can pigeons be trained to jesses? Is that a good idea?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Thank you for explaining the injury in detail.
*

My other question now is, how long can I realistically keep her in the plastic bin I have her in now? The bin is about 2ft high and not quite 3ft long. She has room to move about, but not a LOT of room obviously. It's the only option we really have until we can build the large enclosure for her and obviously we can't start that project until we know for sure that we're committing to keeping her. I figured that restricting her movement was probably better for her wing at the moment anyway. So she might have to live in the bin for another 3-5 weeks at most. Will she be ok? I've been keeping it very clean, but I don't know how distressing that restricting amount of space might be. *I'm* feeling empathetically distressed and claustrophobic for her. 

*Since, she is not able to fly, then the plastic bin is okay for now-a carrier or small cage would be much better, as long as she has access to (an hour daily) time outside the bin for fresh air and a little sunshine, but keep her out of drafts of air. 

Pigeons need clean fresh air for their lungs and do not do well in any kind of dusty dark places, or near heaters. *


Anyway, jesses. We have a nice backyard and I could have her ride around on my shoulder, sit next to me on the outside benches, walk around in the grass so she has the option to move around. I really can't see that working logistically unless there's some sort of jess/ other restraint system though. She's still a bit nervous about all this and I can't chase her around the back yard and risk her getting into the neighbor's yard or something. Can pigeons be trained to jesses? Is that a good idea?

*I would never leave her outside by herself, even inside a cage or carrier, what about putting her in a small cage where she can sun in for an hour with access to shade? 

Also, do not put her on your shoulder or out in the open, we have had several members who's pet pigeons were just snatched away by a hawk or other type predator. You may not see them now, but they will eventually find the bird. *


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## feathers111 (Jun 30, 2009)

Thank you for rescuing Amelia. She's lovely! It sounds like you're doing a fine job with her. Please update us on the wing-wrap and how she's recovering. 
I'm also in Philadelphia, and I'd be happy to talk to you if you'd like any help or advice. For future reference, the Schuylkill Wildlife Clinic does accept sick or injured pigeons. I volunteer there, and I do pigeon rescue work.
Two good avian vets in the area: Radnor Vet Hospital in Wayne, PA, and Animal and Bird Health Care Center and Hospital in Cherry Hill, NJ. (Matilda's list for Pennsylvania is out-of-date: Penn Vet doesn't accept wildlife and many of the listed rehabbers no longer exist.)
All best,
Dan


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## ascfencer (Apr 14, 2014)

I completely forgot about this post, and the fact that this forum existed! Now that I've found it (just about exactly a year later, ha!) I thought I'd give an update: lovely Amelia is still with us and hasn't made any progress in the flying department. We ignored the roommates and the negativity, kept her and built her her own aviary. It's crude and not ideally sized for now, but the fiance just got a fantastic new job and we may be moving in the next few months (into a proper home with a properly sized backyard instead of a townhouse and with nooooo roommates to boot!) and when that happens, she'll get an even bigger one.

We've done the best we can with "pigeon physical therapy" in this past year, getting her to fly off our hands inside whenever we can manage to, to try to build up muscle but it just doesn't seem like it's going to happen. She holds the wing the same as her good one, we never had an infection problem and she has full flight feathers...but still nothing. She stretches and flaps both wings regularly that I see, so it must not be bothering her much. But she's wobbly in the air and can't get any lift. She just flaps and lands awkwardly. She's been the picture of good health besides the wing, eats happily, loves bird baths in the tub, etc.

One thing I haven't done much of yet is major attempts at socialization. Once she got over the initial shock of the whole situation and gained some confidence, she turned into a spirited little thing and made it clear that she had no intention of warming up to us any time soon. That's fine of course. I'm the type not to impose expectations on her or get rid of her, no matter how many people tell me "why do you want to keep an animal around that isn't social and doesn't like you?"...as if I keep her around only for my own enjoyment...

I've let her call the shots so far on socialization, which is to say, she doesn't at all enjoy handling so I only do what's absolutely necessary. At first I had hope for the wing and didn't want to push her to bond with us anyway. But now that it seems more likely that she's stickin' with us, it seems to me like it might be time to make more of an effort to bond with her. She's not afraid of me and my fiance and will hop to the front of her aviary to scold us when the food doesn't appear quickly enough for her, but she makes it clear that she doesn't enjoy being touched and I think she's actively afraid of people besides the two of us. I have no expectation that she HAS to get more social of course, but I think it's time to at least try. I'm going to stick around this forum now and figure out where to ask for tips on socialization things.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Check your pm for links.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Amelia is truly lovely. We have a rescued pigeon who is eight years old now who had a broken wing and was nearly decapitated after she flew into a fan. Pigeons who don't fly are still worth the effort. We are so glad Phoebe lives with us even if she doesn't fly. She is terrific. Recommend you not try to make Amelia fly or take her outdoors where she might be in danger. Thank you so much for helping such a great bird! We keep Phoebe in a large indoor flight cage and let her out to run around inside twice per day. Amelia will undoubtedly socialize with you when she is ready. Phoebe likes to sit on our shoulders.


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