# Found a squab!



## scoobycoo (Aug 1, 2016)

I was walking around a busy part of my neighborhood today & noticed a small little dark lump of feathers. Turns out it was a little squab, I would say around 2- 3 weeks old. He looks like he fell from the best, but where I found him there was no nest to be found! His legs don't look broken nor do his wings. He has 2 scrapes but they aren't too bad. The pet store was closed by the time I found him, so I made some plain oatmeal & fed it to him with a bird syringe. He ate it. But I'm no expert & my question is, do I have to feed him at night? How do I know it's full? Do I have to heat up the oatmeal, warm?What should I get at the pet store to feed him? Please help! I love pigeons! I want him to get strong & fly free one day!


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## wiggles and puddles (Sep 3, 2015)

He is a little guy. I think you did the right thing in intervening on his behalf and taking him with you. It appears he was in an area that was fairly busy and he was quite venerable where he was at. I saved two babies that were a bit smaller then him. (Wiggles and Puddles) You can see if he will eat seed on his own. If not then you will have to feed him. Where do you have him now? He will need to be somewhere safe and warm. If you are willing to feed him and care for him, you should know there is a very high likelihood that he will bond to you, but more so that he will be very tame and not suitable for release. He would be a pet. If you don't want that, then You would have to be very careful and limit your interactions with him and seek the advice of some of the professionals on here as to how you would care for him but not tame him in the process. There is a baby bird food you can get by kaytee, a paste like substance. That has great directions, and you can come on here if you have any questions with it. I so wish I knew about that, I did it the hard way and ground up bird seed. My hands still hurt, lol. He will get fluid from that. If you can't get that right away you can give him warm defrosted peas, but I would wait for another responder, as I am unsure how many would be suitable for a bird of that size. He will start to eat seed soon though, if not already, and he will eat a pigeon/dove seed. You will teach him by having some in front of him, and "pecking at it" with your fingers. They learn quickly. If you show him water, only put the very tip of his beak in a small bit of water, you don't want him to get it up his nose. Pigeons really are very smart, and they catch on quickly. He may not take to this now, but he will soon. You will know when he is full when his crop is full. That generally tells you when to feed him as well. He may do the wiggle dance when he associates you with food, flapping his wings and squawking, but you will have to check and see if he has a full crop or not. They will do this if you fed them all of two minutes ago, so you know they have a full crop. Also, something I did not know, they can pester you and con you into feeding them like this well after they can eat on their own. I had no idea they would keep up this little charade so I fed them like this until they were 6 months old. (Rescues and new to birds). They ate seed as well, and I had taken them to my vet, who said they were healthy, and if they wanted more I could give it to them, so the hand feeding was an 'extra'. Jay3 kindly told me I had been conned by my little manipulators, as they often stop at a few weeks, not months. I would make sure to stop and get a bird lice/mite spray tomorrow and spray him, make sure he is in a warm area, and remember what I said about a pet. Also, if you do take him to a rehabber or rescue place, make sure you get a couple people to tell you what they do with pigeons, as they are often euthanized because they are classified as a nuisance bird. There are good places, but you have to be much more careful with pigeons.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Thank you for helping the youngster, he looks like he needs help.

Here is a link on caring for baby pigeons. http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm

At this age you can actually hand feed peas (frozen kind, that are thawed, drained and warmed) Just gently open beak and put pea on tongue and allow baby to close beak and swallow and repeat: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/peasandcorn.htm

FEED only when baby is warm, when crop is empty and make sure peas are warm. http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/peasandcorn.htm *


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Peas are the best to feed at that age. 30 peas 3 times daily ought to be enough. Best way to do this is to put the bird on your lap against your body facing to the right (if you are right handed). Put your left hand over his head and grip his beak with your lefthand fingers. Gently open his mouth and put in one pea at a time with your right hand. If he spits it out, you are not putting the pea deep enough into his mouth. Seems complicated and he will struggle in the beginning, but it will get easier for you both.

They don't need water when on a pea diet, but the sooner he learns to drink, the better. You can gently dip the tip of his beak into a small bowl of water (but not over the nostrils, otherwise he might aspirate). Do this a couple of times until he starts to drink.

Leave a small bowl of peas with him, they quickly learn how to pick them up by themselves, and then you can start adding some small seeds to the peas.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You have been given some good advice. Just to add, make sure his crop has emptied before feeding again, and make sure the food is warm. Not hot as you can burn his crop, but nice and warm or he will have trouble digesting it. 

Aside from becoming people friendly, he also won't have his parents to teach him about living in the wild. Finding food and avoiding predators are taught by the parents and the flock. If he is just let go after he grows up, he has not learned any of these things. A single lone pigeon isn't safe and will often be picked off by a hungry hawk. They are safer in flocks and that is why they live in them. Some have successfully released them into a local flock, but that takes a bit of time and is called a soft release. Just turning him out, he will have no where to go, no flock, and not know how to be safe and find food and water. So unless he can go to someone who keeps pigeons and has a loft and aviary, then please look into a soft release later on. 
Thanks for taking him in, as he will need your help. In another couple of weeks he would have been coming out of the nest and learning all the things he needs to know. It's too bad, as it would have been much easier on him, and he would have been part of a flock. He really is very cute.


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## scoobycoo (Aug 1, 2016)

I haven't tried the peas yet I will for the next feeding, i got the baby bird formula just to give him a little more vitamins. But I made a big mess on him! It's hard so clean him! I put him by the window ledge, inside of course, so he can see the other pigeons. He is inside a small dog cage. I feed a few family of pigeons they come everyday & stare me down till I give them food. There's 2 new eggs on the ledge in a makeshift nest I made for the mom, this is her second time laying eggs! Is it a bad idea to put him by the windows so he can see the other pigeons? He started squeaking & then I fed him. I also have a bottle filled with warm water inside a makeshift thermal so he can be warm. I will feed him the lead soon I hope he likes it! Thank you all for the tips I will keep comin back with more questions & updates!


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## scoobycoo (Aug 1, 2016)

Peas** not lead OMG!


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Seeing other pigeons feeding can only be good for him, especially if you have to release him one day. Feeding peas are just so much cleaner and easier. Get the frozen ones, not the tinned ones and let it defrost in warm water before feeding.


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## wiggles and puddles (Sep 3, 2015)

The formula is messy, but I think it is good as a supplement for the time being. You look like you are doing a great job with him. Have you given the little guy a name yet? Oh, and baby wipes, the gentle sensitive skin kind, (I had to ask my own mom about this since I don't have kids) work great removing the little mess they make when feeding. Just be careful around the face.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I just wet a strong paper towel or any clothe with warm water and wash them down good to get the formula off after each feeding. It dries and can be lots harder to get off.
He looks so comfy, makes me want to go back to bed. LOL.


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## scoobycoo (Aug 1, 2016)

How long does it take for the crop to empty out? I came home late last night & fed him at 12am! It is now 1 PM & He still has a few peas In His crop but not much! Should I feed him again or just wait till its empty? Should I give him water? I put his beak in the water he drinks a bit


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Feed him 3 times a day, a few peas left in the crop won't do harm. During the night his crop will empty completely and that will be good enough. You can leave a small dish of water with him and just keep on dipping his beak in there and he will get the message.


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## scoobycoo (Aug 1, 2016)

What is normal poop for a bird this age? His poop is like a green wormmy shape? I was reading online that that means he might have liver problems  I hope not


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Can you post a photo of the droppings? When on a pea diet, the droppings will be dark green and resemble the shape of a pea. Are you feeding him the right amount of peas? Does he seem eager to be fed? If not, there might be something wrong, hopefully not.


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## scoobycoo (Aug 1, 2016)

He's not too eager to eat only when it's with the syringe & the formula, but I give him the peas. I took him a bath & he's missing a lot of feathers some nasty flat fly flew out of him, which I'm guessing is a louse fly??? Oh no my poor baby! How do I get rid of it!


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