# Smelly Wet Nest



## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

Hello, I have a pair of pigeons that have 2 squabs. They are around 10 days old now and recently the nest had started smelling - it smells like pee. I’m cleaning the nest from the poop daily because the smell is so bad and it’s attracting flies. The babies have grey poop that has a worm-like shape - is that normal? The parents seem to not be doing that great. The mother’s feet were so dirty that I had to wash them, and the parents smell of the poop. There are so many flies, I’m getting really nervous. Is this normal? The poop of the parents isn’t looking good. I’ll attach a photo that came from the mother. This is what the poop looks like from my other 2 birds, except a bit less scattered.
What do??


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## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

Just found this poop from one of the squabs. It doesn’t look good at all. 😞
Other than the poop and the smell, my pigeons seem completely normal. Except the parents are neglecting them a little, leaving them alone sometimes. They are feeding them though.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

No, doesn't look good. Often times when they are getting wet nests like that it is because the parents have canker or some illness that is making them drink a lot. Bringing a sample to a vet would help you to identify what is wrong. They may need medicating. But it is hard to know what it is without testing. What other symptoms are they showing?


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## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

Jay3 said:


> No, doesn't look good. Often times when they are getting wet nests like that it is because the parents have canker or some illness that is making them drink a lot. Bringing a sample to a vet would help you to identify what is wrong. They may need medicating. But it is hard to know what it is without testing. What other symptoms are they showing?


There aren’t many other symptoms, they’re still active as normal. The squabs seem normal, except one of them doesn’t seem as strong - it’s very quiet and not as actively begging for food like its sibling.
Other than that, there’s no other symptoms that I can think of.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*coccidiosis*



scruffy said:


> There aren’t many other symptoms, they’re still active as normal. The squabs seem normal, except one of them doesn’t seem as strong - it’s very quiet and not as actively begging for food like its sibling.
> Other than that, there’s no other symptoms that I can think of.


dear scruffy,-,watery sloppy,misformed,-bright-green?poops looks to be coccidiosis,-this requires antibiotics-for squabs and parents,..-call/ask a avian dvm asap-sincerely james waller


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## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

I googled coccodiosis, and some other symptoms are loss of appetite, lack of activity and sitting fluffed up on perches... Sometimes my pigeons poop is brown, too, but still loose and watery. 😞 I’ll call and ask for advice, though.
Thank you for your suggestion!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can a vet check them for you and see what it is. Do you have a vet who can check the droppings?
Are they drinking a lot of water? More than normally? Are the parents eating less?


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## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

Jay3 said:


> Can a vet check them for you and see what it is. Do you have a vet who can check the droppings?
> Are they drinking a lot of water? More than normally? Are the parents eating less?


Yes, I have a vet that can do that for me, but it’s really pricey for a diagnosis. 😞 The doctor is Dr Rob Marshall, he’s an Australian vet that makes his own products which I use. I can ask him for advice for free, which I’ll start out with. If my pigeons get any worse, then I’ll get them to check the droppings and have a proper consultation.

They’re actually very picky with their foods recently. Usually they eat everything, but now they just eat all their favourites and leave the rest. They’ll act hungry, but they won’t eat those seeds. If they’re hungry, surely they’ll eat the rest like they used to? Maybe they are losing their appetite... I’m not sure if they’re drinking more than usual, though the water seems to be disappearing quite quickly, and their droppings are watery and wet so they might be drinking a lot.

I’m having a problem with flat flies now, which I am quite upset about, as whenever I give them bathing water I put a dewormer in which I got from the vet to help with the problem a while ago. I even use it in their drinking water sometimes as it can be used internally, too. Yet they’re still an issue! I saw one on one of the squabs, and they seem to be itching.
This is quite frustrating as I keep the coop very clean and disinfect multiple times a week and do my best to give them good food with lots of extra vitamins. So I’m not sure what I’m missing. 😞


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

By flat flies do you mean pigeon louse flies? They can carry avian malaria ( we lost a squeaker to it).i think sevin and other sprays and powders will get rid of pigeon flies. You have to make sure the spray ir powder doesnt get in the birds eyes or mouth. You may also be able to manually remove the flies if they are pigeon flies.


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## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

cwebster said:


> By flat flies do you mean pigeon louse flies? They can carry avian malaria ( we lost a squeaker to it).i think sevin and other sprays and powders will get rid of pigeon flies. You have to make sure the spray ir powder doesnt get in the birds eyes or mouth. You may also be able to manually remove the flies if they are pigeon flies.


Yes, louse flies. I think I’ll try giving my pigeons a good bath today with the treatment that I already have. I’ll look up other powders and sprays and the one you suggested. Thanks!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Eating less, drinking more, wet nest. Sounds like canker, which is not all that uncommon when they get stressed raising babies. Keep an eye on the babies in case they start showing symptoms. Can you check down the babies throats with a flashlight? Anything down there?


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## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

Jay3 said:


> Eating less, drinking more, wet nest. Sounds like canker, which is not all that uncommon when they get stressed raising babies. Keep an eye on the babies in case they start showing symptoms. Can you check down the babies throats with a flashlight? Anything down there?


I’ll try that now. I’ll let you know!


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## scruffy (May 7, 2018)

scruffy said:


> Jay3 said:
> 
> 
> > Eating less, drinking more, wet nest. Sounds like canker, which is not all that uncommon when they get stressed raising babies. Keep an eye on the babies in case they start showing symptoms. Can you check down the babies throats with a flashlight? Anything down there?
> ...


Just had a look. From what I could see, it was all clear and looked normal. Their poops are getting a little better, and so are the poops of the parents - they’re brown now, rather than green.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Glad to hear things are getting better.


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*pigeon poop/illness*



scruffy said:


> Just had a look. From what I could see, it was all clear and looked normal. Their poops are getting a little better, and so are the poops of the parents - they’re brown now, rather than green.


hi,scruffy.--good job,-are any of the poops[smelly?]-were you able to inspect each birds mouth/throat,-a cheesy substance is canker,--reply when appropriate-lots of caring/cleaning..--sincerely james waller


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