# Found a baby pigeon this morning... Help



## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

Hello,
My children found a baby pigeon out in the street this morning. I have been reading this site and others since, and after looking at all the pictures of pigeons at different ages, my guess is this one is maybe 21 days old... also have picked up a great deal of information on how to feed / care for it here.. My question is - can it / should it be kept?
We are in Sheridan, Wyoming and I have found no sign of anyone who knows about pigeon care in our area and the wildlife department is not too interested in a pigeon. No sign of a nest or anything outside - it was just in the road and we have no idea where it came from. It doesn't seem injured.
We would like to keep him/her but don't know anything about keeping a pigeon - would he/she be better off released at some point or kept safely as a pet?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Misty...some questions for you...
Were there other pigeons around?
Can this bird fly?
Can this bird eat on it's own?
Please open the beak and look inside the mouth and throat to see it there are any yellow specks.


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

Thank you for replying 
There were no other pigeons around; as far as I have seen the only pigeons around my immediate vicinity are about 6 blocks away - a bunch of them roost on a building over there. This pigeon can't fly yet as far as I can tell. I just went to the store - most places are closed today but I got some canary/finch birdseed at WalMart - it seemed small enough for his little beak and he is eating it right now. He seems to be drinking his water, too. I don't want to stop him eating, but when he is done I'll try to look inside his beak for the yellow specks...


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

*no yellow specks...*



Charis said:


> Misty...some questions for you...
> Were there other pigeons around?
> Can this bird fly?
> Can this bird eat on it's own?
> Please open the beak and look inside the mouth and throat to see it there are any yellow specks.



Ok, I've looked and he has no yellow specks... inside of the mouth and throat is all pink.


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Awesome. You are off to a good start. The bird should be pooping every hour, the size of a raisin. Is this happening?
So far seems healthy.
If you want to eventually release, try not socializing with the bird. Otherwise she will very readily bond to your family, and you will love her. Pigeons have a way of being too smart for us. They are really good at training humans.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

That's good now what about the rest of the questions?


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

mistyR said:


> Thank you for replying
> There were no other pigeons around; as far as I have seen the only pigeons around my immediate vicinity are about 6 blocks away - a bunch of them roost on a building over there. This pigeon can't fly yet as far as I can tell. I just went to the store - most places are closed today but I got some canary/finch birdseed at WalMart - it seemed small enough for his little beak and he is eating it right now. He seems to be drinking his water, too. I don't want to stop him eating, but when he is done I'll try to look inside his beak for the yellow specks...


She answered, silly.


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

*Answers on the pigeon*



Charis said:


> That's good now what about the rest of the questions?


Sorry, I had answered the other questions first, had to wait to look into his mouth, maybe that first reply didn't go through... I'll repost it here...
Thanks 

"Thank you for replying 
There were no other pigeons around; as far as I have seen the only pigeons around my immediate vicinity are about 6 blocks away - a bunch of them roost on a building over there. This pigeon can't fly yet as far as I can tell. I just went to the store - most places are closed today but I got some canary/finch birdseed at WalMart - it seemed small enough for his little beak and he is eating it right now. He seems to be drinking his water, too. I don't want to stop him eating, but when he is done I'll try to look inside his beak for the yellow specks..."


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Misty!

If this youngster becomes quite tame while in your care, then by all means keep it as a pet .. it seems you are interested in doing so. If you have a good amount of time to spend with the bird, then it will be a happy pigeon. You may, however, want to just see how things go and if you decide to keep the youngster, there are ever so many pigeons of all ages and types that need a good home, and you could adopt a companion for this bird.

If you really want to release it, then do your best not to let it become too tame and human friendly .. that does not bode well for a wild bird.

Also, you live where the winters are very harsh, and it's soon going to be that time of year. I'd give that issue some thought also with regard to releasing the young pigeon or not.

If the little one is eating on its own, that is terrific! If you could post a picture or two, we could probably tell the approximate age of the bird.

Best of luck and thank you for helping this little bird! Please keep us posted!

Terry


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

*excretions / bonding*



philodice said:


> Awesome. You are off to a good start. The bird should be pooping every hour, the size of a raisin. Is this happening?
> So far seems healthy.
> If you want to eventually release, try not socializing with the bird. Otherwise she will very readily bond to your family, and you will love her. Pigeons have a way of being too smart for us. They are really good at training humans.



Pooping does not seem to be an issue for this little pigeon  Seems to be doing that pretty regularly, and as you described...
We would like to keep him/her.. just not sure what that entails. How large of a cage and what kind? Do they need fly time outside a cage? Do they adjust well to being a pet? Are there books available on pet care of a pigeon?? I would hate to just release the little thing - winter is on it's way here - we will have snow and very cold weather probably within the month... by the time he/she is flying, etc - it will be pretty cold / bad weather here..
Thanks for responding,
~misty


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Is the pigeon eating?


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

TAWhatley said:


> Hi Misty!
> 
> If this youngster becomes quite tame while in your care, then by all means keep it as a pet .. it seems you are interested in doing so. If you have a good amount of time to spend with the bird, then it will be a happy pigeon. You may, however, want to just see how things go and if you decide to keep the youngster, there are ever so many pigeons of all ages and types that need a good home, and you could adopt a companion for this bird.
> 
> ...


Thank you, here are some pictures and I will post a few more, too.


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

TAWhatley said:


> Hi Misty!
> 
> If the little one is eating on its own, that is terrific! If you could post a picture or two, we could probably tell the approximate age of the bird.
> 
> ...



A few more pictures to help determine his/her age. Isn't he/she extremely cute? 

Thank you,
~misty


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Thanks for the photos, MistyR! You definitely need to be keeping this little one for a good while. It has either parasites, canker (and I know you've looked in the mouth/throat), or was pecked by others .. ala the lack of feathers/fuzz on the head and neck. Plus, it appears to be a tad bit on the skinny side. Personally, I think ya got yourself a pet! It needs to be with you for probably at least a month or more to get everything back into condition and by that time, it's too close to winter in your location to think about releasing it. By the time spring comes around, you, your family, and the bird are going to be quite bonded unless you really, really work hard not to let that happen.

I vote for a pet! Others will disagree and still others will agree with me. You will have to do what you think is best for the little pigeon.

I need to look at the pictures again more carefully and will then post back.

Terry


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

OK .. back again .. might as well jump right in with both feet, so to speak. Please get the poop balls off the toenails .. 

The little one is quite skinny.

Would guess that it has parasites/bugs (external type) .. dusting with Sevin dust like for plants will handle those .. don't get any in the eyes, nostrils, or mouth, and do get under the wings and around the vent (where the poop comes out). You can also get a "bug" spray for birds from the pet store and that will work fine also.

Truly, I think this little one just needs a lot of TLC, good food, debugging, and it will do fine. Do keep checking the mouth for canker growths, however.

Others will have more to say ..

Looks to be about 4 weeks old to me.

Terry


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

TAWhatley said:


> Thanks for the photos, MistyR! You definitely need to be keeping this little one for a good while. It has either parasites, canker (and I know you've looked in the mouth/throat), or was pecked by others .. ala the lack of feathers/fuzz on the head and neck. Plus, it appears to be a tad bit on the skinny side. Personally, I think ya got yourself a pet! It needs to be with you for probably at least a month or more to get everything back into condition and by that time, it's too close to winter in your location to think about releasing it. By the time spring comes around, you, your family, and the bird are going to be quite bonded unless you really, really work hard not to let that happen.
> 
> I vote for a pet! Others will disagree and still others will agree with me. You will have to do what you think is best for the little pigeon.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for the information. I didn't know what the little balls on his toes were, but they have been successfully removed, now. He doesn't seem to mind being handled / held too much. He's definitely eating well - hasn't stopped, really, since I put the seed in. I will look at the store for Sevin dust tomorrow. We are going to keep him; I can't imagine him fending for himself in the winter here. The weather is nice, now, and apparently he is skinny / not well-fed, so I don't know how he'd do it in the winter. I don't even see pigeons around here in the winter, I don't know where they go...
I'll have to get some books on pigeon care because I am woefully uninformed on birds and their needs...
For now, though, he is warm, watered, fed, and de-pooped on his toenails so surely some pigeon care books can get me up to speed on further long-term care 
~misty


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Misty,

Books are fine, but they are going to be written about racing pigeons and fancy pigeons .. not ferals .. just stay with us here and keep posting your questions, observations, and pictures. Books are great, but just about every single member here is someone who has pigeons in some capacity or other. I think you will get better info, faster info, and just in general better information here. You have a feral pigeon and not a racing pigeon or show pigeon .. the latter would have gotten pretty good starts in life while your little feral may not have .. might have .. but by looking at the pictures that is not the case, your little one needs some help.

Terry


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

PS: Good on you .. poop balls on toenails gross some pigeon parents out .. glad you got them off.

In a day or so, take a clean cat litter box or similar and put about two inches of tepid water in it and see if the little one will take a bath. Once it is willing to bathe, a lot of the poop on feet and feather problems will self resolve as the little bird will groom itself. You can't, however, let it become soaking wet and cold. If it doesn't want a bath, that's fine .. it does want to bathe then make sure that when it comes out of the "tub" that it flutters and fluffs and preens .. if not .. you need to get it dry and warm .. towel and hair dryer .. 

Terry


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

*Housing for the pigeon?*



TAWhatley said:


> Hi Misty,
> 
> Books are fine, but they are going to be written about racing pigeons and fancy pigeons .. not ferals .. just stay with us here and keep posting your questions, observations, and pictures. Books are great, but just about every single member here is someone who has pigeons in some capacity or other. I think you will get better info, faster info, and just in general better information here. You have a feral pigeon and not a racing pigeon or show pigeon .. the latter would have gotten pretty good starts in life while your little feral may not have .. might have .. but by looking at the pictures that is not the case, your little one needs some help.
> 
> Terry


Sounds good, I'll make sure I keep on here and just use any books as supplemental  A question, as far as housing the pigeon goes, what type of cage is recommended? The baby is in a pet carrier right now with soft towells but I'll want to know the best kind of housing for him/her before I buy something...
Thanks again, 
~misty


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

*Thanks for all this help *



TAWhatley said:


> PS: Good on you .. poop balls on toenails gross some pigeon parents out .. glad you got them off.
> 
> In a day or so, take a clean cat litter box or similar and put about two inches of tepid water in it and see if the little one will take a bath. Once it is willing to bathe, a lot of the poop on feet and feather problems will self resolve as the little bird will groom itself. You can't, however, let it become soaking wet and cold. If it doesn't want a bath, that's fine .. it does want to bathe then make sure that when it comes out of the "tub" that it flutters and fluffs and preens .. if not .. you need to get it dry and warm .. towel and hair dryer ..
> 
> Terry


Will do


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He's a cute little guy. Terry's right. You're going to have him for a while, then it will be too cold to release him. The longer you have him, the more you will bond and fall in love with him. I started out raising 6 orphaned pidgies, fully expecting to release them to the ferral flock in my backyard, and by the time they were a couple of months old, I was totally addicted to them. Built a loft and aviary instead of the shed we had been planning for the last couple of years. And then took in 3 rescues. Watch out! They have a way of working their little selves into your heart. They are not hard to keep, and yes, they do need some fly time everyday. Maybe a little aviary outside. Or, they even have pigeonwear, so that they can fly around the house without pooping on everything. They do need an amount of sunshine though, so a small aviary would be nice. And they do like company, and there are always pigeons on this forum to adopt. You'll find the people here will be more than happy to help you out with any questions or concerns that you may have. He will need a cage at least big enough to spread and excercise his wings in without danger of hitting the cage. They do make great pets. Anyway, first things first. Get him healthy and bug free, and as a matter of fact, they love to bath. Good luck!


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## JuliePigeon (Sep 11, 2008)

My boy pigeon had a round cage that was taller than it was around. When he was bigger he kept hitting his beak on the sides when he would jump down, so it was time for a change. I bought him a metal wire dog crate for the larger breeds... like for a German Shepherd or a Husky. The bars are actually big enough for the bird's head to fit through, (but not enough to get caught) so I would make quite sure other pets (cats, dogs, ect.) don't have unsupervised access to the cage, and you probably wouldn't want to leave a possibly untrustworthy pet in the room alone with him, anyway. Yes, though. That works quite well for us, and there was even room enough for two pigeons in there...D). I totally vote for a pet! I agree, you will become entirely attatched to him (and he will become entirely attatched to you and everyone in your home)! After a while it just got too messy to have them inside for us though, in that room especially(they were in a room with an area rug and wood floor, and seeds and wood flooring don't mix, as I'm sure everyone knows!), so my brother designed and built a cage with a small loft just big enough for two, and it attatches to our shed. Then I bring them in at night. That works really well, and it's painted to match! I wonder how the winter will be because they've never been outside in the cold before, but I'm sure they'll be fine. Do you know if your bird is a cock or a hen? With my boy bird, he constantly wants to sit on someone, and will sit on your shoulder, head or arm. We tried to see what would happen so we brought him to a parking lot in his harness, and let him out of the car and closed the door. He flew right back in through the car window. Your bird should become very close to you, and (as in my bird's case) possibly very spoiled. We use a shallow storage bin filled about halfway with warm water and pigeon anti-mite bath salts from Foy's Pigeon Supplies for bathing. My birds eat so he eats short-grained rice, wheat, milo, millet seeds and (I said he was spoiled) gourmet french lentils, and some wild bird mixes. This is good for variety. I'm just going on and on here, sorry about that. In closing, DON'T FORGET GRIT! This is very important. Ok, the best of luck to you and your bird! I apologize for rambling. Keep us posted!


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## bweaz (Aug 1, 2008)

mistyR, there is a good thread on Wild "feral" Pigeons called "chinchilla cage for crippled ferals?" It gives some good ideas. I have a ferret cage for mine. She seems to like it. Of course, the minute I get home, she starts cooing to get out. And how can anyone resist the lure of a pigeon coo?


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## mistyR (Sep 14, 2008)

*I get great information on here!*



JuliePigeon said:


> My boy pigeon had a round cage that was taller than it was around. When he was bigger he kept hitting his beak on the sides when he would jump down, so it was time for a change. ....I totally vote for a pet! I agree, you will become entirely attatched to him (and he will become entirely attatched to you and everyone in your home)! ....my brother designed and built a cage with a small loft just big enough for two, and it attatches to our shed. Then I bring them in at night. That works really well, and it's painted to match! I wonder how the winter will be because they've never been outside in the cold before, but I'm sure they'll be fine. Do you know if your bird is a cock or a hen? ..... In closing, DON'T FORGET GRIT! This is very important. Ok, the best of luck to you and your bird! I apologize for rambling. Keep us posted!


Thank you so much, as it turns out, that's what I have been looking at for cages, larger ones that are marketed for ferrets, for instance, seemed roomier to me than most bird cages I was seeing. I tried a bath last night and he ( I say 'he' but I have no idea...) was not too interested. He stood in the water for a while and gave me a "look". Well, it was a good first try. Oh, and I do have grit in with his seed... also picked up crushed oyster shell from the pet shop today; our pet shop finally opened back up today and I picked up the parasite spray so I will be starting the de-bugging treatment when I get off work today. He was very cute, I took him in the bathroom for his little bath and shut the door so he could roam around if he wanted and he walked all over the place, but would always come back and sit right by me after he explored a bit.
So cute.
I'm picking up his cage this week and we are planning to build some sort of an outside aviary (with lots of info I have read here on aviaries) so he can be outside each day for a bit and have room to fly around when he is old enough..
I love him, he's so endearing.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

It's best to keep the grit in a separate container than the feed. He'll eat the grit when he wants to or thinks he needs it. At his age, they don't eat a lot of grit anyway. I'd only give him about a teaspoon at a time. What kind of grit is it?


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