# Rescued baby pigeons - heating and food questions



## gabriela.m (May 23, 2017)

Greetings from Brazil!

Five days ago I’ve became a host for two baby pigeons. After some roof reforms their nest had to be moved and although the construction guys placed them on a high spot on my backyard so the parents could come back and feed them, they never seemed to. They were screaming for food for 24h, the weather was starting to get bad and since there are a few neighborhood cats that visit my backyard, I decided to pick them up. It was a bit of a bumpy road, but I think (and hope) we’re managing it.

They apparently have 2-3 days of difference, it’s noticeable not only but size but feather formation. My guess is about 15 and 13 days by now but I’m not all that sure, maybe they are a little younger than that (I can take some pictures later).

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of good local info on pigeons, so I’m reading a few international forums and websites. I have a few questions, if anyone can help me out 

1. I’ve read somewhere that from 15 days on it’s not necessary to heat them anymore. Considering that it’s been quite rainy, the temperature has been around 17/18 Celsius and my house is not insulated nor heated, should I keep heating their box? Maybe at least during the night? I’m using water bottles and they seem to like it so much, they’re always sleeping right next to it.

2. They’re being fed baby pigeon’s formula and I plan on introducing peas to the big one tomorrow. Can they eat cooked rice? Pigeons on the street seem to like that, but I’m not sure if it’s good for them. Also, I’m clueless about when I should start giving them seeds. I’m sure the pet store has some mixed seeds or something of the sort on the bird’s section, so I’ll just get one of those. But how should I give it to them? Just throw it in their box? Hand feed them? Should I hydrate them first?

3. Already getting ahead of myself on this one, but when it is time for them to leave, what should I do? I don’t think it’s safe for them to try to fly out from the kitchen. Do they have to be on a high place? Should I place their box on the outside a few times a day and keep an eye out for them?

Sorry for the long thread and thank you in advance!

Gabriela.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hi Gabriela. Thanks for helping the babies. That is pretty much how I started with pigeons, only there were 6 of them. That was interesting. You are feeding baby bird formula? Posting pictures of them would really help a lot, as it's hard to know how much food they need, if they need supplemental heat or anything, without seeing them or knowing their ages. As long as you have the baby bird formula, I would wait till they are about 3 weeks to feed peas. You would use frozen peas which have been defrosted and warmed under warm running water. But wait till you can post a picture and we can figure out how old they are. 

If you have an electric heating pad, one that doesn't shut off every 2 hours, that might be easier than hot water bottles. The water bottles must get cold after a while. 
If they are feathered out, then they are probably warm enough, but if they are not warm enough, they cannot digest. So then the food just sits in their crop and gets sour. How long have you been feeding them? How much do you feed them? And how are you feeding them? If not enough then they won't grow. 

As far as the seed, I would wait on that too. They will need to be able to drink water on their own if they eat seed, so that is something else you will have to show them. You would do that by gently lowering their beak into a small cup of water, but not over the nostrils. Do that off and on during the day and they will eventually learn.
We can talk about releasing them later, as they are no where near that point. First let's get a picture of them to be able to tell where they are in their development and how much you are feeding. I will be out for a few hours, but will be back later and will check for an answer.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Gabriela, as Jay3 has said, thank you for helping them! Check out the suggestions made and hopefully they will grow quickly. One baby is always born a couple of days before the other as pigeons lay eggs a couple of days apart so one is likely to be ahead in development. But they catch up quickly.


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## gabriela.m (May 23, 2017)

Here are some pictures I took this morning, I don't know if you can see them properly. They are definitely not fans of hand nestling and don't seem to like me touching them much other than for feeding. 
On the more blurred picture I was trying to show that none of them has many feathers under their wings yet. The big one is fluffier than the small one, but they both seem to be developing their feathers since I got them, they used to be more bald and yellowed haired.

@Jay3 - Thanks for your reply! 

I don't have a heating pad and that's not something it would be that easy (or even cheap) to find around here, thus the bottles. I'll see if I can manage something else to make sure they get enough heat, I'll just have to be inventive 

I've been feeding them the baby pigeon formula for the 5 days I've been with them. I do it 3 times a day and now they are eating about 20ml per meal each (the small one's crop seems to be smaller, so I give him a bit less). Their crops don't seem to get overly inflated or anything, but I'm honestly not sure if it's too much or not enough. They seem to be hungry all the time. 

Finally, from what I've read I'm not using the best method, but I'm feeding them with a syringe. They've quickly learned to open their beaks as soon as I touch them, so I give them a little bit at a time. I tried the bag on hand method (I saw it on a video and it seemed so easy), but that was a disaster and they didn't seem to get it either. I couldn't find those large syringes to cut the front off, at the pharmacy they told me those are only sold at specialized medical stores


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Adorable little guys!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Yes, they are very cute. Can you post a picture of them, that shows their crop after you feed them? Not with you holding them or anything. Just front and side as they are sitting on the paper or whatever.
When you feed them, their crop should feel like a soft little pillow, maybe 2/3 to 3/4 full. Not hard and packed, but full enough. Here is a good link to check out. You can click on different things for info. Lots of good info.

http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/


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## FredaH (Apr 5, 2016)

Aww they are so sweet and lucky to have you looking after them.


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## gabriela.m (May 23, 2017)

*Crop after feeding*

Hello again!
These are from last night after feeding. Big guy had 20ml and the small guy 14ml. 

The little one is so frenetic it was hard to take a decent pic, but my brother made these funny slow motion videos while I was at it 

https://youtu.be/Jj3MxISgkYU
https://youtu.be/R-mhvxmwul4

Have a nice day, everyone!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Adorable little guys! Thank you for helping them.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Their crops look pretty good. Why are you playing those sounds at them? Sounds awful.


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## gabriela.m (May 23, 2017)

Jay3 said:


> Their crops look pretty good. Why are you playing those sounds at them? Sounds awful.


Good to know! They're doing pretty well I think 

I'm not playing anything, it's how their squeak sounds with the slow motion app.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Cute little guys! LOL, their squawking sounds eerie in slow motion


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