# My grumpy mate has itchy legs...



## LustStarrr (Mar 4, 2020)

Hi everyone,

My friend Grump is a juvenile pigeon who has been hanging out on my balcony heaps since he fledged. He commonly sits on the table & harasses me for seed, growling at me, biting, & slapping (as shown here: https://imgur.com/gallery/hrERYtd) when I’m too slow to give some seeds to him, or if my hand gets too close to him. He’s a grumpy little dude, but I kinda love him.

The other day, I spotted him with a hair tangled around his leg, so I grabbed him, without too much hassle, thank goodness. I removed the hair, & as I was giving him a cuddle & some seeds to soothe his hurt feelings that I’d grabbed him without warning, I noticed some blood on my shirt. I checked him over several times, completely baffled as to where the blood was coming from. I checked his beak, his bum, under his wings, I parted his feathers, before finally finding the source - he’s got itchy legs, both sides, right where his feathers stop, around the knee/ankle area, I think (I’m not sure which joint is which with birds, compared to humans). I’ve put some antiseptic lotion on his feet, & treated him thoroughly with Vetafarm Avian Insect Liquidator, to get rid of any mites or life that may be causing the itch. Any other suggestions for treatment, or ideas of what may be causing it, please?

I’d actually been trying to grab him for a couple of days prior to noticing the hair on his foot, actually... he was looking a bit dull & scruffy, & I was going to keep him inside for a week or so, giving him all-he-can-eat seeds & some vitamin supplement in his water. However, his wing-fu, combined with his cagey, suspicious demeanour kept him out of my clutches until I surprised him by grabbing him the other day. As far as I can tell, his poop seems normal, & he’s eating OK... I’ve had a look down his throat, & can’t see any lesions, but his crop seems a bit distended, so I’m not sure whether he’s digesting everything properly. I think I’ll keep him til I know for sure that’s all OK. Should I try to get some apple sauce into him, to loosen it up? What else should I do or check, while I’ve got him in my clutches? He’s a lovely little bird - I want to do the best I can for him.

Cheers,

Fern


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Apple cider vinegar is very good for pigeons. You can add 5 ml acv to 1 litre of drinking water. Put this down 2 or 3 times a week as their drinking water for the day. This helps with digestion and to keep them healthy.

Try to get a product online or at your nearest petshop for external parasites on birds. Hopefully the problem is already solved.


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