# Distressing problem with new addition to feral flock



## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Hello again all  

I have a rather upsetting problem with a new addition to my regular feral friends. To be honest, I'm surprised that having had feral pigeons lounging around in my backyard all day, every day for 18 months now, it's actually taken this long for a problem to arise.

Sadly this poor young chap has a serious leg problem. His legs are bound up with string. I have no idea whether this was the act of a cruel and sick human being, or whether the string naturally become entangled there. Id prefer to think it was the latter. But not only has the string caused _severe_ swelling on one leg, but the single piece of string is attached to both legs, meaning the poor fellow is walking around like a prisoner in leg irons.

Apart from that, he can fly perfectly well and spends most of the day either outside my bedroom window, on my roof, lying on my lawn or perching on the neighbours second story window sill overlooking my door.

Before I posted here I have gone to exceptional lengths to try and acquire the pigeon so that he can get the required attention. Unfortunately he has resisted all my attempts over the last few weeks to be caught. I can get a couple of feet away and that is it. What makes things much more difficult is that he perpectually hangs about in a group of 5 others who have been actually been regulars at my home since they were youngsters. So the group all look out for each other, making any sort of approach to this bird all but impossible. On the ocassions he is alone, it is simply impossible to catch him. I have tried...and tried...and tried.

Ironically, although most of my other ferals will happily walk through my laundry into the kitchen (and do so quite often at feeding time), this bird will simply not come anywhere near. So I can't even trap him in the house.

I really have no idea what to do. He seems OK and I feed him about 4 times a day. But this is almost as distressing for me as it must be for the bird and I am very upset about it.

Thanks

Jonathan


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

I am so sorry for the poor little guy.
You have to catch him and remove the string, I know you tried, did you try Mary's trap method?
I cannot explain it well so I hope Mary will see the post and respond soon.
Until then you can do a search in the arscives, it has to be in there.

Reti


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## stella (Jun 10, 2004)

This is an odd and sad coincidence - after over a week of trying, I was finally able to capture a string entangled pij on my deck. His legs were also bound together, and he's lost a toe.

He's just a little guy, painfully thin (he's eating well now). I have been working for hours with him to remove the string. It's just terrible.

I wish you all the best in catching your friend - I know it's very difficult. Sending good thoughts your way.


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

OK thanks. I found Mary's old thread. The sticking point is with other pigeons around all the time this could be exceedingly tricky. There would be 5 or 6 birds all happily chomping along the seed trail. I just wish the bird would do what the others do and walk into the laundry. I could then go around the other side of the house and shut the door from the outside.


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## Yong (Oct 15, 2003)

I catch birds when I don't try...I have a cage, a simple cage, the cheap kind for parakeets. I keep it outside. Sometime I leave the door up on it. Inside there's usually always food left over, and a few of ferals who lock themselves in. what happens is several of the birds cram into eat the food, then others will jump on top of the cage in a frenzy and then the door shuts. I came home today and found three in there today. Give it a whirl, and see what happens. =) Yong


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

I'm actually going to get a good quality cat cage from Mum when I next visit her, so I will think about that. Mum and I were only discussing this yesterday. I've guess there isn't much to lose, except catching any pigeon other than this one  

As I say, the main problem is that this young bird has attached itself to the other 6 regulars who have basically made my backyard their daylight home. The other 6 will always grab the food first. This pigeon, however, will only go to the food when it sees the others are already digging into it. I just can't forsee a situation where the others would not be around all the time.

I'm still hopeful I can do a "laundry" job on him. I could have trapped 90% of my feral friends this way, but this chap's mobility means he doesn't want to go very far on foot.

I know it's a bizarre thought, but a broken wing would seemingly be a much easier problem to deal with than this.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Jonathan,

When Mary has used her trap she catches a number of pigeons, slides something underneath the trap and then selects the injured pigeon, removes it and lets the others go. I may be wrong but I think that she has released the healthy ones inside her apartment once!

It is extremely difficult to catch a well fed pigeon in this condition! I have had much more success with the starving ones because they will fall in a heap at my feet when I throw down peanuts and it is easy to pick out the one I want. It is so much more difficult to catch them if they are in one of the flocks that I feed daily. 

Unfortunately every time the pigeon tries to walk the string will tighten and it will eventually kill one or both feet, or individual toes. Thread and fishing line will cut into the flesh to the bone. So keep trying but don’t blame yourself when you can’t catch it. Remember that a pigeon that is easily caught by a human would be even more easily caught by a predator!

You might want to prepared yourself for action when you catch it. We all have our own methods and tools for thread removal, these are mine:

I usually start by rubbing Bach Rescue Cream into the foot, this softens any muck and in my experience also loosens the string, probably because it reduces swelling.

I have some baby scissors with blunt ends, because these can be used to snip thread that is embedded into the skin without cutting the flesh.

I also use a seam splitter (a dressmaking tool for picking stitches which has a blunted end) for separating the thread from the flesh before cutting it.

I have antibacterial cream to rub in the wound and I use a single drop of Metacam in the inside tip of the pigeon’s beak as a painkiller: 

I have cotton buds , sterile gauze and cornflour to treat minor bleeds.

I also have a pair of small sharp scissors to cut the thread.

When you examine a bird always ensure that the head is raised so that there is no danger of regurgitation that could cause it to aspirate and die. It sometimes helps to lay a piece of gauze over its face to reduce struggling.

In a lot of cases the thread or string is visible and therefore quite easy to remove just by patiently snipping and unwinding. It sometimes takes several goes , with rests for the pigeon and the rescuer in between.

Before you start examine the foot carefully. Yellow bits are a sign of infection that will need to be treated with antibiotics. Blackened flesh is dead and in my experience is dangerous to poke about in as it could cause a severe bleed.. 

If the string has done significant damage to the foot then it might be a good idea to take it to the vet who will have specialised instruments to do the job and also be able to provide emergency treatment if there is a bleed. 

I always cut the bit that links the feet together first, so that if the pigeon escapes it is that little bit better off. Then I start with the loosest bits, snipping and gently unwinding, taking care not to pull so that the thread doesn’t cut further into the flesh.


If there is any bleeding at all I stop what I am, apply direct pressure to the area and hold the foot up in the air to inhibit the blood flow. For major bleeds I have had to use a tourniquet, but the pigeon has also needed treatment for shock.

When all the thread is removed I treat open wounds with antibacterial cream, otherwise I rub Bach Rescue Cream into the foot immediately and continue to do that 3 times a day.

I usually keep the pigeon for some time after the string removal, to treat any other related problems. Sometimes the thread or string will that tied the back toe inward, or twisted other toes and splinting will be required. The only times I release immedately is when there has been no damage to the foot because it has been caught early enough.

Let me reassure you that the tying together of the feet is a thing that happens often to pigeons, the only involvement that humans have in their condition is leaving string and thread lying around so that it becomes a hazard.

Cynthia


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Cynthia,

Lots of useful information in your post. I have added it to my save file. Thanks so much!


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Hello Cynthia,


Many thanks for that excellent and informative post. I'm sure it will come in useful for a lot of readers. I'm sure it took you quite a while to type all that in as well  Thanks also for helping to put me more at ease with the situation. To be honest I truly don't fancy my chances catching him given that he is always in close proximty to all my other hungry regulars who tend to barge in quite headstrong whenever the food is handed out. But in the end he is surely having a better go of things for my being around - one would hope.

Yesterday he was actually perched inside the top filter of my rainwater tank (a plastic nest as it were). It only occured to me this is a potential hazard for birds if the filter had been removed for cleaning at the time  I'm going to have to put a cover on the tank whenever I clean the filter from now on. I had not forseen the posibility of a bird trying to dive into the narrow top opening of my water tank!

I can only hope I can make a bit more progress with young Mr. Stringfellow, but nevertheless I feel a bit better about the situation, although quite frustrated at the same time.


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## ZigZagMarquis (Aug 31, 2004)

Dodo... have you tired the old inverted box proped up with a stick and a string tied to the stick trap trick?? Understand that there are a lot of birds there, but with a bunch of food in the trap and some patience, I gotta belive sooner or later your "target" bird will be under the trap and you and catch him... you may get a few others in the process, but so what, just turn them loose right away.


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Hi again all,

Well for the past three weeks I have done *everything* I can to try to save this poor bird, which for convenience sake I have now called "Lizzy". I have spent about three hours every day trying to help this bird.

Firstly, Mary's trap works very well  I think I could have collected myself a pretty large flock of birds had I pulled the string for every bird that fed under it. 

But Lizzy is a very smart (or stupid  ) bird. She knows what the trap is all about and won't go near it. In fact, you can almost see what is going through her brain when she watches all the others eat under it (..."you guys have got to be kidding me!!...").

Anyway, tapping into the psychology of this bird is proving to be an all but impossible task. Her condition has now deteriorated to the point where her fellow ferals are now picking on her. When this started happening about a week ago, she would immediately take flight and land within a few feet of me. I guess she thinks if she is near me she is safe from her fellow ferals.

Now the situation has worsened, and she spends much of the day sitting as close as possible to whereever I may be. This usually ends up being the yellow cardboard recycling bin that sits just outside my bedroom window. Yesterday she was lying on the back door mat.

And here is the strange part. She now lets me get my face within inches of her own face and she won't fly away. And I'm starting to notice that as time goes by, I seem to able to move my hand closer to her without her flying away or giving an audible "alarm" signal.

Seeing as I can get closer to her, I actually tried carrying a large towel to throw over her, but again - it's just like the trap. She know what I want to use the towel for and she is then all but impossible to capture.

So I am wondering if I can make any headway in actually being able to touch her? As I say, in the last week, I have gone from not being able to get close, to being able to move my face right next to hers.

If I try this approach, do you think it is possible in your experience for her to learn to tolerate having my hand so close as to actually stroke her?

And if I can ultimately stroke her, how big a step would it be to actually capturing her with my hands? For example, how long would it take before I could attempt this?

PS: I am not sure poor Lizzy has too much time left. I feel certain she is going to lose one leg, and could well lose both now. She also seems to be shaking very mildly much of the time now. I think this episode is going to have a sad ending.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Dodo,

It so frustrating when you are trying to help a bird, but it just won't let you!! I know what that is like.

I am sure others will be along to advise you on your plan for capturing w/ your hands...it sounds good to me...the only bad thing is, if you try it once and miss, Lizzy may not come near you again.

I was thinking maybe you could try a hand net? The kind that fisherman use to scoop fish out of the water? I know one of our other members uses a hand net w/ much success, but again, if you try once and miss....can make the bird very wary of coming too close again.

Sorry I have not been much help here...thank you for trying to help this bird...by the way, hope Dimity is doing well.

Linda


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

You have done a wonderful job to get her to recognise you as a safe source of food, so don’t give up !

I have had much more success capturing pigeons with my hands than using towels and nets. I will only use a towel (or jacket or whatever comes to hand) when a pigeon is unable to fly but still able to flutter off very quickly.

Grabbing by hand works well for me.

Assuming that you are right handed see if you can tempt her to eat seed from your left hand. Once she is eating it should be easy to bring your right hand over her from behind and pin her down very gently holding both her wings in place. You can try doing this in a slow fluid movement (as if you were smoothing her wings down but securing at the same time) or as a quick grab. I have done both. The trick is to trap her firmly but gently so that she is not over compressed or hurt in any way.

If you are anything like me then you would probably benefit from a dose of Bach Rescue Remedy before trying. I find that the adrenalin rush that I get when I prepare to grab an injured pigeon works against me.

There have been pigeons that I despaired of catching because they were so wary, but I got them when I least expected to. Pain will slow them down so keep trying.

Good luck.

Cynthia


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Thanks Lyn and Cynthia.

That is sort of the way I am thinking of tackling this, but I wasn't expecting that I might be able to grab her with one hand only (although she is a small bird).

I made some more progress today in that she actually ate out of my hand. I was quite amazed at this - this is the first time I have ever gotten to this stage with a feral.

Do you think it might make the situation easier if I first try to get to the stage where I can pat her whilst feeding her? I'm just a bit worried with her feet so badly damaged now that the amount of compression required to keep her wings secure with one hand would cause her enormous pain. Wouldn't I sort of have to press down with one hand, but with two I could apply the pressure more inwards?

Also to Lyn. Thanks for asking about Dimity. Unfortunately the sad news is that within 2 weeks of giving everyone an update here, she suddenly disappeared and never returned. I don't really know what happened. I am 100% certain that if she had ever been in a position to return to me, she would have. She never failed to visit me several times per day, every day -without fail - for over 9 months. I just didn't feel like posting this news, because I did not see much point in posting such sad news.

But I've accepted this and can at least take comfort that I made a big difference to her life when she was around. On the upside my backyard continues to be a real hit with the ferals, and every day they simply like to lounge around, sitting quietly on the ground, enjoying the sun. At any time of the day, you can usually see at least 10 ferals simply lying on the ground enjoying themselves like humans would at a picnic. As time goes by, they become more and more tame, and they will quite happily follow me around as I attend to the daily chores. There is even a new fancy pigeon that now comes regularly (completely unbanded), so life happily moves on.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Dodo,

I am so sorry to hear the news about Dimity...forgive me for asking and making you post the sad news. She had a wonderful life with you. I am glad you have the flock around to help you take your mind off things. When things are going well, they are such a joy to have around. Unfortunately, when things happen (Dimity, Lizzy), they can break your heart too.
Good luck w/ Lizzy......hope this story has a happy ending.

Linda


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Hi Linda (sorry for previously misspelling your name  ),

No problem at all about Dimity. It wasn't so much that it was hurtful to me as the reason I did not post the news. It was simply that this place has a wonderful, positive and optimistic ambience to it - it's about helping pigeons and about success stories. I read here alot, even if I don't post much, and there is always at least one good story a day that makes me feel better. So I only feel that I can post bad news if there is a specific issue at hand that needs resolving (as is the case with young Lizzy here).

Back to poor Lizzy, and I swear this young lady has 360 degree vision. Again, Lizzy ate out of my hand for breakfast, but when I started to move my other hand around from behind she simply followed it and made sure it wasn't going to touch her. I tried this about 5 times this morning, all with the same result. Honestly, there is ziltch wrong with her situational awareness. It's far better than that of nearly all the other feral regulars.

Perhas what is so frustrating about this is that I could have captured just about any other pigeon in my yard by now. I've lost count of the number of birds that have walked under my "Mary" trap and I've lost count of the number of birds who walk right into my house for breakfast.

It's so sad now I'm starting to have to see the funny side of it, or otherwise I'm going to go demented. So does anyone have an English to Pigeon translation guide so I can explain precisely to young Lizzy exactly what I plan to do with her?


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## ZigZagMarquis (Aug 31, 2004)

Maybe you could put your hand with the food under the "Mary Trap" and get Lizzy to eat out of your hand under the trap and have someone else pull the string to trip the trap???


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Thanks for the suggestion, but unfortuntely Lizzy won't even venture anywhere near the trap, food or not. I think she would rather starve  The other problem is that I live on my own and can't really get any help. And I don't think my neighbours would be either keen or have the patience to help out.


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## badger (Oct 9, 2004)

Cyro, you took the words right out of my mouth.
Dodo, you just have to grab her really fast. Don't worry about hurting her feet. As you are pinning her wings to her body, bring your left hand to her breast so you've got her clamped between your two hands. She can't hurt you, with her feet or her beak. You won't have to squeeze her, I promise. You just have to contain her. I wouldn't hang around patting her; act quickly. 
Have a place prepared where you can put her right away; a deep box is good, one that she can't immediately fly out of. Put in a little seed and water, she'll settle down. Talk to her quietly and then after awhile bring her out into your lap, always with your hand over her wings. 
I think you have to practise this in your mind, like an athlete, imagining yourself doing it.


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Hello dodo,

Sorry to hear about the trouble you're having 
I know how hard it can be catching some pigeons, especially the really stubborn ones. 
My trap may not work for you but I know you will figure out a way to get Lizzy, it may seem tricky but don't give up. Also be as calm as possible around her and don't even try catching her for a little while... One thing I noticed with pigeons is that they feel and sense how the person is feeling, when I'm all tense especially when the pigeon is near by I can never catch him but once I really calm down and breath slowly I feel calmer and I think the pigeons feels it too and comes near me. That's just something I found to be very helpful when I catch birds, might help you too.

If you get a chance, grab her really quickly because sometimes it only works like that with certain pigeons like the experience I had last week.

Less than a week ago I caught a pij that I've been after for about 2 days, a youngster that only came to roost on the balcony in the evenings.
It was so hard for me and I thought from that start that he was one of those that is just impossible to catch because he was so alert, he would get ready to fly away the minute I just opened the window and if he saw the feeding container that was it, he was gone 

Wednesday night I attempted to catch him as he was sleeping right under the window, I waited for it to get dark but at that point he decided to sleep on the railing to avoid the bullying from other pigeons since he couldn't stand up with his injured leg.
I left the screen out of one window and just shut it so I could maybe try again the next day, and anyway that night I couldn't put it back in because it would make too much noise.

The next day at dawn when the sun was coming out the pigeons were getting active, cooing a bit, moving around, this pij who slept up on the railing went down once he spotted some left over seed under the window from the night before that I put out. At that point I quickly grabbed a chair and slowly opened the window then once he was eating the seeds I stood on the chair, hung out of the window and grabbed him! 
Seriously I never thought I'd be able to get this pij. Thanks to God I was able to and he is now at the wildlife centre being treated for that bad break below the ankle. Hopefully he is doing well 

Dodo, I really hope you can catch Lizzy.
Let us know how things go and I pray that you will have success.


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

OK. Thanks everyone. I think I'll have to leave it for a couple of days, as it looks like my attempts this morning have put our "relationship" a week behind. I'll try the faster approach if and when I can get to hand feeding her again.


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## pigeon george (Aug 7, 2003)

*my old kid method*

i used to catch pigeons near a duck pond as a kid " my father got to know there owner rather well" i would bring some seed from dads bin and sit on the ground with a large fish net the ones for fluke and the like toss some seed in the middel of the net and whene the right color bird was standing in the middel i would twist the handel rather than lift the net and boy it worked well just find a neighbor who goes fishing to see if he has such a net good luck


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

To everyone,

Thank you so much for advice.

I HAVE CAUGHT HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     

I really didn't expect to - but it was just like Mary said. The "moment" came and I took the chance. No nets, no traps - I just carefully grabbed her!!!

She is now in my bathroom stuffing herself with food (maybe not a good thing but she can fast at the vet for a day if neccessary).

I have a 10.30 AM appointment this morning (90 minutes from now) with the local Avian. It's about a half hour drive from here. I hope she doesn't mind the trip too much.

Although I am so overjoyed I have caught her, I feel I have to prepare myself that the news may not be good. So it's quite mixed emotions at the moment.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Wonderful news and very well done! Let's hope the trip to the vet has an optimistic outcome. Please keep us posted.

Terry


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

OK, just got back from the Avian Doctor. It looks like she is going to need a left leg amputation. The doctor is going to see how she responds to anti-biotics, but at this stage she _may_ be able to keep the right leg, although at the very least it appears a toe will need to be amputated on that leg.


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Dodo  

First let me congratulate you on catching her!! I -knew- you could do it!  
It's an amazing feeling once you can FINALLY catch that bird you've been after for SO long .......but then comes the even harder part, trying to figure out what exactly the problem is or what is to be done  

I'm glad you had her looked at by the vet as well, sorry to hear about the toe and leg needing amputations but it could be for the best. 

Please keep us updated on Lizzy's condition..


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Hi Mary,

You are right. It is an amazing feeling when you have spent so many days trying to get a bird, especially when I could have gotten any of the others 3 or 4 times over.

But I think you are right. I don't think it's best in these particular situations to actually plan the capture. I think it is just better to seize the moment. And by capturing her on impulse, I never got the chance to get all worked up and nervous about it. When I first tried grabbing her about a week ago I was so nervous that my heart was pounding out of my chest, my hand was slippery and I was simply far too hesitant. But this morning, the perfect opportunity just came along - out of the blue - and I made a split second decision to simply grab her.

When I actually realised she could not escape from my hands I had to do a double take. I simply could not believe at all that I had the bird in my hand! I could trap a lot of others and not think anything of it, but this one was really, really hard work.

What really annoyed me though is that half an hour after being captured, she realised I wasn't such a bad bloke after all. She let me go up to her and pat her without running away or giving the alarm signal. I wish the bird had known this 4 weeks ago, at which point both legs and all toes could have been saved.

Anyway, I did have to ask the vet about costs, because I'm not rich and have to pay for my own food and pay my own water and electricity bills. She though it might cost about $200, which means I can just manage it without starving myself.

It was quite sad with her at the vet. I'm there holding Lizzy and the vet is cutting away all the string. Lizzy had her head turned around to look at me the whole time. I'm not sure if she was saying "thank you", "what the flipping heck are you doing to me?".


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Hi Dodo,

Wow!! Amazing and I feel excatly the way you feel when about to catch a bird. Sometimes my heart beats so hard and I can't help holding my breath just as not to make slight moves (even just breathing which can cause the pij to escape)
And usually once I catch the bird I can't believe it either, it's really a great moment! 

After having caught so many birds over the 2 years since I started I figured out that being more relaxed is the best way and clearing my mind just when I'm about to catch the bird, praying helps me a lot in those moments as well.

 And that's so true about the pij's behaviour after being caught.. it can be very frustrating for us trying to catch them and if only they knew that we were just trying to help! 

I'm sure Lizzy understands and appreciated the care she is getting by you and the vet.. I hope she has a speedy recovery and things go well with her feet.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Dodo,

Very well done!

If she needs an amputation try to persuade them to do that at the ankle joint so that she still has a stump to walk on. It makes life that much more easy for them because otherwise they have to use a wing as a crutch and that causes damage to the wing. I have one that had a leg amputated at the thigh so she has to hop around and she simply could not survive outside the aviary. Another lost both feet to string and even though he is significantly shorter than the other pigeons he can hold his own. He would be releasable but is devoted to his hen who needs additional care, so they both stayed.

Cynthia


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Thanks for that tip Cynthia. I'm not exactly sure when I'm going to hear from them. I think they want to see how much effect the antibiotics are going to have. Certainly now that you have mentioned this, I will ask if it is optional to amputate at the ankle. I think a major problem at the moment is that there is so much massive swelling - including the entire legs - it's hard to make a decision at present as to what needs doing. When I left her with them, I asked would she be able to survive outside so long as I fed her each day. They said yes. One would think (hope) they would only take off the minimum required.

Jonathan


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Jonathan,

I think where they amputate depends so much on the vet and how much they know about pigeons.

My pigeon Harry had a foot so badly damaged that it looked like a big yellow ball. The first vet that I took her to refused to see her at all, the second took one look at the foot and said that Harry would have to be euthanased!

After a discussion in which I told her that there were plenty of feral pigeons that had survived the loss of a foot and that contrary to what she believed feral pigeons do not find captivity stressful she agreed to amputate.

I though that we were talking about the same thing! My mother fetched Harry home after the operation but when I gently lifted Harry out of the box to check the stump there was nothing there. They had severed the leg where it joins the body.

I can’t describe what a horrible shock that was. I really thought that with only one leg she would be unable to stand and ran up and down sobbing hysterically “Oh, they’ve killed her, they’ve killed her! She can’t live like this!”

Eventually I calmed down enough to telephone the vet who explained that they had cut to the thigh to avoid any possible bone infection and that she would be able to get around by hopping. 

Harry manages quite well in the aviary, she has a mate and even manages to land and perch on one foot but she is unreleasable and her handicap affects her ability to compete for treats . It still upsets me terribly and I blame myself for it. Danny, with no feet at all, is so much better off. 

This is why I never assume that the vet will do what I expect to be done now and spend a lot of time checking all the details!

Cynthia


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

I picked Lizzy up yesterday morning. I need to look after her for a couple more weeks I think. On Monday next week she needs to go back to have the bandages redressed. She is on oral antiboitics which I have to give her for a week (1ml dose morning and evening). I am surprised at how easy it is to give her these (touch wood).

The vet was so busy yesterday that I could only talk to the nurse. She gave me a rundown on what had been done but spent most of the time telling me what I needed to do over the next week. As for the right leg, even under the dressing it looks vastly improved, and there are 3 very good toes poking through the bandages. The left foot is very heavily bandaged, so I don't know exactly what they have had to do there. I'll find out on Monday when the dressing gets changed. But from the looks of it, she still might actually still have her left foot, but perhaps without toes. At the very least though, she is quite happily walking around on both limbs even with the bandages on.

I notice that when she sits on my hand, there is a nice lot of heat coming out of her feet, so the circulation is obviously pretty good.

She is being a troublesome patient. She has free reign of my 3.5 metre x 3.5 metre bathroom for recouperation, and she tends to like flying up from the floor to the vanity unit and back down again. If I leave her alone too long, she will find something on the vanity unit (like a brush or deoderant), and knock it down to the floor. Then I have to go and sit with her for 10 minutes and she is happy again. At other times she is in a bad mood and likes to bite my hands and "punch" me with her wings. Oh well, it is all for the best, even if she doesn't yet understand this


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

She sounds like an NHP (Normal Healthy Pigeon)! Thank goodness you caught her. It is not only malnutrition or the loss of toes or feet that are a threat to pigeons with string injury but also the danger that the pigeon can easily bleed to death . Lizzie is very lucky and I am delighted that your patience paid off.

My bathroom also doubles up as an aviary for recovering pigeons and mine also exercise by flying from "perch" to "perch". I try to remove anything that could be knocked off a shelf.

Cynthia


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Lizzy went back on Monday for her weekly checkup. The vet is very happy with the right leg but says it's possible the left leg may need a further amputation. At present, only the toes were amputated on the left leg. She now thinks the left leg may need to be turned into a simple stump. I'll know next Monday. She has now finished the antibiotics.

I have to say that I am becoming rather attached to this patient of mine. She has total free reign of the house, but chooses to spend much of her time in the large bathroom (even though I have the doors open the whole day).

Last night during a storm, she snuggled up into my neck and shoulder for 2 hours. She happily lets me pat her exactly as I would a cat, and even likes getting washed and dried with a hair dryer. I can pick her up and carry her anywhere and she never makes any attempt to fly off anywhere.

I can't leave her alone for long - I just want to keep going in and patting her. I love watching her eyes close as I do this. If she is left alone for too long, she starts to flap and fly around in the bathroom until I come in. Then she is happy if I give her a cuddle next to my chest.

I just hope the fact that she is now so settled down and used to me won't jeopardise in any way my attempt to return her to the flock. I think she is a sook actually


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Jonathan,

Your post brought tears to my eyes. It is so rare for an adult feral to become that tame that quickly. It reminds me of Ray's Bernie http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/pigeons/BerniePijStory.html and Mary's Dotty (who also has a stump).

Lizzie must be aware of your care and concern and appreciate it. She might not be willing to leave her home with you ...and you may not be able to part with her! Perhaps between you you could reach a compromise that involves some free flight and the comforts of home?

Cynthia

PS The Bernie link didn't work directly for me, but when I pressed "GO" on my address bar it opened.


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Hi Dodo and thanks for the great update!

Wow! Lizzy sounds like a great bird!

Just around this time of year 2 years ago I caught a feral pij (Dotty) who is my pet, same as Lizzy he has some problems (a stump and the 'good' foot was getting weak) 
Not sure how he endedup with one stump and one good foot but he is doing very well in here and adapted really nicely to us humans even though he was one of the most alert and careful in the wild (kinda like Lizzy as well, the ones with an injury or problem are always super alert though once they are caught they make wonderful tame birds very quickly, quite amazing!) 

I hope Lizzy's recovery is speedy and like Cynthia said maybe something can be worked out


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Dodo,

So happy for you and Lizzie that everything is coming along so well....you worked hard and long to catch and help her and you both deserve every success!

I am sure it will all work out in the end. Just wait and see how it goes.

Good luck and best wishes,
Linda


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Thanks again everyone. I'll give another update after Lizzy's next visit to the vet. Cynthia, you were thinking exactly what I was thinking. The birds happiness is by far the most important thing. If she seems happiest in the wild the entire time, I'm happy to do that. But if I find she hangs around an awful lot and still lets me "capture" her after being released, that could be an indication she wants to be a "part timer". It will actually be quite interesting to see exactly what she does when I finally take her out the back door. By the time I do that, she will have been living in my house for perhaps a month.


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## dodo (Feb 16, 2004)

Hi all,

Just another update. Lizzy went to the vet for her fourth visit today. One week ago, on her third visit, a second amuptation operation was performed on her left leg, the first operation 4 weeks ago having been deemed unsuccessful (the vet wanted to do the minimally invasive surgery possible the first time, which was fair enough - I was not charged for the second operation).

Nevertheless, the surgery on the right foot was a success first time around, and it's now looking like the right leg (minus one toe) is good to go. It has been unbandaged for a week and is looking good and very functional. When the vet returned her to me today after re-bandaging, she said the left stump is progressing well. So I am much more optimistic that she can make a sufficient recovery such that I can, in time, release her.

As for her behaviour, she no longer wing slaps me and quite enjoys her very frequent pats. She has also developed a fetish for "wing tickles", where I tickle her rib cage under her wings. She seems to get a real kick out of this  

Anyway, another update will be forthcoming in around a week.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi,

What great news.....I am glad Lizzy is coming along so well. Thank you for keeping us all updated.....best wishes for her speedy recovery.

Linda


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