# Pigeon got canker!



## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

Hi,
If my pigeon have canker will it die? Will the baby get sick if he eats out of the sick parent?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

i-am-me said:


> Hi,
> If my pigeon have canker will it die? Will the baby get sick if he eats out of the sick parent?



He may die if you don't treat for the canker, and yes, he can get sick if he is being fed by sick parents.

I think you need to give us some background about the birds you have, where you got them from, how they are housed, what you are feeding them, etc. What medicines you have available, if any.

Terry


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

hi,
it is a german owl pigeon. i got him from my friend. he had canker when i bought him but wasnt as bad when i got him. im feeding them crack corn. and no medicine. dont know where to get them.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Cracked corn really isn't a good staple diet for pigeons. They need a variety of different seeds in order to derive the proper nutrition from their food. Cracked corn can also irritate their mouth, throat, and digestive tract as the edges are sharp. It also "spoils" easier than other seed/grain.

You need to find a proper pigeon mix for your bird(s) and you definitely need to get a canker medication for this poor bird and start treating it immediately. If you have other birds and they have shared food and water utensils with the canker bird, they should be treated for canker too.

Canker medication is not expensive and is readily available from any of the on-line pigeon supply houses. You might also be able to find a product like FishZole in the fish deparment of a large pet store. It contains metronidazole which is one of the drugs used to treat canker. 

Please don't delay in getting your birds the medication they need and also the food that they need.

Terry


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

hi,
Can you please tell me what you feed your pigeons?


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

i-am-me said:


> hi,
> Can you please tell me what you feed your pigeons?



There are pre-made pigeon mixes, I use one manufactured by the seed factory
in Ceres, CA called Winner's Cup. Call around to the grain/feed stores in your area or pet stores. If there are pigeon breeders in your area it's possible that
you might find one who also sells pigeon mix and be able to purchase there.

In the meantime, until you locate a pigeon mix, you can use a wild bird seed
mix that lists doves on the side or back of the bag. 

Here's a link from the Resource section for the Pigeon Supply Houses for medication for your bird's Canker (Trichomoniasis):

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9455

fp


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

can i feed them sunflower seeds?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

i-am-me said:


> can i feed them sunflower seeds?


They can have black oil sunflower seeds or unsalted shelled sunflower seeds in their diet, but it cannot be the major part of their pigeon mix.

Terry


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

o okay. give me some examples of some pigeon mix i can make by myself.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

You know, the mixes are formulated to give them what they need nutritionally.
Trees Gray could probably help on this or Phil, but it's going to be so much easier to purchase it already in the right proportions. I'm sure you have grain
stores or pet stores close by where you could get it if you call around. BTW,
how is the canker problem, did you get some meds for your bird?

fp


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

i-am-me said:


> o okay. give me some examples of some pigeon mix i can make by myself.


Here is an example of the grains and seeds in a good pigeon mix:

http://purgrain.com/ingredients.htm

If your bird does indeed have canker it needs to be treated as mentioned above. It does not go away on its own, it spreads into organs and destroys tissue and the bird will eventually die. I hate to be so blunt but it is the truth.


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## texasmk4 (Apr 17, 2007)

i've heard from many people corn is good for pigeons


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

The corn and cracked corn are usually the last things to disappear from feeders. Birds, just like people, need a variety of foodstuffs to stay healthy. Corn, as part of a wider diet, is okay, but not the exclusive diet. Go to a feed store or even a pet store and look at some of the mixes they have available for birds (both the wild bird mixes and the parrot/finch/canary mixes. You'll see just how many different seed varieties are in a typical mix. 
Certainly if your bird is under the weather, make sure it gets the most nutrious and easily picked up seeds as possible. 
If your bird has only eaten corn in the past, it may be hesitant to try new seeds, but be persistent and offer the mixed seeds always. As the birds adapt, add more of the mixed seeds and less of the corn. You can also add dried peas to your mix.
Be aware that corn, milo (sorghum), and striped sunflower seeds are often used as filler in many seed mixes because they are cheaper than other seeds. With the exception of the striped sunflower, those other seeds often are wasted because birds don't eat them unless there is nothing else available.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

My wild flock actually seems to prefer whole field corn but I think there is a reason: they can fill up faster during hawk avoidance season. I began to notice that they were eating the corn first, and then the smaller seeds.

Pidgey


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

...yes, the feral Pigeons will tend to eat the Largest seeds first, then the next-largest and so on, regardless of what kind of Seed it is, in order to maximize their effective-eating volume-wise, for the time period they are risking being on the ground.

But even in this, there are Seeds which while fine for them to eat, if they are not familiar with them or sure of them, they will pass them up, even when large...and they will then eat everything but that, in approximately desending order of size.



Phil
l v


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

It's the cracked corn at issue here, I believe. Whole corn is fine but the 
cracked/sharp edges on cracked corn is not good for them as it is generally
considered to cause abrasions/small cuts in the tissue when they eat it.
This is especially of concern w/a pigeon that has canker as the trichomonads
can find their way into the bloodstream.

fp


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

feralpigeon said:


> You know, the mixes are formulated to give them what they need nutritionally.
> Trees Gray could probably help on this or Phil, but it's going to be so much easier to purchase it already in the right proportions. I'm sure you have grain
> stores or pet stores close by where you could get it if you call around. BTW,
> how is the canker problem, did you get some meds for your bird?
> ...



no. i live in minnesota and the freaken pet stores in here don't seem to have any pigeon canker cure.


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

Trees Gray said:


> Here is an example of the grains and seeds in a good pigeon mix:
> 
> http://purgrain.com/ingredients.htm
> 
> If your bird does indeed have canker it needs to be treated as mentioned above. It does not go away on its own, it spreads into organs and destroys tissue and the bird will eventually die. I hate to be so blunt but it is the truth.


oh. you have a lot of blue bars.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Here's a link from the Resource Section here @ PT:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9455

This will take you to the different links for the Pigeon Supply Houses
where you can purchase Canker (Trichomoniasis) medications.

If there's a local club, membership might give you the advantage of 
being able to get meds from other members in an emergency on a 
pay back basis. Something to think about. Try and get some meds 
asap. If you have more than just a few pijies, you might want to get 
Ronidazole in the powder form so you can flock medicate.

fp


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

yay my pigeon dont have canker anymore. because i kept the coop door open and let in some fresh air everyday. when i checked his mouth today he dosen't seem to have any more canker, and he isnt breathing hard again. he actually was fighting with my friends silver bar hehe.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

i-am-me said:


> yay my pigeon dont have canker anymore. because i kept the coop door open and let in some fresh air everyday. when i checked his mouth today he dosen't seem to have any more canker, and he isnt breathing hard again. he actually was fighting with my friends silver bar hehe.


It's medically impossible to cure canker w/fresh air. It's more likely that you
didn't look well enough either the first time or this last time or that if fighting
by beaking w/each other it was dislodged if the canker growth was in an area where such an activity could do so. That's if what you believe you saw the first time was canker. If fresh air were a cure for canker, country ferals would never get it and that just isn't so.

Please continue to check your pigeon's mouth and do so in good light or w/the aid of a flashlight because canker is serious business for our pigeons.

fp


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

feralpigeon said:


> It's medically impossible to cure canker w/fresh air. It's more likely that you
> didn't look well enough either the first time or this last time or that if fighting
> by beaking w/each other it was dislodged if the canker growth was in an area where such an activity could do so. That's if what you believe you saw the first time was canker. If fresh air were a cure for canker, country ferals would never get it and that just isn't so.
> 
> ...



ok gotcha...but it doesnt seems to be breathing hard anymore.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

i-am-me said:


> ok gotcha...but it doesnt seems to be breathing hard anymore.


I have seen a few birds that aren't breathing hard that had canker, you don't know what may be going on internally, as canker is very invasive.


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

Trees Gray said:


> I have seen a few birds that aren't breathing hard that had canker, you don't know what may be going on internally, as canker is very invasive.


damnit. it still have canker. thought it was gone. what kind of medicine can i get in a pet store to cure canker?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Can you find a pet store that carries tropical fish, they might have it?


http://www.entirelypets.com/fizom2530ta.html


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

Trees Gray said:


> Can you find a pet store that carries tropical fish, they might have it?
> 
> 
> http://www.entirelypets.com/fizom2530ta.html



yea there is one. its called petsland, petsmart, and petsplus. those are the only tropical fish store i know.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

So either call or stop by and examine the package in person. Read the ingredients listed on the package of Fish Zole and make sure it's Metronidazole
or ask the sales person which of the fish medications are Metronidazole (also
known as Flagyll). If you can't get it locally, then check out the Pigeon Supply
Houses:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9455

If you have a loft, it's best to get the Ronidazole in powder form, though if 
you have just a few pigeons and plan to keep it that way, pills/tablets
are fine. I would also plan on treating any pigeons that have been sharing
food and water dish.

fp

PS-Another possible source locally would be Feed and Grain Stores, in which case you'd just 
flat out ask if they had Canker/Trichomoniasis medications in stock.


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

*arrrggggggggggggggggg*

dang it. i cant find fish zole in any stores in MN.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

It doesn't seem like they carry it in the larger chains anymore. Check your Yellow Pages and see if you can find an aquarium supply specialty store, hopefully a mom-&-pop shop. Unless you already did that... ?

Pidgey


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## i-am-me (Mar 31, 2007)

Pidgey said:


> It doesn't seem like they carry it in the larger chains anymore. Check your Yellow Pages and see if you can find an aquarium supply specialty store, hopefully a mom-&-pop shop. Unless you already did that... ?
> 
> Pidgey


can i just buy it from the net. and how much does shipping cost?


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

i-am-me said:


> can i just buy it from the net. and how much does shipping cost?


Check our resources for pigeon supply houses. They do carry Spartrix and Metronidazole and other anti-canker medications. Shipping costs depend on how fast you want it shipped and your location.

Reti


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Here's the link to the Pigeon Supply Houses from the Resource Section again:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9455

The only other thing you might try is calling a Feed and Grain store in your 
area and see if they carry any of the canker medications and sell over the counter:

Ronidazole
Metronidazole 
Carnidazole 
Dimetridazole
Secnidazole

Otherwise, you really do need to order the meds as quickly as you can, canker is nothing to delay with.

fp


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