# Pigeon with no tongue



## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Last year I found a pigeon in my yard that was really weak and it just sat there (sometimes I feed the wild birds because I am weak) and when they get really hungry they come and beg in front of my fly loft door and this one just sat there no moving but alive in the winter time and I try to feed them only when it snows or snow on the ground and they sort of know this and they come when it snows and I need to keep this in a low profile but at times it is hard for me to do but I have really nice neighbors and if you have a loft I truely don't reccommand you feeding the wild pigeons unless you have land to do so but keep them away from your birds in case of sickness... Well anyway I brought the bird inside and watch it and had food and water down and it was hungry and it eat immediately so I was happy. The next day it did not eat all day so I got concerned and just started watching it thinking that it would eat on its own again and it was just stressed being in a cage and I was checking its droppings and they look sort of like starvation droppings but had a lot of white and yellow color to them and its eyes were beginning to blink so I knew that I had to intervene with this bird with some peditlyle (sp) and pigeon seed --little by little--for it to get its strength back --and I opened up its mouth and it was a whole space no tongue at all tried to find it but no tongue and it made it easy to just drop the seed into it--fed it about 5 or 6 times a day --little by little and it began to get its strength back--now I have a problem how is this bird going to survive if it has no tonque to push the food down its throat and I am real worried about that....It's beak was perfect and not hurt but no tonque and I decided to take it to the vet for a check up and ask them and in the meanwhile I just left it fly for exercise in the house but it did not want to fly----hated flying-----so I thought what is this a bird with no tonque hating to fly so I just continued to feed it and wondered if it would ever eat on its own again and I had to try so the next day I watched and watched and I saw it pick up a pea and sort of juggle it down its throat and it eat---I knew it would be okay from that moment--but this no tonque business interferes with its flying motivation and I can't prove this but one of the side effects having no tonque I think and it is in my loft now and doing very very well for it scoops and stretches its neck to eat.
I never did take it to the vet because I did not have a good vet nor at that time no money but I did send a sample of its droppings to Dr, Zollar to check on worms before I entered it into my loft...Someone wrote me that when a bird had no beak or badly damaged beak that their tonque withers and they die---what a tradegy that is---and if anyone out their has a tonque story I am sure that a lot of our people talk friends would like to hear about it..c.hert


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

Poor pigeon!


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

This poor pigeon is a female and has a female friend by the name of Sophia and they do very well together and it does fly when it wants to go outside or bathe but it doesn't like flying and never has and thats why I kept it and it does have trouble picking up the small seed and it does love lettuce and apple and bread as well and it freaks over the pigeon candy from Foys - its a lucky one and doing well---.c.hert


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

C.hert...........this is a very heartwarming story. I'm so happy that this little bird is doing well with your care and protection.

God Bless You for all that you do for your birds.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Very interesting. I wonder what happened to his tongue? Does he have trouble drinking?


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

To tell you the truth Jay3 I don't really know because I could find no injury at all and no bloody mouth or anything just a red mark where the tongue might have been attached I think but not bad--no like an injury or anything --and I always wondered if she was born like this???--don't really know---and someday I will take her to my good vet just for some more information about these birds--(in my spare time)(if you know what I mean) and did I think 10 years ago that I would have pigeons in my life no they just sprang on me and I just love them and they fullfill my life...c.hert


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

c.hert said:


> To tell you the truth Jay3 I don't really know because I could find no injury at all and no bloody mouth or anything just a red mark where the tongue might have been attached I think but not bad--no like an injury or anything --and I always wondered if she was born like this???--don't really know---and someday I will take her to my good vet just for some more information about these birds--(in my spare time)(if you know what I mean) and did I think 10 years ago that I would have pigeons in my life no they just sprang on me and I just love them and they fullfill my life...c.hert


If you ever take her to the vet to get answers, please come in and let us know what the vet says.


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

I sure will...c.hert


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

If its able to drink, then can the pigeon survive on fluid supplements only ?


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Sreesh: thanks for the interest but you need to read the prior posts to understand how this all goes---the pigeon is in my loft and doing well and eats well and drinks well and everything--to catch up in your spare time--just read the posts on this matter. I do not know if a pigeon is able to survive on just fluid supplements but I would not want to own a bird that is that disabled and would seek other options..c.hert


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

My thoughts were all around _"--now I have a problem how is this bird going to survive if it has no tonque to push the food down its throat and I am real worried about that...."_ and sorry I missed the lettuce, apple and candy mentioned in your second post


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Sreeshs, the bird picks up the food, puts her head up, and lets the food go down kinda. She CAN eat on her own. Amazing, but true. They are so adaptable.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thank you so much for that information, c.hert. We know that pigeons are adaptable and can often survive with a little help, this is further proof of that.

I am so glad that you noticed its plight initially and then the absence of the tongue...it certainly found the right person!

Cynthia


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## jenfer (Jan 7, 2008)

I have a pigeon with no tongue. She presented with what looked like trich localized to the tongue. Within a few days, the tongue detached! She seemed very content to live indoors, and I kept her because I didn't think she would be able to swallow what food she found outside, esp. when forced to compete with many other birds. With a never-empty dish of seeds, she's able to peck and peck until the seeds get successively pushed down.


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Same thing here Jenfer and that"s why I did not leave her loose in the wild and she is doing just fine and eats fine sometimes having trouble with small seeds--pecks and pecks but these birds are eating more than you think and she loves pigeon candy from Foys Pigeon supply but I dare not feed her too much but in the loft they all go crazy for it..Someday I will take her to my 2nd vet and see what he says and if he knows of any other people or bird having this problem and then maybe he can sent her records to the University and see what they say---when I get time---and extra money---I am sure you know how that goes.....I don't really know what a trich localized to the tongue is and are you trying to say: trichomoniasis ???? My bird does not have canker and I really don't believe she ever did---I think it is a birth deformity of some kind---but the vet will help me on this---she does have a very slight red mark where I believe the tonque would join and a very healthy bird that is gaining weight from last winter and she has a friend as well Sophia who is one of my most beautiful pigeons--1/2 roller and half mookee and black and white soft swirls--very beautiful--- no tongue is a wild checker female pigeon with a beautiful attitude...Thanks for posting c.hert


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

jenfer said:


> I have a pigeon with no tongue. She presented with what looked like trich localized to the tongue. Within a few days, the tongue detached! She seemed very content to live indoors, and I kept her because I didn't think she would be able to swallow what food she found outside, esp. when forced to compete with many other birds. With a never-empty dish of seeds, she's able to peck and peck until the seeds get successively pushed down.


Thanks for posting that info. That would make sense.


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